Feasibility questions

[Sean Scott]

I am nearing the end of my Army career and want to "bling" my dress saber before it goes on the wall.

It's a standard M1902-pattern WKC-Solingen offering, nickel plated high-carbon steel with regulation etchings, tens of thousands just like it. I come from a family with a long tradition of Army service, and I have long admired some of the sabers bought by family members in the 1910s to the 1930s. Deep etchings, horn and ebony handles, and occasionally a (to me) very attractive brass PROVED slug inset in to the ricasso. The anemic offerings of the last 20 years, even from firms like Wilkinson, don't measure up in some ways, especially in the depth and detail of the etchings.

I want to have one of those PROVED slugs inserted into the ricasso of my blade, and have the regulation blade design engraved instead of etched. I was discussing this with a friend, and he said that to do that the present nickel plating would have to be removed and the etched areas polished down, and that by the time all that was done the blade would be dorked up. And, depending on the method used to remove the nickel, the temper of the blade might be lost.

Is this a viable project, or should I let this one go?

Thanks!

 

[SamW]

Sean, I have cut a name in a Navy officer's dress sword before. It was not plated but was very hard and it was an almost impossible task to get his name in the blade. Your sword would have to be stripped of nickel and probably annealed to be engravable. Keep checking but you will find this a difficult task so don't get your hopes up too high. S

 

[pilkguns]

Unless you have more money than you have sense, this is not a viable project. Just as the modern Army has long since relegated the sword to mere ornamentation on it's dress uniform, it has also made sure that those same swords avialable offerings are only ornamentation as well and not intended for real use.

FWIW, I have done 5 or 6 of these in recent years as people retired from my Guard unit in state HQs, and I use carbide punch stippling (can we say dental burr in square stock?) to duplicate the look of the acid etching in the name field. Other than that they are tood hard to engrave practicaly withough annealing which brings up lots of other issues.

 

[monk]

i've got 2 of these babies waiting to go out the door as we speak. i simply engraved brass plates to reside with the sabre when placed on the wall holder. engraving cant be done without full annealing. acid etching, that can be done. but i no longer offer that service, so i simply did the brass plates for the 2 guys that retired. neither wanted to suffer the major expense of having the weapons broken down, annealled, engraved, heat treated, then reassembled, polished-- etc.

 

[Sean Scott]

Well, I certainly appreciate all the input! I guess the engraving part is out.

What about having the PROVED disc put into the ricasso? Is that also a no-go?

Thanks!