Share your miniature blades!

[Sajen]

Hello dear members,

I've purchased recently a mini dha, real ivory handle and fine silver work at the scabbard, good blade. It's just 15 cm long inside scabbard, 13,5 cm without with a blade from 7,5 cm. :eek:
When it arrives I've realized that it isn't the only very small knife in my collection.
I'll share them here in two pictures, from left to right:

A. A very small french navaja with back lock, opened 17 cm
B. A small Faca de Ponta, 18 cm without scabbard
C. A very small dha knife for a woman or child, 13,5 cm
D. A small badik from Java, opened 18 cm
E. A Korean Eunjangdo, opened 12,3 cm, closed 13 cm
F. A small gunong, worked for those who travel but early and good worked,
16 cm without scabbard
G. A small bichak from the Laz people, side knife of a bigger one?, 18,5 cm
H. A jimat keris, Java, without scabbard 17 cm

Enjoy and I hope to see other little knives! ;)

[Sajen]

Forget this small German nicker made for a boy, 13,4 cm opened.

[corrado26]

Here are my miniatures of blades; there are 8 pieces in my collection, all made in scale 1/5 by a Hungarian artist in the 1960s. All of them have leather grips and the sheeth of the prima plana husar sabre has also a leather cover. All miniatures have the absolutely correct form - without a reference sword they are hardly to distinguish from an original item.

[Tim Simmons]

mine

[Sajen]

Here are my miniatures of blades; there are 8 pieces in my collection, all made in scale 1/5 by a Hungarian artist in the 1960s. All of them have leather grips and the sheeth of the prima plana husar sabre has also a leather cover. All miniatures have the absolutely correct form - without a reference sword they are hardly to distinguish from an original item.

Hello Udo,
I haven't had in mind miniatures (copys) from bigger examples but of course they belong to this thread.
I know that Arjan has worked (or still work?) miniatures from ethnograhic weapons, when I remember correct they have been nice like your examples. :)
Regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

mine

Hello Tim,
How long is this mini butterfly?

Regards,
Detlef

[Rafngard]

Mini siraui (with a bone "blade") next to a normal sized one.

Enjoy!
Leif

[russel]

Great topic Detlef,

Here are a couple of miniature Kukris from my collection. They are both 14cm long with 9cm blades, 2.8mm spine thickness at the bolster. While they may well have been made for the tourist market they are sharp and very well made with well forged fullers. They could easily serve as matched Kardas for another Kukri from my collection (acquired separately).

[Sajen]

Mini siraui (with a bone "blade") next to a normal sized one.


Hello Leif,
Yes I know this small sized examples from this type of knives. :) I try to prevent the name siraui since this are different knives, until now we haven't found a name of this knives. :shrug:

Regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

Here are a couple of miniature Kukris from my collection. They are both 14cm long with 9cm blades, 2.8mm spine thickness at the bolster. While they may well have been made for the tourist market they are sharp and very well made with well forged fullers. They could easily serve as matched Kardas for another Kukri from my collection (acquired separately).

Hi Mate,
Thank you very much for sharing, very nice examples! Do you have a clue for what they are worked? They seem to have a good age and seems to be very well worked.

Regards,
Detlef

[corrado26]

Two further miniatures of my collection: The bigger one is scale 1/2 with a total length of 54cm, the small one has a total length of 24cm.

[Sajen]

Very nice, like special the bigger one! :)

[OsobistGB]

These are my miniatures...

[carlos]

A spanish dagger, a canary island knife and a gunong.

[corrado26]

and here a nice miniature koummya of northern Afrika. Total length is 205mm

[Sajen]

Very nice! Let's keep them coming up! ;)

[sfenoid13]

Yatagan is my favorite :)

[sfenoid13]

Yat in scabbard

[Athanase]

Already posted on the forum, my mini balato.
The blade measures 12.6 cm

[Sajen]

Very nice friends! :cool:

[Rafngard]

Yes I know this small sized examples from this type of knives. :) I try to prevent the name siraui since this are different knives, until now we haven't found a name of this knives. :shrug:


Hello Detlef,

Yes, as I go through the posts on the forum for this type, I see the questions around the name. I will keep this in mind.

