Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - ID & Discussion: Afghan Folding Lohar (Banochie Tribe) — 2009 In-Country Bringback

RobT · 29th July 2026, 02:40 AM

Oiluj13,

The rivets on the hilt and on the shaft of your lohar appear to be aluminum. How to make aluminum in quantity was discovered in 1886 (the Hall-Héroult process). Therefore, if your lohar has aluminum rivets, it was almost certainly made in the 20th century. A post WWII date, when aluminum became common worldwide, is most likely.
I have a folding lohar (not as fancy as yours) that has aluminum rivets and I have always thought it was made post WWII. Come to think of it, of the few folding lohar I have seen, I can’t recall ever having seen one that didn’t have aluminum rivets. I have read that there are non folding lohar (never saw one though) and I wonder if they aren’t the original and older version.

Sincerely,
RobT

29th July 2026, 02:40 AM	#3
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 655	Likely Post WWII Oiluj13, The rivets on the hilt and on the shaft of your lohar appear to be aluminum. How to make aluminum in quantity was discovered in 1886 (the Hall-Héroult process). Therefore, if your lohar has aluminum rivets, it was almost certainly made in the 20th century. A post WWII date, when aluminum became common worldwide, is most likely. I have a folding lohar (not as fancy as yours) that has aluminum rivets and I have always thought it was made post WWII. Come to think of it, of the few folding lohar I have seen, I can’t recall ever having seen one that didn’t have aluminum rivets. I have read that there are non folding lohar (never saw one though) and I wonder if they aren’t the original and older version. Sincerely, RobT