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British WWII machete???
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2023 8:54 pm
by GSPTOPDOG
I bought this from a buddy that identifies it as a British WWII machete. I am not familiar with them so maybe one of the experts here can shed some light on the subject...
I can see the British Arrow and alligator, I can't make out the year yet. I am going try and clean it up some more and or buy a new stronger pair of "cheater" eyeglasses
Should I make a repair to the handle? I think any swinging around by the handle and it will crumble into dust... Sometimes a repair can ruin the value of an item, however, I am not sure as to the real value of this cool machete.
Any thoughts?
Re: British WWII machete???
Posted: Thu May 18, 2023 3:13 am
by GSPTOPDOG
I made a repair to the handle using basically Liquid Nails and an epoxy mixed with black paint. It did not spread out as smooth as I had hoped, I still might be able to address that latter. However, the handles feels strong and useable.
Re: British WWII machete???
Posted: Fri May 19, 2023 12:29 am
by timb
I'm not an expert on anything, but the British celluloid handle machetes don't seem to bring much money even in much better condition. I wouldn't be afraid to repair or put new handles on it and use it.
Re: British WWII machete???
Posted: Fri May 19, 2023 9:42 pm
by GSPTOPDOG
timb wrote: ↑Fri May 19, 2023 12:29 am
I'm not an expert on anything, but the British celluloid handle machetes don't seem to bring much money even in much better condition. I wouldn't be afraid to repair or put new handles on it and use it.
Thanks for the input,
I bought it from a buddy that has a booth in an antique mall and he sometimes sells me stuff he doesn't want to mess around with. The really GOOD stuff he puts in his booth. I have a lot of brush growing on my property and I can always use an extra machete. I always like putting a cool old tool back to use
Re: British WWII machete???
Posted: Fri May 19, 2023 10:52 pm
by zzyzzogeton
The brand is "Martindale". You can see the name just above the broad arrow mark. The year as I can see it is 1945, but that may be my imagination. All the Martindale WW2 era machete made with that bakelite-like material and 4 rivets with no "MADE IN ENGLAND" stamped across the crocodile have been date stamped 1945. There could be some with 1944 and 1946 as I have obviously not seen every Martindale made. Martindale made other machetes for the Ministry of Defense with different blade shapes and different handle materials as well.
The stamp under the 1945 would read "A.F. 0101", which I believe was a contract number.
Re: British WWII machete???
Posted: Tue May 23, 2023 1:06 am
by GSPTOPDOG
zzyzzogeton wrote: ↑Fri May 19, 2023 10:52 pm
The brand is "Martindale". You can see the name just above the broad arrow mark. The year as I can see it is 1945, but that may be my imagination. All the Martindale WW2 era machete made with that bakelite-like material and 4 rivets with no "MADE IN ENGLAND" stamped across the crocodile have been date stamped 1945. There could be some with 1944 and 1946 as I have obviously not seen every Martindale made. Martindale made other machetes for the Ministry of Defense with different blade shapes and different handle materials as well.
The stamp under the 1945 would read "A.F. 0101", which I believe was a contract number.
Thanks "Z"
I always appreciate more information on an item/topic etc.
It looks like it is stamped 1945 to me as well.
Re: British WWII machete???
Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2023 11:59 pm
by GSPTOPDOG
The epoxy seems to have done a lot to make the handle solid and strong again.
... It is not perfect, but still can be used and taken out "in the field"