Thanks!
Leif

[Mel H]

Very nice! Let's keep them coming up! ;)

Sajen, Just a comment regarding your miniature Dha. My memory's not what it was, but I had a similar one many years since and was told by the previous owner that it was a 'mead moah' (could be a different spelling) and was kept by a monk to ward off evil spirits. I've not heard the term since then and have no way of knowing if there was any basis for the tale but thought it may be worth passing on.

[Sajen]

Sajen, Just a comment regarding your miniature Dha. My memory's not what it was, but I had a similar one many years since and was told by the previous owner that it was a 'mead moah' (could be a different spelling) and was kept by a monk to ward off evil spirits. I've not heard the term since then and have no way of knowing if there was any basis for the tale but thought it may be worth passing on.

Thank you Mel,

But a mead moah is something different, it's a talisman and blessed with an inscription, see the both examples in my collection. They can be similar small but most are somewhat bigger.

Regards,
Detlef

[Mel H]

Sajen, Yes, thanks for the memory jog (or should I say eselsbrücke ) The one I had was more like the first one in your photo, as I said it was a long time since. :eek:

[Sajen]

Hi Mel,

I know this problem! ;) :D And yes, it was a "Eselsbrücke" for you! ;)

Regards,
Detlef

[russel]

Here is another one from my collection. 12.5cm overall, 6.5cm blade. Well made and VERY sharp. I'm am not sure what this should be called.

[asomotif]

Nice thread.

Would like to see some more matchboxes as well :)

[Sajen]

Here is another one from my collection. 12.5cm overall, 6.5cm blade. Well made and VERY sharp. I'm am not sure what this should be called.

Very nice Russel! I am a little bit jealous! ;) :)

And yes, keep them coming up!

[asomotif]

Here is another one from my collection. 12.5cm overall, 6.5cm blade. Well made and VERY sharp. I'm am not sure what this should be called.

Ps. I am not sure if we should call this knife a miniature.
I don't know the name but I have seen them several times in the past and probably have one or two stored somewhere in the attic.
These knifes are never big. I would say between 10 and 15 cms total length is an average size.

[Athanase]

Nice thread.

Would like to see some more matchboxes as well :)

I had the matchbox specialy for you (betwen 1872 and 1892) :D

Tow mini Kriss with pamor blade.

The first overlength : 15,4 cm (6,1'' )

The second overlength : 15,2cm (6'')

[Sajen]

I had the matchbox specialy for you (betwen 1872 and 1892) :D

Tow mini Kriss with pamor blade.

The first overlength : 15,4 cm (6,1'' )

The second overlength : 15,2cm (6'')

Wow, never seen this sort of keris jimat! :cool:

[Sajen]

Ps. I am not sure if we should call this knife a miniature.
I don't know the name but I have seen them several times in the past and probably have one or two stored somewhere in the attic.
These knifes are never big. I would say between 10 and 15 cms total length is an average size.

Hello Willem,
Yes, they are always small sized. But an eunjangdo as well. :) But it's a mini knife for sure. :)

Regards,
Detlef

[kahnjar1]

Here are some of my
mini knives discussed back in 2011 ...that's 9 years ago!!.....time just flies by.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=14590
Stu

[kahnjar1]

Nice little Chhuri from India
Stu

[Sajen]

Nice little Chhuri from India
Stu

Hello Stu,

Never before seen such a little chhuri. :eek: And it seems well wored.

Regards,
Detlef

[kahnjar1]

Hello Stu,

Never before seen such a little chhuri. :eek: And it seems well wored.

Regards,
Detlef
Yes the quality all round is very good. Blade COULD be wootz but I have not etched it. Scabbard is good leather.
Stu

[asomotif]

My miniature jimpul.

[asomotif]

The Indonesian / Sumatra ? small knife without a name ;)

[asomotif]

And one of the best imho, a mini rentjong. Next to a full size brother.

[alex8765]

Miniature Japanese Boy's Day tachi, 29 centimeters long.

[asomotif]

Miniature Japanese Boy's Day tachi, 29 centimeters long.

Nice :)

any age indication ?

[alex8765]

Nice :)

any age indication ?


Possibly Shinshinto or Meiji period.

[DhaDha]

I've always liked these mini-Dhas. Great detail.

[kino]

Saw this last year at the Eugene OR knife show. I was told that it took a lot of hours to complete each one. The Panabas is great.

[Sajen]

Wow, a lot of intersting miniatures to seen in this thread!

