Unusual Tibetan sword

Battara · 13th July 2007, 09:43 PM

I don't know about pattern welding....most of these have straight lines of lamination with a hairpin turn at the tip. I see some possible signs of such lamination, but etching will tell for sure. I do think late 19thc-early 20thc due to the mounts.

josh stout · 16th July 2007, 03:10 PM

I would love to etch it to see if there is a pattern or differential hardening, but I am afraid of loosing the x's that are etched in. I have never seen anything like them before.
Josh

G. McCormack · 16th July 2007, 05:58 PM

Josh the only explanation I can come up with is that at some point somebody wrapped some cord around the blade in a criss-crossed pattern, and when this got wet it caused a series of localized pits to form in an "x" pattern. Maybe?

Or perhaps and adhesive used in making the newer scabbard leached through and oxidized the blade?

josh stout · 18th July 2007, 05:53 PM

Those are good speculations, but somehow the x's look intentional. Look at the first picture showing the whole blade. You can see the x's as shadows running the entire length. With the sword in hand I can see that some have been polished out over time, and that the legs of each x end in a blunt rounded way that makes me think they were brushed on. In the pictures I provided it looks like the x’s run to the edge, which would be consistent with something tied around the blade, but it doesn’t look that way so much when examined in person.

I will look some more with your suggestions in mind when I get home.
Thanks,
Josh

13th July 2007, 09:43 PM	#1
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	I don't know about pattern welding....most of these have straight lines of lamination with a hairpin turn at the tip. I see some possible signs of such lamination, but etching will tell for sure. I do think late 19thc-early 20thc due to the mounts.

16th July 2007, 03:10 PM	#2
josh stout Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 407	I would love to etch it to see if there is a pattern or differential hardening, but I am afraid of loosing the x's that are etched in. I have never seen anything like them before. Josh

16th July 2007, 05:58 PM	#3
G. McCormack Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 131	Josh the only explanation I can come up with is that at some point somebody wrapped some cord around the blade in a criss-crossed pattern, and when this got wet it caused a series of localized pits to form in an "x" pattern. Maybe? Or perhaps and adhesive used in making the newer scabbard leached through and oxidized the blade?

18th July 2007, 05:53 PM	#4
josh stout Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 407	Those are good speculations, but somehow the x's look intentional. Look at the first picture showing the whole blade. You can see the x's as shadows running the entire length. With the sword in hand I can see that some have been polished out over time, and that the legs of each x end in a blunt rounded way that makes me think they were brushed on. In the pictures I provided it looks like the x’s run to the edge, which would be consistent with something tied around the blade, but it doesn’t look that way so much when examined in person. I will look some more with your suggestions in mind when I get home. Thanks, Josh