Dha and tying the baldric?
 

Hi there,

I have just purchased a new baldric from Serge from Cozun. I believe that this is a new product they are offering and may not be up one their website yet. Having just received mine I am hoping that someone might have some instructions on the tying to the scabbard? Thanks to Mark B for sending me some pics of the finished knots, as a rope dummy I am hoping for some help in how to do a knot.

Cheers

Jason

PS. the one I received was a very nice high quality thick red cotton as opposed to the nylon jobbies found on most modern dha.

as i have a few dha that i acquired without the baldrics, i've replaced them with brightly coloured climbing rope which seemed more appropriate than the more mundane marine varieties. i've used my limited knowledge of fancy knot work acquired in my earlier merchant marine & coast guard careers, however i'd like to see some photos of how to properly tie them.

sample:
closeup of knotwork
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...w/DSCF0001.jpg
the whole mess
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...w/DSCF0007.jpg
slightly more decorative knots:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...w/DSCF0002.jpg
on a slightly better dha
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...w/DSCF0003.jpg

jason, if you can post the finished photos on what a proper knot looks like, mebbe i can figure out how to duplicate them & post some more sequential photos on 'how to'. ;)

Many thanks Kronckew!

Nice knots you got going there! Here are a some pics courtesy of Mark Bowditch

[IMG]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...d_wrapping.jpg[/IMG]

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ldric_knot.jpg

thanks

Jason

Tying baldric on the Dah scabbard
 

Actually it is a rather simple process. One needs about 4 meters of rope, depends on the size of the Dah, the required length of binding and the thickness of the rope. Just follow the steps below:

Step 1: Fold the rope at about third of its length to make a loop

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/54/000354.jpg

Step 2: With the long leg of the rope, start binding upward

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/55/000355.jpg

Step 3: After several binds, continue the binding below the loop

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/56/000356.jpg

Step 4: Make several binds below the loop and again continue above the loop

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/57/000357.jpg

Step 5: Pass the rope into the loop and pull tight

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/58/000358.jpg

Step 6: Pull the short leg of the rope to tighten the loop

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/59/000359.jpg

This complete the binding.

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/60/000360.jpg

Binding the rope below and above the loop can be repeated several times or not needed at all, depends on the taste of the Dah owner.

Good luck

thanks,OA, that's basically how i did my 1st one, just not as many turns. i'd figured it out from jason's photos & was gonna try it for real & take some photos tonight. now i don't have to :) yours turned out better than mine would have anyway.

the free ends could be tied in a reef knot (a granny knot will pull loose and a double overhand knot will be difficult to untie) to complete the loop, on my best dha (the scabbard bit i used a bunch of lark's head knots) i've macraméd it a bit so its a broader braided knot to distribute the weight over the shoulder. what is the traditional knot to join the ends?

the bitter ends i have served with a string whipping to keep them from unravelling - very similar to the main binding. (with rope or small line like these i generally cheat by dipping the end after whipping into a waterproof glue or varnish to ensure the whipping stays in place. the link shows alternate ways, which are more difficult on small stuff.)

these kinds of hitches have a lot of friction between the line & the scabbard and when tied nice & tight, there's no way the scabbard will pull loose so they don't really need to be nailed to the wood or anything....

... I knew I had come to the right place!!! :)

Thanks very much for the help.

Cheers

Jason

I have seen the ends tied in a reef knot, and in a simple loop knot (don't know the official name) - both ends taken together and looped around once, the ends put through the loop and pulled tight. Basically what you might do with the ends of a drawstring to give you something to grip. On fancier dha, the ends have tassels.

Great photos, by the way, Artzi.

the fancy knot i used was a carrick bend with double overhand knot ends as stoppers

the knot mark is referring to is

the one-sided overhand bend also know as the european death knot as it can slip under load.... another fancier knot is the diamond or lanyard knot

bends are knots used to join two lines, the knot used around the scabbard is a hitch. - a knot used to attach a line to a fixed object

googling or wikipedia search on bends and hitches brigs up lots of neat ideas for knotwork. some of the more decorative knots are much the same as some of the decorative rattan work on se asian scabbards and hilts.

Great info! The second knot I was describing is a one-sided overhand bend.

here is a pic showing the all cotton baldric selection, I purchased the red one and it is a nice dark red colour.

A further question, do you leave the tassles hanging or do they form some sort of loop? pics most appreciated.

THanks again

[IMG]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...llcolors-e.jpg[/IMG]

Thanks to all for sharing the information and to Artzi for nice how-to pictures.
Since we're on a knot subject:-), does anyone know how to tie baldric on a sword with two suspension rings, such as Arabic Shamshir? I have a few already tied, but have no clear understanding on how it's done from scratch.

The tassels just hang, with about an inch or two of cord between them and the knot (just enough to give them some play).

Here 's some other styles... for Dahb.
http://www.konrakmeed.com/webboard/u...topic=1862&hl=

Hi Jason ,


Did you go to Cozun directly or buy it through mail order / internet ? I've been on the COzun site and can't find baldrics being listed as a product they sell online.

Thanks in advance

Hi Alaung,

I just emailed them on the off chance they would know where to get one from, and was lucky that he had just sourced a supplier but the info was not up on the site yet.

If you send an email to cozun@cozun.com he will do an invoice page for you to complete the transaction, I was very impressed with the quality. cord diameter is roughly 10mm. I think it would be safe to say that the cords are less bright than they appear in the pic.

this is the info Serge sent me

The colors: black ; green ; white ; red and pinkish-red
The sizes: 5.50 meters and 3.50 meters

The prices for the cords without posting charges: 34 US$ for the short and 46 US$ for the long baldric cords.

Cheers

Jason

Cozun 's base 's in Ayuthaya, Thailand. He might reach a good supplier during his recent trip to Lanna district. :D Lucky him and all you Dha guys ;)