[corrado26]

This miniature khukri I got this morning. Its blade is made of brass, the sheeth is wood with a leather coat. Total length with scabbard is 145mm, length of blade is 78mm

[ALEX]

Small/mini Uzbek knifes, some are souvenirs but made just like real ones and of the same material and quality.

[asomotif]

slightly off topic, nice pictures with the "sharpie" markers :D intentional ? ;)

[naturalist]

Most likely Sundanese (people of West Java) Pisau Raut (Carving knife)Here is another one from my collection. 12.5cm overall, 6.5cm blade. Well made and VERY sharp. I'm am not sure what this should be called.

[Gonzoadler]

I want to show some miniature blades, too.

At first a small katana made of bone.
Length overall: 19,5cm
without scabbard: 16,5cm

[Gonzoadler]

Number two: a miniature Koummya.
Length overall: 9cm
Without scabbard: 8cm

[Gonzoadler]

Number three:
A miniature Kris, blade and scabbard are made of silver.
Is anyone here who is able to read the hallmarks?
Length overall: 20,5cm
Without scabbard: 19,5cm

[Ian]

Hi Gonzoadler. Unusual shaped blade on your second example.

[Duccio]

Health to all.
In the photo below you see three Byongi (parade knives of the Konda people, R.D.C.) of normal size and one of small size (18 cm), and then the mini knife alone.

[Duccio]

Here instead we see an akrafena (Akan people, Ivory Coast) of normal size and a tiny one.

[Duccio]

and, finally, a "homeopathic" keris (13 cm).

[Mickey the Finn]

Mr. Osobist, I was about to ask if you're an Afghanistan veteran, but then I noticed that some people collect matchboxes. I used to collect cigarette packages when I was a kid. Then I switched to tarot cards and other things.
Mr. Sajen, มีดหมอ is perhaps the Thai word commonly used to refer to such articles. I find it transliterated as "meed mor". The transliteration into Latin letters may or may not accurately reflect the actual pronunciation. I find the word translated variously, on assorted webpages, as "knife", "lancet", "doctor's knife", "exorcist's knife", or "sorcerer's magic knife". The richness of the nuances of meaning can be lost in translation. A few of the problems with translations are: they may be a "rough and ready", improvised, or ad hoc solution intended to convey the "general idea", Mickey Moused up by a non-linguistically inclined layman who, in addition, is no "gunpowder inventor". Certain subtitled movies sometimes illustrate this; movies with the original audio of the dialogue dubbed over are even better, and so much worse.
The "word-for-word" translation is, in some languages, an impossibility. In those instances where it can be pulled off, the end result in the target language sometimes reads like a wooden shoe that's too small.
Unless it's explicitly stated, I'm left guessing as to whether the intent was to translate as literally as possible, to convey the meaning of an idiomatic expression in the source language, to interpret, or some ad hoc/ improvised/ variable/ combination/ "play it by ear"/ "fly by the seat of the pants" method.
How does one convey the meaning of "mumbo jumbo" into Swahili? Is "hoc est corpus" an accurate translation into Latin of "hocus pocus? Is "abracadabra" a good interpretation into English of "sim sala bim", or would it be best to leave it untranslated? Should "alakazam" be translated to "sim sala bim" if German is the target language? If I don't know the source language of a word (it's not necessarily the same as the language of origin of the word), translation or interpretation of "nostrum" or "patrem" are shots in the dark. "Sama suku" from Bahasa Indonesia to Finnish and vice versa is the only example which comes to mind that doesn't present very much of a conundrum.
I think I recall that Bambang Harsrinuksmo in "Ensiklopedi Keris" gave specific measurements which enabled one to distinguish a patrem from a "keris proper/ standard keris", and a patrem from a keris jimat.
The really tiny ones (<8cm. or so) appear to be made of brass and/or (I'm guessing) some other kind of copper alloy which can be patinated almost black.. I doubt very much that it's swasa, or any other alloy containing Au or Ag, though I could be wrong.
Pics can be found by Googling "keris jimat". Does anyone know what metals are used to make these, and the technique used to achieve the contrast in colours?

[Sajen]

My miniature jimpul.

A very similar one in the same size. The hair in up from the handle is missing. Same workshop?

[Sajen]

Comparison

[asomotif]

Yes, this must be the same workshop.

