Hi everyone, I'm new to the site, and only here because of that post
I'm an 35yr french blacksmith, with algerian descent, and I want to spread with you some of my knowledge, about crafts of my origins.
First of all, this is
DEFINITELY an ALGERIAN knife (the first one), and especially from the region of Bou-Saada (what you call "bou-saadi", or "khodmi". Khodmi mean knife in arabic, and the word is used through all the country, so we call that kind "khodmi bou-saadi", that mean "knife of bousaada"). in that way, "bousaadi" dont defines a style, a shape, or a smithing method, but just, a region. As for the "flissa" (name given by french, to many swords made by the Iflissen in Algeria, but really different shapes, from the straight to the curved one, with or without guard). While a "katana" (I make nihontos
) has a a lot a specific things to be called a katana, a "bousaadi", is just a knife made by a guy, in bousaada, and he probably dont call it like that
... Well, let's try to see, what those knives are
(and sorry for my bad english).
Why algerian ?
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The EDGE : If you look closely to the cutting edge, you probably could guess how its done. It is by cold hamering the iron, or soft steel, that they get that kind of shape, like its done for a scythe blade made from iron. The reason, or the origin of that way of smithing, is because an iron with few carbon in that region, that allow that without craking, a method used from millenaries in that region for tools. With hard steel, that concave shape is made before quenching (contrary to other steel), or simply forgotten.
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Asymetric : both sides of a bousaadi arent similar. Because of what I've explained before, both sides are not the same. One, and usually, the same on every knife, is drawn with a line that will give the hamering zone for the cutting edge. The other side is putted on the anvil.
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Inlay : As for the things mentionned before, inlaying soft materials as copper, or a particular algerian alloy close to the brass, directly into the blade, is typically algerian. This was done on the flissas for centuries, and also for the bousaadi, even they are not all inlayed (but usually, flissas are).
Geometric design: That inlay (and the engraving) belong to the tradition of bousaada. That two, or three knot of "color" on the blade are usual on those "hight quality" blades. In another style, two or three little pit are made, and fill with "color", red, blue, or green. This is also visible on decorations knives from that city.
The handle : you can usually find two kind of handles on bousaadis. The first one is wooden or horn made, and have that particular wire of steel or copper to fix the blade. The second one, is made by fixing two pieces (usually horn) on the tang with two (or rarely 3 on a longer tang) rivet. this method is usually choosed for the bigger knives, or when the steel allow that (a lot of those knives were made with recycled steel, files, etc...). I have some models different, like one covered with steel plates, on the horn, but this is still a bousaadi. The one on this topic respond to the second cathegory
Hole on the handle: Another absolutely bousaadi things, is that hole on the handle, just after the fixation wire, or after the two rivets. There is a leather lace on the scabbard of those knives. And if, with the time, it is lost on the most of them, it was originally. What people think is a hand strap (fixed on a scabbard???
) is just a lace, to fix the blade IN the sheath, by passing it in the handle hole. For the details, you can find a hole made exacty as the japanese way for mekugi ana, I mean a conic shape. That gives the possibility to pass easily the lace by one side, and let it "block" by a hole little smaller on the other.
In that post, that hole was simply closed with a pin (that is smaller, than those holding the blade, if you look closely). There is two possible reason to that (because i've seen that before). First, the craftsman, or the algerian owner, just has a better scabbard, that hold the blade, or prabable, dont carry it. So he closed that hole, as we can do on a Tsuba, for the "kogai itsu ana". Or, probably an occidental collector that think the pin was lost.
Well, I've probably forgott things, but I think, and I hope, that I gave you more details about art from Algeria. A lot a things from that country are usually mistaken to be morrocan, or tunisian, because of practically no tourism in Algeria, but it's still the BIGGER country in Africa, and I hope I gave you a little taste of it
Pictures from some of mines :
- Two decorations from bousaada, both are curved, and one made by copper, however, those are bousaadi knives, with the typical wire, and the color (see "inlay") "knots" on the swords and scabbard.
- A very old a unusual shape of bousaadi, with a horn handle covered with copper, but you can still find that hole for holdind the knife in the scabbard, and the concave shape of the cutting edge.
- A bousaadi, fixed with the lace
- Two bousaadi, the upper one is made from a softer steel than the other, that is made from an old file (you can see the stripes, and the triangular shape or the tang). The first one has been made by the technique i've mentionned, while the second one has a more regular shape. You can also see how the cutting edges are differently used by the time, and I dont think that the owner was the only reason
(soft steel.. and very thin edge for the upper one).
You can also notice that way of forging, in the other side (inverted sorry, the soft steel is the down knife).
May the FORGE be with you