Some new finds in the last month, African

[katana]

Warren
I do not think this is Rhino horn, but wood. What makes the handle look unusual is the grain direction....normally the grain is 'run' lengthways from pommel to blade, yours seems to run across. This assumption is made on the pictures....to conclusively ID use the 'hot pin' method ....if you get a smell of burning hair it is almost certainly Rhino.

Regards David

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by katana

Warren
I do not think this is Rhino horn, but wood. What makes the handle look unusual is the grain direction....normally the grain is 'run' lengthways from pommel to blade, yours seems to run across. This assumption is made on the pictures....to conclusively ID use the 'hot pin' method ....if you get a smell of burning hair it is almost certainly Rhino.

Regards David

Your right, you can not determine on image alone but based on your posting here David;
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ino+knobkerrie
There are some amazing similarities.

Gav

[katana]

Originally Posted by freebooter

Your right, you can not determine on image alone but based on your posting here David;
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ino+knobkerrie
There are some amazing similarities.

Gav

G'day Gav,
I have seen pictures of a few 'small' knobkerries that looked 95% certain to be Rhino horn.....only to discover they were a very 'tight', fine grained wood . Hopefully, Warren will post the result of the 'hot' pin test and let us know. If Rhino horn....is must have been a piece cut 'across' the horn (cross section).....which must have been quite large in diameter, perhaps from the root/base of the horn
My knobkerrie was made from a 'lengthway' section.

All the best
David