I have a soft spot for K-Bars, too. The USN Mk 2 with fiberglass sheath was what we were issued in UDT & SEAL teams when I joined in the early '80s. They spent a lot of time in salt water and they did fine as long as you kept them oiled. The blades were soft enough to sharpen with a file- which left a slightly serrated edge that was good for cutting line.

I have an old hunting knife K-bar that I got from my dad. It is a great little knife.

I had a USMC K-bar that I carried around with me when I was in the Corps. That was a great knife and I used it a lot. When I went from being a cannon cocker to a computer geek I was not going to the field hardly at all so it just sat. My dad latter on gave me a new one and I kept it and gave a good buddy my old one. I wish I would have hung on to it. My buddy and I got distant and he went over the deep end. The new K-bar sits in it's box, as I use the smaller hunting K-bar for hunting.

i have a staghandle kbar likeyours markk,belonged to my dad. 40s father died,49.

use skirting leather for your handles. cut a bunch of washers. stack them up on a bolt. chuch the bolt in a drill or drill press. if you have a table top drill press, lay it on its side on the bench or in the vise. turn your leather down with a rasp. cut your grooves with a rat tail rasp. clean up with sand paper. flatten both sides and re-cut the side grooves. pull your bolt and re-stack on handle. just dampen your leather a bit and use a deer horn or a good smooth hammer handle to burnish when done.