How did they measure sword blades?

A. G. Maisey · 25th April 2016, 11:11 PM

Jawa/Bali are historically Indianised states.

In both places one of the ways in which to determine suitability of a keris for its owner was/is to measure the length of the blade using various formulas. One of these formulas involves finger width.

The correct blade length is dependent upon the width of each individual owner's fingers. It is not a universal measurement: the blade that is perfect for me might spell disaster for somebody else.

One of the ways in which the actual measurement is done is by laying alternating index fingers on the width of the blade> left finger>right finger>left finger>right finger --- and so on until the point is reached, if you finish with too little remnant to accommodate another finger, or if there is an overhang of the last finger, there are varying schools of thought about how to deal with this.

25th April 2016, 11:11 PM	#6
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,994	Jawa/Bali are historically Indianised states. In both places one of the ways in which to determine suitability of a keris for its owner was/is to measure the length of the blade using various formulas. One of these formulas involves finger width. The correct blade length is dependent upon the width of each individual owner's fingers. It is not a universal measurement: the blade that is perfect for me might spell disaster for somebody else. One of the ways in which the actual measurement is done is by laying alternating index fingers on the width of the blade> left finger>right finger>left finger>right finger --- and so on until the point is reached, if you finish with too little remnant to accommodate another finger, or if there is an overhang of the last finger, there are varying schools of thought about how to deal with this.