An apology and a request for information.
 

About a month ago I acquired a kard that I had been coveting for three years. I'm afraid that in my pride at having found something that I really liked I came across as knowing it all. The truth is, I don't. I know very little about this kard except that it's wootz, and I like it.

I need all of your expertise to find out more about it. Can you help me? Thank you. I also would like to know how far to go restoring it. The three inches toward the point has black spots that are not yet pitted.

I wish I could help you, but I do love the wootz!

However, could those spots be taken out with more etching?

I expect Philip Tom could probably polish and re-etch this piece .
He's a member here .

Montino: The only way to really get rid of those spots is a polish and a re-etch. If the spots are only on the surface, it would a very easy polish......Dave.

Can anybody give me an estimate of age? Of origin? If anybody can tell me, it's the members of this forum; I've been coming here for years, and I have complete confidence in the combined wisdom of this place and its members.

I had a kard very similar which I now am very sorry I sold. I estimated (guesstimated) it's age in the mid to late 19th C. Mine was also Wootz and
some type of ivory (mastodon?) handle slabs with gold inlay in the ferrule and around the metal blade handle back and sides.

Rich S

Thank you. Rich...
 

I'm still waiting to hear from Philip Tom. I've started to work lightly on the blade.

I would agree that this is mid-late 19th century.

New Kard... etch #1
 

I worked on this quite a bit, strictly surface work; scrubbies, aluminum foil crumpled, #1500 paper. Not enough to get the spots near the point, but enough to get through the crud of centuries.

I then etched one side with phosphoric... slow etch, muddy result.

The other side I did with ferric chloride; worked fast and very well. A very nice fine wootz pattern with 'ladder' marks. Clear, no brownish cast. I'll do the other side with that after I finish cleaning up from the Phosphoric.

looks like the etch turned out good..
the wootz looks really beautiful.. :)

See page 37 (Daggers) Anthony North Islamic Arms, V. and A. Museum ... for a short but comprehensive outline of Islamic Daggers.
Ibrahiim al Balooshi. :shrug: