bayonet filing, how long?

[glenhunter]

I purchased a repro bayonet, scabbard, and frog to be used at my N-SSA meets but I knew before purchasing it It might need some filing to make it fit onto my Enfield (Pedersoli). How much of a filing job is required and what time frame am I looking at? Are we talking hours? It only slips onto the barrel tip and not more than 1/4 of an inch onto the barrel. Would a Dremel tool be the correct tool for this job? Thanks

gh

 

[Grayrock Volunteer]

I've used a large rat tail file on mine. Sounds like you are in for a real job. With half tools you are looking at a couple hours of work most likely.


Cheers,
Garrett

 

[Patrick H]

Is the inside of the socket smooth or are there casting or welding lumps? I am not familiar with your bayonet nor with the rifle you're going to use with it. I asked my question because a "smoothing" job would probably go a lot quicker than an "enlarging" job. I think if you need to enlarge the diameter, you should try to find a piece of dowel or even a plastic pipe fitting to use for a sanding block. My hardware store sells me one-foot cut offs of PVC pipe in any diameter I request. I wrap sandpaper around them and in that way I have a fairly large set of radiused sanding sticks. If you use a dowel or pipe, I'd recommend buying a coarse sanding belt for a belt sander at the same time. Cut across the belt to make a long, continuous piece of sand paper. Then wrap several laps of the belt around your pipe. The diameter will expand rapidly. Find a length of belt that creates a diameter which just slips into the socket and spin away on it. When you get it to the point that it will just fit over the barrel, switch to a piece of finer sanding belt and polish the inside of the socket with it. This method should help you keep the inside of the socket nice and round. Good luck!

 

[Jobe Holiday]

Glenhunter - If you have a caliper you may want to measure the actual barrel diameter vs. the socket bore diameter to see just how much you have to remove. Depending on the manufacturer of the musket, and where the bayonet came from, you could have a lot of work ahead of you. If you use a coarse emery flap wheel with your Dremel you will have a better chance of keeping the interior of the socket concentric.
J.

 

[Patrick H]

Glenhunter - If you have a caliper you may want to measure the actual barrel diameter vs. the socket bore diameter to see just how much you have to remove. Depending on the manufacturer of the musket, and where the bayonet came from, you could have a lot of work ahead of you. If you use a coarse emery flap wheel with your Dremel you will have a better chance of keeping the interior of the socket concentric.
J.

Jobe has it just right about the caliper. I should have thought of that. It's not a tool that will be in every tool drawer, but they aren't too hard to come by or even to borrow. I also agree with him that a flap sander would be a lot less work. If you can get one, go for it. You mentioned files, so I automatically assumed you would be stuck with hand tools. We should NEVER assume!

 

[RebelHeart]

I have NO experience with filing a bayonet but I have worked with a guy on restoring old wrought iron fences and have learned a very valuable lesson about high-speed rotary tools such as a Dremel: be VERY careful in applying its use. You can do a LOT of smoothing (and damage) in a hurry with them. Employing such a tool should be approached with a very light touch, a lot of patience, and vigilant care.

 

[Patrick H]

I have NO experience with filing a bayonet but I have worked with a guy on restoring old wrought iron fences and have learned a very valuable lesson about high-speed rotary tools such as a Dremel: be VERY careful in applying its use. You can do a LOT of smoothing (and damage) in a hurry with them. Employing such a tool should be approached with a very light touch, a lot of patience, and vigilant care.

This is so true with any power tool. It's even true with an improperly used hand tool. Thanks for this caution to everyone who is lurking and reading along!

 

[Jobe Holiday]

The advice about using high speed power tools is good advice. Especially when using a hand grinder inside a cylinder, such as a bayonet socket. One may be surprised how fast it can "get away" from you and start bouncing wildly around the inner circumference of the cylinder. You will want to apply a bit of even pressure to the wheel and grind opposite of the direction of the spinning wheel for better control. Otherwise the speed of the wheel will want to pull you ahead and you will lose control. Fortunately you are working on a reproduction bayonet so even if you have a catastrophe you won't lose too much.
J.

 

[glenhunter]

Thank you all. I worked on it with the Dremel tool attachments of sanding wheel and grinding stone and have it at the point where it will slip on over the front sight but still have a bit more to do tomorrow. An hour of work was enough for one day.
I feel I may have another hour of so to complete this job. No rush, safety first! Thanks to all of your quick and thoughtful responses.

gh

 

[glenhunter]

A total of about an hour and a half and I'm almost there! It now slips onto and past the front sight and will turn about halfway to being completely on. Probably a few more minutes (20 or so) should have it done. Those places that sell these repro bayonets that say minor filing needed isn't telling the whole story. Oh well, live and hopefully learn. Back to the grindstone (pun intended).

 

[Patrick H]

Goog on ya, is what I say. Go slowly, check the fit often. You will be fine in a short while!

 

[glenhunter]

Twenty minutes to thirty minutes was all she needed. Got her to slip on fully without much trouble. We're good to go now! Thanks to all.

gh

 

[Package4]

Dremel is definitely the way to go particularly with a variable speed. I've also used a drill press, with various stone/sanding attachments, securing the bayonet in a drill vise.

 

[Craig L Barry]

Glad it worked out for you. Pedersoli does not sell bayonets to accompany their reproduction Civil War arms. Strange part is this, I have never had any difficulty fitting an original P53 bayonet to my Pedersoli P53 (and I've tried it with several). The reproduction bayonets have so much variation in terms of the size of the socket that it is impossible to predict if one will fit or if it will be too large/too small. Todd Watts does a nice side business taking reproduction bayonets and grinding them to the size of reproduction barrels. Generally, I am in favor of using reproductions for Civil War reenactments and living history except where bayonets are concerned. The India made reproduction bayonets are of such diminished quality that they are mostly not worth fooling with. They are "for show" only.

That said, Armi Sport at one time offered a spring steel version that both fit their muskets and were not as easily bent as a pipe cleaner. The Italian made spring steel bayonets were about as costly as an original bayonet, though and were not available for all models of reproduction muskets.

 

[todd watts]

Some orders the Blockade Runner get from india are too small and I have to grind a lot to make them fit event the Armi dimensions much less the Euroclubs. Then the next batch may arrive and all be so large they would easily fit field artillery without my grinding at all. It's hit or miss because the makers in India are not following any set socket dimension pattern. I don't know if the other sutlers have bette rluck or not, but I have had other bayonets come with guns that were not Blockade Runners' bayonets that also needed grinding to fit.

That said - DO NOT fit your barrel to the bayonet! I have seen this more than once where the front sight has been filed nearly off and the barrel has all sorts of ugly file marks where the guy filed and sanded his barrel so the bayonet fits. Holy cow is that a mess!