Help me fix my sword!

[The Nid Hog]

I've got a military sword that has been in my family for a long time. It belonged to my uncle, who retired twenty years before he gave it to me. I used it for ceremonies but it hasn't seen much action since my wife and I cut the cake with it at our wedding. For the last twenty years or so, it's been mounted on my wall. I've taken good care of it, but I think something happened to it when my uncle had it stored. The guard on the hilt is gold plated and the raised parts of it seem pretty worn down. The edges are still gold, but the brass is showing through in the center.

I guess that it needs to be replated. Does anybody have any experience with something like this? Any ideas how much it might cost? I'd like to get it restored so that I can pass it on to somebody else in the family who might need it.

 

[luvmysuper]

I had a friend who had a handle repaired by these people;

http://cds.cds1.net/~nardi/swords/index.htm

I don't recall how much it was, but I know it wasn't really cheap.

Billc is familiar with a plating shop near the Gillette Factory that he speaks of frequently in the Safety razor forum, can you disassemble the handle and just send the guard off by itself?

 

[jwhite]

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=104274&highlight=plating

Info hear ought to help you out. It states in the post they do a variety of antique restorations.

 

[The Nid Hog]

Thanks for the information guys. The shop in billc's thread sounds like they might be able to help. Now I just have to figure out how to disassemble it. Hard to believe that nobody ever made me learn how to field strip it!

 

[FreezerBurns]

Why not leave it as is? A little wear may exude character.

 

[The Nid Hog]

Why not leave it as is? A little wear may exude character.

That's been my stragegy since I had it. In fact, nobody ever said anything to me about its "vintage" look when they found out it was a family sword. The thing is, everything else is fine. The grips aren't discolored and all of the other fittings are nice and bright. If the guard looked a bit better, it would be a little more uniform. I'd also like to pass it on to someone in the family who could use it and I thought that I might as well do it now rather than wait until somebody needs it.

 

[valmara1971]

When it's all done I expect you to show us pics of you shaving with it!

 

[Topgumby]

Consider the cost of a new sword when you think of having the family pigsticker replated.

Might be good to have one for the mantle and one for ceremonial duty...

 

[perry]

I guess that your Uncle isn't still around to share the story? I think having it in its unrestored condition shows that the sword has a story to tell. It shows that it was on someone's side and hasn't been just a show piece its entire life.

It sounds like it isn't an item that you'd ever sell, and my only qualification is watching Pawn Stars on History Channel, but keeping the sword original will help it keep its value.

 

[The Nid Hog]

Consider the cost of a new sword when you think of having the family pigsticker replated.

Might be good to have one for the mantle and one for ceremonial duty...

You might be right. I guess that I'll take some pictures of the guard and send it off to a couple of places to get some estimates. If it turns out to be costly, maybe I will just put it back on the wall and wait until I see if anybody is really going to need it or not.

My uncle died a couple of years ago at ninety. He was really Old Corps--enlisted in '37 and served in barracks and sea duty before we got into WWII. He was on Guadalcanal and Okinawa and at Chosin. When I used to wear the sword, I felt a connection to him and to that Marine Corps, and it really reminded me of my obligation to that history. If I can pass it on to somebody, I'd like to give it to them in a state that they could use. On the other hand, if it's just going to remain some kind of family heirloom, it's probably fine the way it is.