A Chinese dau

[M ELEY]

I saved this old sword from a terrible fate! Some non-Phi Beta Kappa had steel welded it to a dumbbell weight, so that it stood up as an 'object de art'. With the help of a dremil tool, steel saw and chisel, I returned to to an 'object de war'! Iron ring pommel is an extension of the tang looped around. Hilt was flat with no holes. I padded and wrapped the hilt in old hemp, in a rebellious 'pirate styling' of the back country. Nicer examples have silk lace.

Interestingly, you will see laminated metal used in this blade. I used the classic pineapple juice and later vinegar treatment to remove the blackened/brown rust. Looking through about a hundred old sword catalogs, I did find one of a similar shape with patterned iron in an Fagan catalog. 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?

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?

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?

How old? I would assume pre-Boxer, as the ring is iron and not brass/bronze and the patina was dark.

[M ELEY]

Bump-

[Shakethetrees]

I would use dirty cotton tape about 1/2" to 1" wide. The colors I've seen or owned are red, white, blue, or white with blue or black stripes. The white cloth was brown/rust colored and has calligraphy. If I can locate it I will post images.

[M ELEY]

Thanks, Shakethetrees. I'd like to see the effect it gives.

[Shakethetrees]

Originally Posted by Shakethetrees

I would use dirty cotton tape about 1/2" to 1" wide. The colors I've seen or owned are red, white, blue, or white with blue or black stripes. The white cloth was brown/rust colored and has calligraphy. If I can locate it I will post images.

Here are two examples of wrapped grips. The striped one is from a pair of tiger hook swords, the bottom is from a Dadao. The image quality ain't so great, (and I apologize for this rush job!), but you can see some ink inscription that I can't make out enough to attempt translation.

You get the idea!

[M ELEY]

Hello all and thanks for responding!

Shakethetrees, yes, that is an excellent effect and look! I will definitely consider it for my dau.

Timo Nieminen, the sword appears to be very sound, weighs approx 5-6 lbs, is thickest near the hilt ring (at just under 1/4") narrowing towards the tip. The blade is sturdy and has a nice ring to it when tapped. Thanks for the info on the smaller ring purpose (makes total sense!) and the usage of dadau vs dau. I'd like to think of it as at least Boxer or earlier, so your 'guess' is welcome! I didn't realize that these always had a guard/crossguard, of which mine is missing? I've seen knuckle bows and disc guards on dau, but I've also seen many without, leading me to assume there were types with and without guards-

[Timo Nieminen]

There have been types of dao without guards, including recent ones (see pic), and plenty of Han through Tang dao. But I think most, if not almost all, dadao had guards. I don't remember seeing a contemporary photo of one without a guard. Disc, cup, short curled-tip cross-guard, and S-guards are all common. I do see some that are without guards today.

5-6 lbs is very heavy for a dadao, and seems too heavy for 1/4" and tapering.

Is the cross-section of the blade wedge-shaped?

As a one-piece sword, it should ring. Swords that don't usually have some movement in the hilt or guard that absorbs the energy of the vibrations.

Would be interesting to know how hard the edge is. One can estimate using hardness-testing files without much impact on the blade. Not so easy to do it completely non-destructively.

[Timo Nieminen]

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?

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.

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?

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,

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?

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.

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.

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?