Interesting Kaskara from the Askeri Museum

[Edster]

Jim,

Thanks for updating the info on travelers accounts, etc. You and I along with others mainly Iain Norman have pretty well plowed these fields, but much remains for Pertinax to provide fresh eyes and to uncover what we may have missed. I wish him well.

One issue I have been wondering about is DISTAL TAPER of the blade. The sword smiths in Kassala I observed developed this taper by eye and directed their forging assistants to strike the blade by touching it with a stick.

I've read somewhere that a blade rolling mill was sold by a British firm to the solingen makers in the Mid-19 C (?). A rolling mill allows a worker to reduce the thickness and lengthen a billet to a sword shape and thickness by successively working the hot blade through rollers and reducing the space between rollers to a desired uniform thickness.

BUT how was the distal taper made? Did they grind the taper to finish the blade? Thus, it seems to me that the close examination of the distal tapers of a known late 19C solingen blades vs those of known Kassala made blades COULD show differences in thickness of each place of manufacture. This approach could likely be naive and reflect my ignorance of factory machine and hand forged blades.

I await this view to be hooted down (or not) by someone with specific knowledge.

Best regards,

Ed

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Edster

Jim,

Thanks for updating the info on travelers accounts, etc. You and I along with others mainly Iain Norman have pretty well plowed these fields, but much remains for Pertinax to provide fresh eyes and to uncover what we may have missed. I wish him well.

One issue I have been wondering about is DISTAL TAPER of the blade. The sword smiths in Kassala I observed developed this taper by eye and directed their forging assistants to strike the blade by touching it with a stick.

I've read somewhere that a blade rolling mill was sold by a British firm to the solingen makers in the Mid-19 C (?). A rolling mill allows a worker to reduce the thickness and lengthen a billet to a sword shape and thickness by successively working the hot blade through rollers and reducing the space between rollers to a desired uniform thickness.

BUT how was the distal taper made? Did they grind the taper to finish the blade? Thus, it seems to me that the close examination of the distal tapers of a known late 19C solingen blades vs those of known Kassala made blades COULD show differences in thickness of each place of manufacture. This approach could likely be naive and reflect my ignorance of factory machine and hand forged blades.

I await this view to be hooted down (or not) by someone with specific knowledge.

Best regards,

Ed

Yes we have Ed! and Iain made remarkable advances in these studies, then your work brought things into new dimension for me! My research prior to you guys was at snails pace and few great discoveries, but LOTS of questions.
I am absolutely with you hoping that those out there with knowledge and expertise on these manufacturing processes will come in......I for sure have virtually no understanding of them.

[TVV]

Jim, is this the picture of a Funj ruler you were looking for?

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by TVV

Jim, is this the picture of a Funj ruler you were looking for?

YAY! Thats it Teodor!! Thank you, now I can stop excavating!