Very Old Firangi with Rapier blade in need of restoration.

[katana]

IT'S ARRIVED......

Hi Jens, thank you, the gilt colouring must have been caused by the lighting conditions when the original photographs were taken.

Hi Jim and Fernando, thank you for your input.


This is definately old , it seems that the rust has been stablised and the sword seems covered with a thin transparent coating

The blade has a short central fuller, the blade 17mm wide, 5mm thick at the forte. Distally tapered thickness from 5mm - 1mm at the tip. Flatterned hexagonal in cross section and double edged. Tip is damaged.

There is a row of 4 dots with a slightly smaller one above the second dot (see photo) I'll assume they are the original maker's mark and are present both sides of the blade. Also within the fuller there are 'dots' that appear to be a 'rivet' but it is not directly present on the exact opposite side of the blade, as if it is some sort of 'inlay' (see pics)

As to construction.... the missing domed pommel and but spike is very revealing. The Rapier blade is held (two rivets) by two strengthening plates which are inverted 'T' shapes creating a cross guard.
Fitted to this 'crossguard' is the 'shell' of the guard, this is one piece construction and includes the knucklebow and the inner 'domed' pommel end. The 'handle' is a contoured pipe which is fitted between the guard shell and the inner dome.
Although the blade is secured to the hilt by the two rivets, it still has a tang which passes through the guard 'shell' through the handle and then through the 'inner' dome. The tang has sheared (a long time ago) but would have continued through the hilt 'outer domed' piece and would have been fixed to the but spike holding it all securely.

I believe that there is a very strong possibillity that the damage occured during combat. I think that the sword was being used two handed (using the but spike) and after a powerful strike (perhaps against a hard object) the tang sheared ...losing the pommel spike and pommel dome.

I have found that the pommel 'dome' is small enough not to interfere with wrist movement, which suggests to me that this could be used as a Rapier....cut and thrust style.

Regards David