[ariel]

European agents of serious swordmaking companies used to carry miniature copies of the real wares in their traveling cases. Prospective buyers could pick and choose. But dating them to the 1960s seems to exclude this possibility. The Bebut ( curved bladed kindjal) from the Osobist's collection carries a niello inscription on the scabbard "Kavkaz" written in the old Russian style: a local souvenir. I guess that the mini Nihonto examples were also souvenirs.
There is a Polish book of a Kris collector ( I vaguely remember he might have been an ambassador to Indonesia). His most important item was a very miniature Kris, gifted to him by Sukarno.
What was the purpose of the rest of Indonesian, Thai and Philippine mini daggers is a mystery to me. They would not have any practical value as self-defense weapons, so souvenirs is the first thing that comes into my mind.

[Sajen]

There is a Polish book of a Kris collector ( I vaguely remember he might have been an ambassador to Indonesia). His most important item was a very miniature Kris, gifted to him by Sukarno.
What was the purpose of the rest of Indonesian, Thai and Philippine mini daggers is a mystery to me. They would not have any practical value as self-defense weapons, so souvenirs is the first thing that comes into my mind.

Hello Ariel,

Small keris like the one shown in post #1 this thread are jimats.
I don't think it's easy like this, some of the ones from me showed SEA items have a practical value, but by others like the gunong I would agree.
The two mini swords from Willem and me are collector items, I hesitate to call them souvenirs.

Regards,
Detlef

[asomotif]

The two mini swords from Willem and me are collector items, I hesitate to call them souvenirs.

Regards,
Detlef

:D:D:D

I have no problem calling my miniature jimpul a souvernir.
It is to small to be used as anything. Not even as letter opener.

[kai]

These certainly were not cheap(ly made) souvenirs. However, they had no place in the originating cultures and were specifically made for selling to colonial "guests" - so, high-end souvenir might well be a reasonable description...

There are also those tiny jewellery blades, usually from silver and often made as brooches.

Regards,
Kai

[Sajen]

:D:D:D

I have no problem calling my miniature jimpul a souvernir.
It is to small to be used as anything. Not even as letter opener.

I am also not, but since they are worked from silver they are somewhat expensive souvenirs and special for collectors. ;):D

[ariel]

I checked the internet.
Price of Sterling Silver ( 92.5%) is $20.11 per ounce or $0.71 per gram.
A McDonalds burger with small fries would cost more than the entire silver-cladding of a miniature kindjal ( scabbard and handle).

[asomotif]

I checked the internet.
Price of Sterling Silver ( 92.5%) is $20.11 per ounce or $0.71 per gram.
A McDonalds burger with small fries would cost more than the entire silver-cladding of a miniature kindjal ( scabbard and handle).

I prefer the silver miniatures, and not just because they are cheaper. :D

[Sajen]

I checked the internet.
Price of Sterling Silver ( 92.5%) is $20.11 per ounce or $0.71 per gram.
A McDonalds burger with small fries would cost more than the entire silver-cladding of a miniature kindjal ( scabbard and handle).

Hi Ariel,

Like Willem I prefer the silver miniatures! :D And don't forget that some work is involved to make such a miniature.

Regards,
Detlef

[JeffS]

I recently received this cute little guy, a bit over 7" in scabbard. The blade is actually sharp and has a nice profile and distal taper. Would this be a Thai style daarb? Shown next to another miniature similar to ones already posted in this thread.

[Royston]

Here are a few more.
No idea what the two small silver ones were made for, they look like broaches but have not got clasps on them and are too small to be effective letter openers. The Cocos Keeling is the smallest I have seen.
Roy

[Ian]

Can we have a definition of what is a "miniature?" How much does it need to be scaled down to qualify?

[Ian]

... What was the purpose of the rest of Indonesian, Thai and Philippine mini daggers is a mystery to me. They would not have any practical value as self-defense weapons, so souvenirs is the first thing that comes into my mind.Ariel, a lot of the small Thai knives are spiritual talismans called meed mor, but often referred to as "priest knives" in the older European literature. The composition of the knives and the religious blessings they receive have significance in the culture of origin.

[asomotif]

A mini pedang. 1st I have ever seen.

[SwordLover79]

made by Granger (Paris) in the 1820 timeframe I think

[asomotif]

made by Granger (Paris) in the 1820 timeframe I think

Can you give us some size indication ?

[SwordLover79]

the swords range from 6 to 7 inches in length. The daggers are approximately 2 inches.