Dad's Ka-Bar

Catmouth

Catmouth

Joined
Apr 3, 2012
Messages
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I was recently at my parents former home, as they are both deceased now, and discovered a couple of knives that my dad had in the back of the gun cabinet. One was an old Navy knife with USN on one side of the blade and Geneva Forge Inc on the other. I assume that was my fathers knife since he was in the Navy in the early 60's. The other was a Ka-Bar "USMC" knife. I was wondering if anyone could shed some more light on either of these knives. I had never seen them before in all the years we hunted and went trap shooting. I am sure he never thought to tell me about their origin and more than likely forgot they were stuck back there.

I have a few poor photos on my Flickr stream.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/catmouth/6908260686/in/set-72157629397561536/
7069429263_7ed6263f12.jpg

Thanks in advance for any info you might have.
 
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How can you NOT click on a thread titled "Dad's Ka-Bar"? :)

I'm not an expert and can't help much, but from the looks of those knives my guess is that they are authentic, have a story or two to tell and were NOT back there because they were forgotten. I'm glad you found them, I hope you manage to learn their story someday.
 
6908259514_27e43be67a.jpg


7054350083_51275f0e10.jpg


Lemme put a couple of those up for you.

Great lookin' blade, I really like them old Kabars.

Moose
 
Hmm. They've seen genuine use.

As another geezer, and a military one at that, I can tell you those knives were popular among those of us who needed a good edge.

I'll agree with Blue Sky that the knives have some stories they could tell.:)
 
Thanks Moose. For some reason the forum hates my photos. I am sure it couldn't be user error... lol
 
So I guess the general observations are that they appear to be from that period, late 50's-early 60's? I have no idea how to date these knives.
 
Catmouth,

Can't speak on the Geneva Forge Knife. However, here are some KA-BAR Mark II facts. KA-BAR produced the MkII/USMC knife from 1941-1945. Then they started again in 1976 with a fancy limited editon version for the KA-BAR Collector's club.
I'd like to see some more pictures of the KA-BAR. Full straight on, side shots (Both sides) with a ruler next to the knife. Also some close up shots of the stamps (Both Sides) and the end of the buttcap (Pommel) A full shot of the sheath front would also be helpful.
I know I'm asking a lot but it maybe worth your time. If you can do this, I can give you fairly detailed info on the knife. Like I said; It maybe worth your time.
Thanks.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
 
I agree with Toooj, although I believe you reintroduced the MK II in 1975. The varieties of the WW2 KA-BAR's is extensive and the pictures asked for could provide good feedback.
 
although I believe you reintroduced the MK II in 1975.
Click to expand...
sac troop,

You could be correct. (Edit: Reissue is listed as 1976) The years start to blurr together and I knee jerked an answer without verifying the date. I'll check tomorrow.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
 
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Catmouth said:
I was recently at my parents former home, as they are both deceased now, and discovered a couple of knives that my dad had in the back of the gun cabinet. One was an old Navy knife with USN on one side of the blade and Geneva Forge Inc on the other. I assume that was my fathers knife since he was in the Navy in the early 60's. The other was a Ka-Bar "USMC" knife. I was wondering if anyone could shed some more light on either of these knives. I had never seen them before in all the years we hunted and went trap shooting. I am sure he never thought to tell me about their origin and more than likely forgot they were stuck back there.

I have a few poor photos on my Flickr stream.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/catmouth/6908260686/in/set-72157629397561536/

Thanks in advance for any info you might have.
Click to expand...

I will take a stab at it based on published info. The Geneva Forge knife is a Navy Mark 1 which follows pretty close to the Navy's specs from the WWII contract. Geneva Forge was out of Chicago Illinois and made the Mark I for the Navy during the war years. The Mark 1 was a general utility knife for deck hands used up through the 1960's. The Navy felt it would be useful for cutting the ropes that secured the life boats. Unfortunately, it was used too often for that purpose.

The Ka-Bar Mark II that you have pictured looks to be a late war version but apparently manufactured before the govt changed the specification which now required markings moved to the guard. The give away is the pinned butt cap and small font lettering. Does it say USMC, USN on the other side of the blade? From your picture on Flickr it looks like the military designation is either ground off or some sort of brazing is covering it; can't tell.

The sheath looks to be in pretty good shape complete with the verdigris covered brass staples. From the cut of the keeper strap I'm guessing a Boyt made sheath which ups the value among collectors. Does it say Boyt 43 on the sheath right below the keeper strap? All conjecture from the limited number of photos but I know Tooj will be more exact. Good stuff you have there.

Dan
 
DRE,

Good info on Geneva Forge. The MKI is one of the best all around knives ever designed.(IMHO) Millions were made by a large number of manufacturers (Including Union/KA-BAR) The large number still around, can in part, attest to the soundness of the design.
I'm suspecting same as you on the MKII F/U KA-BAR but would like to see better pics. The mark/stamp and location on MkII/F/U Knives is a very nebulous subject at best, in spite of what the Mil Spec tried to dictate. During the war a lot of strange stuff happened in alot of factories due to a shortages and variety of other reasons. This makes for very interesting interpretations many years later.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
 
I will try to get some more photos up tonight. Thanks for all the input so far everyone.
 
I still can not get my photos to link. No idea what I am doing wrong. I did add the requested photos to the album.
 
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Cat,
If you aren't a paying member you can't post pics directly. You have to post thru an image site like image shack and link them to your post.
Kabar/Becker moderators Moose, Guyon or Bladite can help.
MOOSE?

Sorry for short answer. At the airport.

Best Regards,

Toooj
 
Well it's still your Dad's knife. It's really too bad that the U.S.M.C. was defaced. More than a few people did this sort of thing at one time. Thinking that they may get in trouble for possessing Government property. At this point the original sheath is probably worth more than the knife to a collector. IMHO it being your Dad's knife it would be priceless still.
Probably a mid war knife. Before the stampings were moved to the guard but not having the features of the earliest knives either.
Here’s a link to a nice article on the birth of this knife. Scroll down to Part V for the specific topic.
http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/okca_1996.htm
Toooj you were right, I was wrong the first year was 1976. What got me confused was the Marine Corps birthday. The Knife was a commemorative for the 200th. 1775-1975 was printed on the first ones. But as I understand it they came out in 1976. But then you knew that.;)
 
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thank you for this very interesting and informative thread. i really enjoyed the pics and all the information from everyone.
 
Catmouth,

Sorry for not responding sooner. Just got back from the NRA Show.
Your dad's USMC Knife is what we call a 4th gen knife; late war 1944-45) Union Cutlery had the Mil Contract from 1942-1945. Each generation during that period can be roughly broken down by year. 1st-1942; 2nd-1943; etc.
(The USMC knife was first issued in the beginning of 1942 but production actually started in 1941). Changes were due to manufacturing efficiencies, material shartages, and vendor changes/issues.
It looks to be in pretty good shape.

Sac Troop, You are correct about the grind on Pile side ricasso. Still, all-in-all, a nice piece.

Hope this helps.

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
 
Thank you again Tooj and everyone who kicked in some info. No worries about a slow response. I had totally forgotten about this knife years ago. Dad rarely had it out of the gun cabinet. I honestly just happened upon it when going back through the house to make sure all the firearms had been removed from the home. These were stuck behind some old shotgun ammo boxes. I imagine he might have picked it up when he was in the Navy in the 60's or soon after when he was still an avid hunter. I am glad I found them and this forum.
 
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