1918 Trench Knife - who makes a functional replica?

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I am not sure if this will be helpful or not.

It was a few years ago (mid '80s) I had one of these (the cheap one), and can't remember for sure how it was built.
But one idea, if you are interested, would be to get one of the cheap ones (look around for one that has a fairly good casting; I have seen some that are better than others) and replace the blade. It sounds like what you might be after is a better blade...
A custom maker could probably grind one (sans their maker's mark, probably) for not to much, to your liking.
Or if you are feeling particularly clever, you might be able to fit one of the pre-made carbon steel German blades from Jantz Supply (or other suppliers) to the handle.
I do remember that mine had a nut at the pommel that could be taken off and the blade come out of the handle, but I don't know if the newer ones come a part, or the handle is cast on to the blade.

Not sure if that might work for you, but it was an idea. It won’t be as nice as a really well made one, but might work for the time being.

Good luck.
Brome
 
Mr. Curd...

try the Mark Terrell Crowd Pleaser.

see pic..

paullongcrowd001.jpg



This is the real deal. S30V quadruple double edged hollow ground blade approx 16" long with a nice set of knuckle dusters and your choice of scale material.

Mark has a forum here..
 
all the fine custom suggestions but i get the feeling that he's looking for a period correct reproduction, i searched for an authentic just to see what was up and good lord that alot of money:eek:
personally i would take up Morrow on his offer that way the knife could be handled first, might be better than just ordering off the web.
Interesting knife thats for sure and would be nice to have the original:D
My advice would be to suspend your knife nut ways and buy the knife since its for display whats the harm... besides at the end of the day its a sharp and pointy and you could do a review on it here
Whatever you decide good luck
ivan
P.S. Carnivale was a pretty good show that wasnt given enough episodes, i was sad to see it go
 
While I'm sure there are plenty of fine knuckleduster knives out there, Joe has pointed out that he needs an exact replica of the 1918 trench knife because he's specifically trying to gift his wife with an item that looks like the one used in Carnivale.

Is an actual, vintage 1918 trench knife out of the question? I've no idea what they go for or how available they are.
 
A common Au Lion or LF & C will go for $350-600 depending on how lucky you get. A few rare variations will push beyond that. If you decide to get an older one, look to make sure it has its proper dark finish.
 
Sharp Phil said:
Is an actual, vintage 1918 trench knife out of the question?
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They can run as high as $1500, which is definitely over the top for a decoration. I am going to see what morrowj finds...I was just hoping at least one maker out there made a "Kabar quality" version...
 
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J_Curd said:
They can run as high as $1500, which is definitely over the top for a decoration. I am going to see what morrowj finds...I was just hoping at least one maker out there made a "Kabar qualify" version...
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The next show is the June 13th and 14th.
 
falcon125 said:
Something like this?

http://www.plowshareforge.com/
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FWIW: The owner of Plowshareforge.com was banned from here for not following forum rules.

That being said, I like his version of the trench knife. I believe it is called the Sgt. Bob on the website. The pictures aren't that good. The F&F looks a little rough for the price but it may just be bad pictures. It might be worth a look.

EDIT: It seems he gives a 50% military discount which would make this one available for a darn nice price if you can take advantage of the discount.
 
Looks affordable enough! I'm sure you could request one from him with brass instead of aluminum, too.
 
morrowj_98 said:
FWIW: The owner of Plowshareforge.com was banned from here for not following forum rules.

That being said, I like his version of the trench knife. I believe it is called the Sgt. Bob on the website. The pictures aren't that good. The F&F looks a little rough for the price but it may just be bad pictures. It might be worth a look.

EDIT: It seems he gives a 50% military discount which would make this one available for a darn nice price if you can take advantage of the discount.
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I have Brass knuckles from plowshare bought last year.
very nice,shipped fast if that helps.
The place to look for trench knives replicas or the real deal is Gunbroker.
 
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This is the exact knife I seek, note the rough casting marks on the grip...however, I want a carbon steel blade:

TS-WWIITRKNF_540.jpg
 
Dan Brock at Plowshare Forge will make you a trench knife for $150 shipped. Go here

http://www.plowshareforge.com/

and click the link for "Sgt. Bob." Here's a pic:

sgt-bob.jpg


Never ordered from Dan and I can't speak for quality, but he has an interesting web site. He says he really likes trench knives.

