Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Panzerraptor · 9th February 2019, 12:25 AM

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?

9th February 2019, 12:25 AM	#1
Panzerraptor Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Posts: 16	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? Attached Images Last edited by Panzerraptor; 9th February 2019 at 01:26 AM.