diff --git a/src/com/fsck/k9/activity/MessageCompose.java b/src/com/fsck/k9/activity/MessageCompose.java
index 5d9d3759a..8a79039a7 100644
--- a/src/com/fsck/k9/activity/MessageCompose.java
+++ b/src/com/fsck/k9/activity/MessageCompose.java
@@ -78,10 +78,10 @@ import com.fsck.k9.mail.internet.MimeMessage;
 import com.fsck.k9.mail.internet.MimeMultipart;
 import com.fsck.k9.mail.internet.MimeUtility;
 import com.fsck.k9.mail.internet.TextBody;
-import com.fsck.k9.mail.store.LocalStore;
 import com.fsck.k9.mail.store.LocalStore.LocalAttachmentBody;
 import com.fsck.k9.view.MessageWebView;
 import org.apache.james.mime4j.codec.EncoderUtil;
+import org.apache.james.mime4j.util.MimeUtil;
 import org.htmlcleaner.CleanerProperties;
 import org.htmlcleaner.HtmlCleaner;
 import org.htmlcleaner.SimpleHtmlSerializer;
@@ -1473,9 +1473,12 @@ public class MessageCompose extends K9Activity implements OnClickListener {
     private void addAttachmentsToMessage(final MimeMultipart mp) throws MessagingException {
         for (int i = 0, count = mAttachments.getChildCount(); i < count; i++) {
             Attachment attachment = (Attachment) mAttachments.getChildAt(i).getTag();
+            String contentType = attachment.contentType;
+            String encoding = (MimeUtil.isMessage(contentType)? "8bit" : "base64");
 
-            MimeBodyPart bp = new MimeBodyPart(
-                new LocalStore.LocalAttachmentBody(attachment.uri, getApplication()));
+            LocalAttachmentBody body = new LocalAttachmentBody(attachment.uri, getApplication());
+            MimeBodyPart bp = new MimeBodyPart(body);
+            body.setEncoding(encoding);
 
             /*
              * Correctly encode the filename here. Otherwise the whole
@@ -1483,11 +1486,11 @@ public class MessageCompose extends K9Activity implements OnClickListener {
              * MimeHeader.writeTo().
              */
             bp.addHeader(MimeHeader.HEADER_CONTENT_TYPE, String.format("%s;\n name=\"%s\"",
-                         attachment.contentType,
+                         contentType,
                          EncoderUtil.encodeIfNecessary(attachment.name,
                                  EncoderUtil.Usage.WORD_ENTITY, 7)));
 
-            bp.addHeader(MimeHeader.HEADER_CONTENT_TRANSFER_ENCODING, "base64");
+            bp.addHeader(MimeHeader.HEADER_CONTENT_TRANSFER_ENCODING, encoding);
 
             /*
              * TODO: Oh the joys of MIME...
diff --git a/src/com/fsck/k9/mail/Body.java b/src/com/fsck/k9/mail/Body.java
index 7deb2a1eb..bb990b3f2 100644
--- a/src/com/fsck/k9/mail/Body.java
+++ b/src/com/fsck/k9/mail/Body.java
@@ -5,7 +5,10 @@ import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.io.OutputStream;
 
+import com.fsck.k9.mail.store.UnavailableStorageException;
+
 public interface Body {
     public InputStream getInputStream() throws MessagingException;
+    public void setEncoding(String encoding) throws UnavailableStorageException;
     public void writeTo(OutputStream out) throws IOException, MessagingException;
 }
diff --git a/src/com/fsck/k9/mail/store/LocalStore.java b/src/com/fsck/k9/mail/store/LocalStore.java
index 5575499a7..b75c37375 100644
--- a/src/com/fsck/k9/mail/store/LocalStore.java
+++ b/src/com/fsck/k9/mail/store/LocalStore.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import java.util.UUID;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
 import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
+import org.apache.james.mime4j.util.MimeUtil;
 
 import android.app.Application;
 import android.content.ContentResolver;
@@ -1936,6 +1937,7 @@ public class LocalStore extends Store implements Serializable {
                                             String contentUri = cursor.getString(5);
                                             String contentId = cursor.getString(6);
                                             String contentDisposition = cursor.getString(7);
+                                            String encoding = (MimeUtil.isMessage(type)? "8bit" : "base64");
                                             Body body = null;
 
                                             if (contentDisposition == null) {
@@ -1944,10 +1946,11 @@ public class LocalStore extends Store implements Serializable {
 
                                             if (contentUri != null) {
                                                 body = new LocalAttachmentBody(Uri.parse(contentUri), mApplication);
+                                                ((LocalAttachmentBody) body).setEncoding(encoding);
                                             }
 
                                             MimeBodyPart bp = new LocalAttachmentBodyPart(body, id);
-                                            bp.setHeader(MimeHeader.HEADER_CONTENT_TRANSFER_ENCODING, "base64");
+                                            bp.setHeader(MimeHeader.HEADER_CONTENT_TRANSFER_ENCODING, encoding);
                                             if (name != null) {
                                                 bp.setHeader(MimeHeader.HEADER_CONTENT_TYPE,
                                                              String.format("%s;\n name=\"%s\"",
@@ -3988,6 +3991,7 @@ public class LocalStore extends Store implements Serializable {
         private static final byte[] EMPTY_BYTE_ARRAY = new byte[0];
         private Application mApplication;
         private Uri mUri;
+        private String mEncoding;
 
         public LocalAttachmentBody(Uri uri, Application application) {
             mApplication = application;
@@ -4011,11 +4015,21 @@ public class LocalStore extends Store implements Serializable {
         public void writeTo(OutputStream out) throws IOException, MessagingException {
             InputStream in = getInputStream();
             try {
-                Base64OutputStream base64Out = new Base64OutputStream(out);
+
+                // TODO: attachments of type rfc822 are sent with 8bit encoding
+                // without regard to the SMTP server's support of 8BITMIME, whereas
+                // strict protocol compliance requires that they be converted to
+                // 7bit in the (unlikely) event that 8BITMIME is not supported.
+
+                if (MimeUtil.isBase64Encoding(mEncoding)) {
+                    out = new Base64OutputStream(out);
+                }
                 try {
-                    IOUtils.copy(in, base64Out);
+                    IOUtils.copy(in, out);
                 } finally {
-                    base64Out.close();
+                    if (MimeUtil.isBase64Encoding(mEncoding)) {
+                        out.close();
+                    }
                 }
             } finally {
                 in.close();
@@ -4025,6 +4039,10 @@ public class LocalStore extends Store implements Serializable {
         public Uri getContentUri() {
             return mUri;
         }
+
+        public void setEncoding(String encoding) {
+            mEncoding = encoding;
+        }
     }
 
     static class ThreadInfo {