I really like trench knives. The very first knife I ever made was one. I also seem to be unusual in this respect as everyone, including my arch nemisis E-(Evil Empire) Bay, seems terrified of them. They are illegal but why would you carry one around anyway?

What I like is that they are a direct manifestation of the lengths mankind's inhumanity can and will sink to given the chance - and I have a pet psychological theory that the enclosure of the fingers gives a feeling of security lacking in other knives.

The big question, for me as well as those on some knife forums I've lurked is "how useful were they?" I think that the reality is "not very" except when you look at the above picture taken from a contemporary publication called "The War Illustrated". You see a trench raid in progress as the Brits make their way from dugout to dugout clearing them out with "bombs" what the English call grenades. I believe that knuckle knives developed as a "put it in your hand and forget about it" weapon for your left hand the right being otherwise occupied as illustrated above. This belief is supported by the fact that they are indeed difficult to drop, but equally hard to deploy. None of them I've ever looked at, with the possible exception of the McNary pattern US 1918 Mk 1, would have been anything but a pain to get out of the sheath and into your hand quickly. Some almost have to put on like a glove. With this in mind, imagine you're on a trench raid, creeping across no-man's-land in the dead of night to wreak havoc on the Boche. A lot of accounts say that rifles with bayonets were used on raids but I would find it extremely uncomfortable jumping into a trench which may only be a few feet wide with a weapon almost six feet long. How would you turn around in a hurry? But, crouching under the parapet waiting for the signal to "jump the bags" in makes perfect sense to get your sack of bombs together and put one of these wicked little blades in your other hand. Also, notice the grip used by the man in the illustration, overhand, icepick style. If you try holding a knife like this while you move about, you realize it's far easier to do so without accidently stabbing yourself as well as your buds, especially if you're not really paying attention to that hand.

I invite any comment on this as I've no direct experience in combat on any kind and certainly not the ugly brutal type of the Great War.
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trench-raids9.jpg
 
Wapiti said:
I am not sure if this will be helpful or not.

It was a few years ago (mid '80s) I had one of these (the cheap one), and can't remember for sure how it was built.
But one idea, if you are interested, would be to get one of the cheap ones (look around for one that has a fairly good casting; I have seen some that are better than others) and replace the blade. It sounds like what you might be after is a better blade...
A custom maker could probably grind one (sans their maker's mark, probably) for not to much, to your liking.
Or if you are feeling particularly clever, you might be able to fit one of the pre-made carbon steel German blades from Jantz Supply (or other suppliers) to the handle.
I do remember that mine had a nut at the pommel that could be taken off and the blade come out of the handle, but I don't know if the newer ones come a part, or the handle is cast on to the blade.

Not sure if that might work for you, but it was an idea. It won’t be as nice as a really well made one, but might work for the time being.

Good luck.
Brome
Click to expand...

I've been toying around with this idea for a few years. Does anyone know if the cast handles on the el-cheapo ones are real brass? Or are they gold colored magnesium or something like that.....
 
jcoffman55 said:
I've been toying around with this idea for a few years. Does anyone know if the cast handles on the el-cheapo ones are real brass? Or are they gold colored magnesium or something like that.....
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You nercro'ed an old thread, which is generally frowned upon but since you asked - zinc.

The Budk 'trench knives' are utter cheapo 'carp.' How ever for a wallhanger, they'd look okay, if you can live with the low low quality. JUST DONT USE THEM - YOULL END UP HURTING YOURSELF.

Some buy these 'carpola' knives from Budk for $19.99 a pop, chop off the horrid low quality blade and use the handle for sticking on motorcycles. Ive seen them used as foot rests and also as shifter handles for jockey shifts and suicide shifters.

Looks the part but Id hate to have my fingers caught in there during gear shifting - jockey and suicide shifts are 'interesting' enough as is.
 
Does it have to be an exact replica? Cold steel makes a carbon steel knife based on the trench knife. I think they call it chaos trench dagger. The other thing you could do is get an original one from ebay. They appear once in a while.
 
The original question was posted in 2009. I think it's beyond the poster's interest by now.
 
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