Unusual Lumad Sword
 

Just sharing this quite unusual sword. The owner says it is a lumad sword.
Made of brass with MOP on the handle and scabbard. blade length is about 15" and is very thick (a tad under 1/2"). it is quite heavy too, almost a kilo in weight without the scabbard. Of course, being made of brass the edge is not that sharp.

cuprous daggers from PI seem to turn up from time to time. There is a native tradition that copper is poisonous (which I hear has some, though I'm not sure how much, basis in fact), which may have some bearing. Is that a "scale" type handle?

Tom:

I think Ive also heard that copper is poisonous but copper ore often times contains quite a bit of arsenic.

Yeah, I think the speculation I've heard has run in that direction, too. That's how they know the "Ice Man" was a copper-worker; he also contained some arsenic :cool:

What is also not healthy is the oxide that develops when copper is exposed, that green-blue stuff. Thus the tinning of copper pots and cups.

You are quite right Battara....

Metallic copper is not toxic, but the oxides or salts of copper are (just like lead). I would not suck on a real old penny. :D I would not think there would be enough arsenic left in metallic copper after smelting to be a problem... more likely it would have to be added to the surface of the copper, to be toxic. But who would want to handle a sword like that?

Well you see Officer, my wife was sharpening my sword when... :rolleyes: