TULWAR now cleaned up....with a few surprises.

Norman McCormick · 29th September 2009, 07:52 PM

Hi David,
Can't add anything academically just an observation. The blade looks like it has been sharpened, more than once, in the same manner as the Tulwars I have or have handled. The riveting of blades is quite common on some types of Indian blades and I can see this option being used if the resin used normally was unavailable when the blade/hilt combination failed. If there is not a lot of resin left perhaps you could try and ascertain how long the tang is as Indian blades, in my experience, have very short tangs in comparison to European blades. Interesting piece.
My Regards,
Norman.

P.S. Do you think the pommel ring is original to the sword?

katana · 1st October 2009, 02:28 PM

Hi Colin and Norman

,
thank you for your comments. It is difficult to see the extent of how deep the tang is situated in the hilt. I totally agree that the blade and hilt were not 'made' for each other....but functionally they 'work' ...the balance and the 'larger' sized hilt ensure that this was a 'good' sword.

As I said before I thought the blade was possibly European ....and perhaps therefore 'rat tailed'. (such a thin tang would not be fully secured by the resin and would require the extra fixing via the rivets).

I can only say with certainty that this 'marriage' occured a long time ago and is therefore not a recent 'botch up' for resale. This Tulwar came as a group of three weapons that have been 'partners' for a very long time. Each of them in equally poor condition. Another Tulwar and a British Yatagan sword bayonet a M1853 bayonet where the others in the group. Because of the date of the bayonet I wondered if these 3 were 'bring backs' from the Sepoy Revolt 1857.

The other Tulwar heavily rusted and with a thick layer of dark stabilised oxidation seems, likely to be old , 18th C ? The pommel is missing either due to rust or damage.

Norman, I cannot tell whether the pommel ring is original ....but I can say is it is quite old.....it was very heavily oxidised and only after a lot of cleaning , did I realised it was silver !!

All the best
David

.

1st October 2009, 02:28 PM	#2
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,658	Hi Colin and Norman , thank you for your comments. It is difficult to see the extent of how deep the tang is situated in the hilt. I totally agree that the blade and hilt were not 'made' for each other....but functionally they 'work' ...the balance and the 'larger' sized hilt ensure that this was a 'good' sword. As I said before I thought the blade was possibly European ....and perhaps therefore 'rat tailed'. (such a thin tang would not be fully secured by the resin and would require the extra fixing via the rivets). I can only say with certainty that this 'marriage' occured a long time ago and is therefore not a recent 'botch up' for resale. This Tulwar came as a group of three weapons that have been 'partners' for a very long time. Each of them in equally poor condition. Another Tulwar and a British Yatagan sword bayonet a M1853 bayonet where the others in the group. Because of the date of the bayonet I wondered if these 3 were 'bring backs' from the Sepoy Revolt 1857. The other Tulwar heavily rusted and with a thick layer of dark stabilised oxidation seems, likely to be old , 18th C ? The pommel is missing either due to rust or damage. Norman, I cannot tell whether the pommel ring is original ....but I can say is it is quite old.....it was very heavily oxidised and only after a lot of cleaning , did I realised it was silver !! All the best David . Attached Images

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29th September 2009, 07:52 PM	#1
Norman McCormick Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1,646	Hi David, Can't add anything academically just an observation. The blade looks like it has been sharpened, more than once, in the same manner as the Tulwars I have or have handled. The riveting of blades is quite common on some types of Indian blades and I can see this option being used if the resin used normally was unavailable when the blade/hilt combination failed. If there is not a lot of resin left perhaps you could try and ascertain how long the tang is as Indian blades, in my experience, have very short tangs in comparison to European blades. Interesting piece. My Regards, Norman. P.S. Do you think the pommel ring is original to the sword?