Thread: U.S. Mess Utensils- Knives

Howdy,,
Here are a few of my latest interests, mess knives. For young guys who may not know what I'm talking about, these are the knives that were provided to troops for eating their meals with. Now a days plastic throwaways are the norm. Back in the day, your mess utensils were carried with you the same as your other issued equipment.

I was surprised at the quality of these items,,, tin plate, rust resistant stamped steel,, the handles were Bakelite or aluminum. I set a bevel on one of them & it was the toughest job yet on a knife or razor,,, I worked it for a long time on DMT 325 & 1200. They may look a little flimsy, but they are far from it,. I prefer the aluminum handle ones. The good news is that they are cheap to acquire & are better kitchen knives that most of the crap being sold today.

Thanks for looking,
Hirlau

L.F.& C. Company 1944 (Landers, Frary & Clark) 1934 pattern, World War II issue,,







This one, L.F.& C. 1941, has the Bakelite & was owned by someone named "Tiny" He cut "4" X's in the handle,,, I hope that was for the 4 steaks he cut in the field,,,

Very cool Hirlau!

Not 4 steaks, 4 times he saved the guys life next to him and didn't get a steak!

How are the edges on these? I almost bought one but it looked more like a butter knife so I passed.

Originally Posted by 32t

How are the edges on these? I almost bought one but it looked more like a butter knife so I passed.

There are no edges really,,, if you want one, you need to set a bevel & finish it out. It's not easy, but a 325 will take care of it. I have one with a 1K edge on it & I will collect 5 more & 1K them,,,, so I can have a steak knife collection.

I should have stated my question clearer. How are the edges after sharpening? How long until they turn back into a butter knife?