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Originally Posted by M ELEY
Interestingly, you will see laminated metal used in this blade. [...] They were of the opinion that it must have come from the southern border, near Tibet/Bhutan? This could explain the pattern welding, if that is what this is?! No expert on such. Any opinions out there on this?
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Might not be pattern-welding as such. Even if it's made from modern scrap steel, it can still be made from a bunch of pieces welded together. Inserted-edge construction is common, with a high-carbon edge in a lower-carbon body.
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Originally Posted by M ELEY
Although most of the ring hilts were two-handed beheaders (dadau), mine isn't nearly that large at 29" (21" blade). What would mine be classified as? Did the blade shape help classify these?
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Normal enough size for a dadao blade. Grips were often longer, but one-handed short-gripped ones appear to be called dadao too. Blade shape is the key. Not all dadao have ring pommels (though most do). Classification becomes fuzzy when (a) the blade shape is much more like a sabre-dao blade, or (b) the weapon is on the sword/polearm border,
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Originally Posted by M ELEY
Purpose for the ring on these? I've heard for tassels, bells and from one online site that said they were to be used to create a rattling sound for intimidation?
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For a practical purpose: carrying rope/strap. One end through ring pommel, other one through blade ring. Sometimes, for cut-down polearms, the ring is "inherited" from the polearms tassel ring.
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Originally Posted by M ELEY
How old? I would assume pre-Boxer, as the ring is iron and not brass/bronze and the patina was dark.
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Even on very late ones (say, 1930s), the ring is usually forged from the end of the tang, so iron. A brass guard might suggest later, while iron guard might suggest earlier. With no surviving guard, hard to say. No guard might mean the original was brass or bronze, removed for recycling. I don't see any reason why this couldn't be 20th century; if pushed for a guess, I'd guess Boxer or early 20th century.
How thick is the blade, and how does that thickness vary along it? How heavy is it?