M9 maintenance and storage?

[Menno]

Hello everybody,

I am wondering how you all keep your M9's in mint condition. I am fairly new to collecting M9's (and knifes in general) so any suggestions would be kindly appreciated

I see many auctions on Ebay and many of the older models seem to have some light corrosion marks on the blade, cross guard and especially the Bianchi clip.

At the moment I keep my M9's stored out of direct sunlight in an airtight, low moisture military storage container, individually packaged in plastic airtight gripbags. May seem a little overkill, but I really want to keep my M9's in mint condition.

New M9's come covered in grease. I leave that on the blades. Is that a good idea?
How about second hand / used blades. Any suggestions how to keep them greased up? Should I simply use some gun oil or do you recommend something else?
And what about the cross guard and Bianchi clip, can I use oil on those parts as well?

Oh, and I almost forgot. I keep a piece of paper folded around the blade as I put it back in the scabbard to prevent scratching the blade. Does anybody else do this?

Thanks very much in advance for any tips and suggestions

Kind regards,
Menno

[Mister Moon]

[pwcosol]

M9 maintenance is minimal. If I get any bayonet, I use a toothbrush (the green ones which have a bristle on each end and are USGI issue for cleaning the M16, etc. are perfect) and brush away any dirt, verdigris, etc. Then I wipe the metal surfaces down with a product called Ballistol. One could use a light oil as well. WD40 is fine for rinsing grit, and though it displaces moisture, in my mind is not a lubricant. However, if you live in a humid environment it would be of benefit. Leaving the original brown preservative grease on a blade is problematical. Over time it may harden, can become difficult to clean off without solvent, and covers up the blade should you want to view it. As for the Zytel parts, wiping down with a lightly moistened, clean cloth rag should be fine.
Optimal storage would be in a temperature & humidity controlled environment. So long as you can avoid extreme temperature changes (and possible condensation) the bayonet ought to last indefinitely. BTW, one can always use those re-useable bags of desiccant which are white or pink crystals and turn blue when they have absorbed maximum moisture. Keep one or two of those where your items are stored & it should eliminate any issue with moisture.

[Menno]

Thank you both for the replies

I already keep my M9's in a low moisture storage container with some of those bags with crystals, so I am covered on that part!

The Ballistol is a good idea. I found out today that it is actually for sale in The Netherlands as well as those M16 cleaning kits with the brush you mention. I will try to get my hands that in the near future.

How about the wear on the knife as it is put in and out of the scabbard. I use a piece of paper around the blade to prevent damaging the knife. However I am not sure if that is a good idea in the long run. Paper and oil don't mix very well and create a mess in the scabbard...
Apart from storing the knife and scabbard separately as Mister Moon does (picture above), does anyone have a better idea?

Best regards,
Menno
The Netherlands

[Carlo]

While Mister Moon's solution is probably the best one to preserve the bayonets, it is, in my opinion, not very practical when you have a lot of bayonets.
Unless you want to use a room in your house only to store your collection, I prefer to use few big storage boxes where I keep all my M9s together.
As for the wear on the blade after inserting in and out the bayonet from the scabbard, I think that there is no real solution, apart from storing the bayonets outside their scabbard.
I did notice that, when the blade is properly oiled, the wear is minimal.
I would be careful about using the paper to protect the blade, as there is the risk of it being trapped inside the scabbard.

[Menno]

I was brainstorming about the problem with my roommate and came up with a simple but probably very effective solution!
I am planning to take a clear sheet of plastic, like the ones used on overhead projectors for presentations, and cutting some strips the width and length of the M9 blade. Then I will put one strip on each side of the blade and then slide it into the scabbard. The plastic strips are totally smooth so they don't cause any wear on the blades and they don't absorb any oil. Because of the stiffness of the strips they also can't get stuck at the bottom of the scabbard.

Seems like a good idea, so I am going to try it over the weekend.

I will let you know what the results are

Best regards,
Menno
The Netherlands

[porterkids]

Paper is a bad idea as it will absorb and hold moisture. I store my bayonets in their scabbards. I don't pull them out of the scabbard all that often so I am not worried about them getting scratched up. As Carlo states, if you have a lot of M9s, storing them even in the scabbard takes up a lot of space. I have card catalog files from a library that switched over to an electronic card file. They work well for storing three bayonets per drawer. Others are stored in 11 gallon clear plastic Rubbermaid containers that can be stacked.

[pwcosol]

I found the answer to my storage issue several years ago. I used to acquire such items from various US military base auctions when the DRMO either sold them outright or via sealed/live bidding. They can still be bought from the current DRMS. Just search for LISTA or VIDMAR cabinet or under the FSC# 7125. Drawers open 95% of the way out and both manufacturers guarantee each to hold up to 400 pounds. Nice to get a $3,000.00 cabinet for $300.00!

[Menno]

I tried Ballistol today on one of my more heavily used Phrobis M9's and I have to say, that stuff is magical!

I got all the dirt of the blade, and most of the blade rub marks. I wiped it down with some Ballistol first and after a few minutes I wiped it down again with a clean cloth.

I also wiped down all other metal parts of the scabbard and knife. For the rest I used a moist cloth. Cleaning the inside of the scabbard is a little problematic, but not really necessary anyway.

Would it be advisable to wipe the metal parts down again with some Ballistol before storage or is it lubricated enough now?

I will post some pictures of my recent acquisitions tomorrow, hopefully

Best regards,
Menno
The Netherlands

[Menno]

I've added some photo's below of the Phrobis Gen 3 after cleaning with Ballistol.
Even though it shows some obvious wear, it looks great if I say so myself

I don't have a photo from before cleaning, but just think of a M9 just returned after some use and full of dust and scabbard rubs. It was (emphasis on the was) my worst looking M9













Thanks to my roommate for making the photo's.

Best regards,
Menno
The Netherlands