Hi Josh,
I agree with Lew that the guard is probably wrought iron, ( the erroded surface 'texture' and 'striations' support this) the 'blade' could also be of the same material, softer than steel it would be resillient to sword blows (if this was used as Sai )
However, the smith could have used cementation (a process of heating iron with charcoal in a closed furnace so that the surface of the iron acquired a high carbon content. ) to harden the blade.(create steel)
Wrought iron purified iron. Pig iron is refined in a converter and then poured into molten iron silicate slag. The resulting semisolid mass is worked /hammered to squeeze out most of the slag. The wrought iron has a fibrous structure with threads of slag running through it; it is tough, malleable, ductile, corrosion resistant, and melts only at high temperatures. It is used to make rivets, bolts, pipes, chains, and anchors, and is also used for ornamental ironwork.
Regards David
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