Syrian Jambiya For Comment
 

Hi Guys

This auction ended yesterday. I think it's an older Syrian jambiya 1950s era? The blade looks like it could have been forged from a file or it's the markings from a vise? Any comments would be appreciated.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6527543668


Lew

Nice Lew , can't beat the price . :)
I think it was forged from a file ; and usually these jambiya have many more pieces missing from their hilts!
I like the etching at the base of the blade ; a nice touch .
Congrats .

Nice piece
 

It looks as though it was forged from a rasp. I have made a few knives this way. They use lots of them on their horses so there is a good supply. Some are casehardened so smiths look for rasps that aren't. Nice grip too.

Re:File marks
 

When I first looked at the pictures I thought to myself,"Gee I have similar marks near the hilt of the Jambiya I own". Then I took a look at my knife and realized that although the marks were in the same relative position,they were not consistent as on your knife.
Is there a particular reason for having them there? The rest of the blade is devoid of these crosshatched lines. I was under the impression that they were there to aid in the adhesion of the gold inlay. Is that possible?
I'm enclosing a closeup of the area in question.
BTW looks like you got a great deal on a nice knife!
Cheers
Ray

Yes, you are exactly correct; the crosshatching on yours is for the gold to stick to; this type of overlay work is called koftgari. The marks on the threadstarter are rasp teeth. You may find a differing pattern on the other side (some rasps are the same on both sides, some are not). This seems to be fairly common and traditional in the Arab sphere, on Luzon, and in N America, at least.

Lew that's cool! Nothing like getting a nice piece at a great price! Still tired of ebay? ;)

Steve