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Originally Posted by DaveS
Alex: You mentioned that these handles are made of cast steel. Are the tulwar style handles, and i'm talking about the main part, the hand grip, cast in either steel or cast iron, and is this casting process relatively recent or does it go back to antique times..........Dave.
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The tulwar hilts are iron cast in one piece. The process is relatively unchanged since antique times, and the original hilts are often used as templates, so the shape remains the same. This is why one needs to pay close attention to decorations and finishing technique. Oftentimes, the recent hilts and crossguards (and some antique hilts as well) are made of two cast parts welded together in the middle and well polished to appear as one piece. But they are often lighter and do not feel solid in hand.
Here are some hilts similar (in shape) to yours. Most of them are at least 19th Century, but a few quite recent. Here's a quiz: which one are they?
