Native North African sword

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by CharlesS

....sorry....maybe better words would have been "stripped of it original lustre".

I have seen several(at least 3) of these recovered with an equally unattractive rawhide type leather...the whole thing would be covered up, metal fittings and all...I never could quite figure out why.

NO worries Bill....you have no monopoly on "ugly lovables"....I think we all have a few like that in our collections.

My thoughts on coverings of these African swords is that the steel would get extremely hot under the African sun, I don't think I could wield comfortably a sword that has been sitting in 40 degree plus heat all day, chances are that your hands would first reach for the steel pommel before being drawn and if it had a guard fingers would get burnt there too upon gripping the blade....

regards

Gav