Small dha (southern Laos)

[Klop]

Dear Iain,

I have a knife resembling yours, a bit smaller still. The ferrule near the blade is much more basic, I like the snub nose of the blade.
It seems to have quite some age to it. Same region I suppose.

Kind regards,
Eric.

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Klop

Dear Iain,

I have a knife resembling yours, a bit smaller still. The ferrule near the blade is much more basic, I like the snub nose of the blade.
It seems to have quite some age to it. Same region I suppose.

Kind regards,
Eric.

Nice to see another similar knife. With yours the blade does seem quite old and is of a form I've seen on other working knives from the region, which makes sense with the smaller size.

To be honest I think the pommel is older than both ferrules and perhaps the piece is a little bit of a composite? I like the overall effect but usually with these hilts the ferrules would be of the same level and decorative nature as the pommel element.

[Ian]

Hi Eric,

As Iain has noted, this is a utility knife from roughly the same era as his. I agree that the ferrules are later replacements (but not recently). This style of blade has been found in Thailand and neighboring areas for at least two or three centuries.

Ian

[Klop]

Hi Iain and Ian,

Thanks for your input and I agree, the ferrule near the blade must be an older replacement. But you speak of two ferrules, this is the only one I see. At the end it all seems just one piece of metal, I can't discover a gap or joint between the smooth part and the decorated pommel.

If it's two pieces they made a nice marriage. Maybe one day I'll stumble upon one with all the metal en suite...

Kind regards,
Eric.