Bali Ritual Knife

[Athanase]

If it helps, I add the link to the subject of my similar knife :

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=tiuk

And another link to my betel knives one of which is really similar but without silver inlay :

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=tiuk

[A. G. Maisey]

I've just taken the time to follow the links back to see where the chain started, turns out it was a thread I started, but that's beside the point, in that thread there are some really good pics taken by Gavin Nugent, not weaponry so much, but Bali funeral procession scenes, I think they're worth visiting:-

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=13443

[Battara]

Oh yes I remember these pictures, thank you Alan. You can see Balinese priests cutting with knives like this.

The pitting is due to the tool I used on such thin spaces, unfortunately. I learned what to use and not use when working on this specialized type of inlay.

Tough work - that's why it took me a couple of years to finish. Tons of thin super close inlay. Thank you for your kind comments.

Yes chiseled and beveled on one side and flat on the other.

[A. G. Maisey]

The chisel grind is very common in Asian knives, it effectively cuts a cutting edge in half, facilitating an extremely fine edge. It takes a bit of a learning curve to sharpen properly, and also to use properly, but once you get used to the chisel edge it is unlikely you will go back to a conventional edge.

I've been using mostly chisel grind knives as my work knives and bench knives for a few years now, and I find them much better for fine work than knives with the conventional grind.

[Battara]

Here is some of the research I found on an example nearly identical to mine. This is from "The Art and Culture of Bali", with the description on p.74.