WW2 Theater made knife handles

[cattaraugus57]

Don't know if this has been discussed before but, On theater knives the material used for handles was ofter clear plastic.
So I have always wondered what the source for that plastic material was?
There must have been a bunch of it easily available..

[gringo]

aircraft windshield, ect...Plexiglas...

scroll down and read WWII...
http://composite.about.com/od/aboutcomp ... osites.htm

[cattaraugus57]

hmmmm,must have been windshields..I can't think what else may have been clear plastic..
plastics were being used more and more during the war.

[1967redrider]

I see a lot of alternating colored plexiglass and aluminum spacers sometimes too. Guess the makers had some free time and the tools to get the job done. I happen to think they're pretty cool. But I don't have any.

[cattaraugus57]

yep,you do see Aluminum a lot as well as the plastic.
I has a chance not too long ago to buy a Catt 225 Q at a gun show,but the price was too high for me..it was nice though,clear plastic with alum spacers.

wonder how many were made on ships?
My Father made a ring out of a Silver Dollar that spells out his name while he was on the ship during WW2.

[1967redrider]

Nice! You have any pictures of it?

[novice]

Besides plexi & aluminum (cast & sheet), I've seen catalin poker chips, silver coins, steel, brass, bronze, copper, cork, wood, hard rubber (dark red, medium gray, or black), linoleum tile (brick red, medium gray, light green), bakelite (usually black, sometimes brick red) and linen phenolic (medium red/brown to tan). The variety of materials used and ingenuity applied is amazing but all seem to be things that could be found on a ship or base. When I see colored plexi on purported WW2 theater knives though, I am a bit suspicious. Does anyone know if colored plexi was readily available during WW2?

[knife7knut]

When I see colored plexi on purported WW2 theater knives though, I am a bit suspicious. Does anyone know if colored plexi was readily available during WW2?

If you Google,"Rohm & Haas"(the invenors of Plexiglas circa 1936)and read a bit of their fascinating history,you will find that they did not perfect colored Plexiglas until 1946. although I am sure there were items made of colored Plexi(tail lamp lenses for automobiles especially)prior to that,the colors faded out really quick when exposed to sunlight or weather.By the way;the name Plexiglas is a trade mark of Rohm & Haas whereas the term,"plexiglass" is now deemed to be generic name for various types of plastic.In the UK I believe it is called,"Perspex".

[novice]

When I see colored plexi on purported WW2 theater knives though, I am a bit suspicious. Does anyone know if colored plexi was readily available during WW2?

If you Google,"Rohm & Haas"(the invenors of Plexiglas circa 1936)and read a bit of their fascinating history,you will find that they did not perfect colored Plexiglas until 1946. although I am sure there were items made of colored Plexi(tail lamp lenses for automobiles especially)prior to that,the colors faded out really quick when exposed to sunlight or weather.By the way;the name Plexiglas is a trade mark of Rohm & Haas whereas the term,"plexiglass" is now deemed to be generic name for various types of plastic.In the UK I believe it is called,"Perspex".

Excellent!

I will continue to be dubious. If you search "theater knife" on that auction site, periodically there are ones that have just seemed too good to be true with brightly colored spacers and so on. I'd bet now that they are. Yeah, plexi is like xerox or kleenex, a trade name that becomes the generic noun. You are correct on Perspex and it is used the same way in the UK as the generic, perspex.

[Owd Wullie]

Here's one from a Swede friend of mine whose grandfather was Finnish and fought the Russians in WWII.
He says;

It´s not big, nor beautiful, but it´s got a good story behind it....
Made from parts of a Russian plane that crashed in late 43...

[knife7knut]

Here's a few I've collected over the years.Some are obviously post WWII but others? You decide.