Mess kit and KP knives

[IMR4198]

    I usually stay in my little corner of Swiss Army Knives, but how about a couple of American Army knives?  Both have been repurposed to civilian use.  The shiny one is an old mess kit knife.  Came with a folding metal eating and cooking set along with a fork and spoon.  I have a fork somewhere and a kit.  It has been reground into something to make it more general purpose.  Not by me.  It is actually pretty sharp. 
    The second one is something I bought at a little shop.  Polypropylene handle I suppose.  This one had a pasteboard sleeve with a US millitary number printed on it.  I forget if the blade was etched with one.  Might have been.  It is a paring knife.  "Grab one of these and start in on that pile of 'taters over there."  The shop owner was selling them as 'patch cutting knives'.  Price one dollar.  I didn't cut patches with mine, but did peel considerable numbers of spuds through the years.  The blade is very symmetrical, so if you don't watch you will be using the wrong side.  The other side puts the peeling back on the potato, of course.  Potatoes help build a very notable 'patina' which some seem to like.  To help the hapless KP victim, there are ridges on the top of the handle, so you have a tactile indicator of which side to use.  It cuts just fine actually, but I haven't used it in years.  Vietnam era surplus probably.  Best wishes.  G
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[PitCarver]

I've seen a lot of the mess kit knives that have been reground like that.  I wonder about the hardness though.

[IMR4198]

   Probably not great as far as edge holding.  I bought a cigar box full of stuff for a buck at a flea market.  That was in it, along with a rusty carpet knife and a bunch of homemade punches.  Maybe a window glass tool?  I forget.  I used a bronze drift that was in it quite a bit. 

[Farmer X]

The old mess kit knife has a cool look to it. Reminds me a little of the Ka-Bar "wrench knives."

[IMR4198]

    Those old things have what appear to be hollow aluminum handles that must be crimped on.  Some have text or dates on the handles.  I don't think this one ever did.  The blades must be stainless steel.  Friend Pit says he has seen several that have been recontoured and sharpened.  The depression era programs like CCC and WPA used surplus goods of all sorts.  I strongly suspect many of these were 'borrowed' from mess halls and repurposed by knifeless workers.  Ugly as this thing is, it is a perfectly satisfactory knife for fishing/tackle box use.  Any knife is better than no knife in any case.  Best wishes.  Gary

[Barry Rowland]

I actually have one of the mess kits, complete with the silver colored knife, dated 1917.  My wife's grandfather picked it up in the 40's when he was active in the Boy Scouts.  It's a cutter!

[IMR4198]

   I forgot that I wrote this post.  When I saw friend Barry had responded to it, I thought what.....?   The photo of the two knives that I took are much larger than the actual knives, or course.  I looked and saw something on the handle of the all metal one that I had never seen before.  Print was too small, I guess.  See what you think.  Best wishes.  G
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[Barry Rowland]

I'm glad you did Gary.  I just found it.  Yours is the only other one I have ever seen. 

[Alan K.]

It says something Aluminum.  Can't quite make out the first word, but probably the manufacturer's name.

[IMR4198]

Pure aluminum.  Best wishes.  G
 

[Barry Rowland]

Gary, does it have a date on it?  Mine has "RIA" (Rock Island Arsenal) and 1917 on it.  I agree with Alan.  It looks and feels like aluminum.

[IMR4198]

   I expected to see a date on it when I bought it (along with a bunch of other junk) but it doesn't have any other markings.  I never knew it had the PURE ALUMINUM stamp on it until today.  Maybe I did and just didn't remember it.  Pure aluminum seems like a strange thing to stamp on a knife handle.  Best wishes.  G
 
   Just for chuckles, I will tell a flea market story.  Lots of old odds and ends there, right?  One vendor had an item stamped R.I.A.  He asked various customers, other vendors, etc. what it meant.  One customer told him it meant Rhode Island Artillery.  Another old timer there would tell anyone with a newly manufactured item marked USA, that it was made in China.  He said the Chinese had renamed a town Usa, so they could legally mark Chinese made items with the Made in USA stamp.  He pronounced it Yousah and he believed it.  G
 

[Farmer X]

Pure aluminum sounds like an odd thing to construct a knife from. Or does it just have aluminum handles?

[Barry Rowland]

 

   I expected to see a date on it when I bought it (along with a bunch of other junk) but it doesn't have any other markings.  I never knew it had the PURE ALUMINUM stamp on it until today.  Maybe I did and just didn't remember it.  Pure aluminum seems like a strange thing to stamp on a knife handle.  Best wishes.  G
 
   Just for chuckles, I will tell a flea market story.  Lots of old odds and ends there, right?  One vendor had an item stamped R.I.A.  He asked various customers, other vendors, etc. what it meant.  One customer told him it meant Rhode Island Artillery.  Another old timer there would tell anyone with a newly manufactured item marked USA, that it was made in China.  He said the Chinese had renamed a town Usa, so they could legally mark Chinese made items with the Made in USA stamp.  He pronounced it Yousah and he believed it.  G
 

[Barry Rowland]

I'm thinking just the handles Dan.  The blade is good old fashioned fast cutting carbon. 
Gary, if you have them handy, I'd love to see the fork and spoon from your mess kit.  Pam's grandad's kit didn't have them when she got it.  I have a 90's vintage mess kit from my time in. 

Pure aluminum sounds like an odd thing to construct a knife from. Or does it just have aluminum handles?

[IMR4198]

   The blade looks like stainless steel.  At least it isn't corroded?  I don't have anything except a two-piece pan/plate set that didn't go with the knife to begin with.  Plus, I don't know where that is.  Best wishes.  G
 

[Barry Rowland]

  Gary!