Ram Dao
 

Well, I've done it! I've finally got a rare Ram Dao!

So a little backstory. I've been trying to track and obtain one of these beautiful swords for a few years now and after winning a Czerny's auction last December, I've finally got this beautiful blade. ...Later. See, after paying nearly a couple grand in both the base win price and extra fees, I had to wait until the end of Christmas week to get a response. When I got a reply, it turns out that they haven't filed the permit for delivering yet. I had to wait until the end of January before the sword was finally shipped out and once it arrived on shores on Thursday, instead of receiving the parcel on schedule, it was on standby until I and the seller got it squared out with customs. Then I received it a few hours ago and here we are.

Anyway, this piece of work is of Nepalese origin and dates back to the 19th Century. One side still has the bulk of the red lacquer adorning the floral-designed spine while the other side is a bit faded. Also, the weapon carries the brass engraved guardian eye. To top it off, this specimen is a bit of a giant - pretty front heavy and measuring 80.2 cm (over two and a half feet) in length. From what I can tell, even with some of the paint worn away or faded, it's still in good condition.

So I have a few questions. Has anyone learned what the eye is supposed to mean? How would I maintain this weapon without messing with the remaining paintjob? If I were to have this Ram Dao "restored", would that ruin its quality? Has this type of sword been used as anything other than a sacrificial tool?

I think some kora have also an eye.
In many cultures it's against evil, against the evil eye...

This is the Eye of The Goddess: Shakti, the feminine primordial energy.
There are quite a few manifestations of Shakti: Sita, Radhika, Kali, Durga, Lakshmi etc, each with her own but with often overlapping origins and features. Indian pantheon of divine personae is complex and multilevel and might be fully understood only by a dedicated full-time devotee.

Ram Daos come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each for a sacrifice of a particular variety of animal. Many of them are capable of being a fiersome battle weapon, but are not used as such: they are purely sacrificial. As such they can be of a bizarre form, very heavy and unwieldy. I am attaching couple of pictures of mine.

I would not advise you to be an even minimally aggressive “ restorer”. Gently remove any active rust, do not remove any patination, oil it and... that’s it.

First, any active restoration will inevitably remove any historical value of the Ram Dao, but what is really important is the second: do not mess with Goddesses who ride lions, bite off their tongues , have 8 arms each holding a weapon and require fresh blood. Female characters may be overemotional. If you are married, you might know what I mean.

Oil and the very finest steel wool only.

Okay, how would I know if the rust is active and go about removing it. Also, what kind of oil should I use? I have mineral oil and soft cloths I use for my flyssas. Can that work?

Hello,

every rust is active: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrosion Red rust is more fast active as black rust, that's the only different.

Regards,
Detlef