Sahelian knife

Yvain · 16th August 2020, 12:15 AM

Hi everyone !

I found this nice little sahelian knife today. I know it was "made for us", but the level of craftsmanship and price (half a pack of cigarettes, for those of us in Europe

) made me give in.

It obviously wasn't meant to be used, as the blade isn't sharpened at all (even if it seems to be made of older steel and not scrap metal).

The mounts are very refined, with some nice leather tooling and silverwork, or, at least, nicer than what I've usually seen on this type of knives.

The metallic parts seems to be made of a thin sheet of low grade silver over a structure of thicker brass. I was able to notice that as the sheath is a little damaged, as you will see in the picture (nothing terrible, and will be easily fixed).

As I've already seen on the higher end examples of this type of knives, it seems like the sheath chape bears a signature or makers mark.

I've already found this thread (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...t=tuareg+knife) with a very similar knife, but I find the subject interesting and would like to learn more.

Who do you think made those knives ? When ? And why or for whom ?

An idea that I got, due to the high level of craftsmanship involved (at least way higher than on many "tourist" knives and dagger of Northern Africa), the use of a signature (or makers mark), and the general "Tuareg" look, is that those knives might have been made in the middle of the XXth century for the first european tourists, by legit Tuareg craftsmen from the Inaden group. But at this point, this is just guesswork, and I have nothing to substantiate this idea !

Anyway, I would love to hear what you have to say about it ! (And don't be afraid to be too harsh, it was cheap , and I told myself I would give it an edge and use it as a fancy side knife if it was a dud

)

Battara · 16th August 2020, 02:57 AM

I agree that this is from the Tuareg from North Africa and the metal is probably low silver/copper alloy (metal testing is the only way to be sure).

Again I agree that the marks on the back might be either a maker's mark or a silver mark (or both).

They are still making these today, but this is a nice piece.

Yvain · 21st August 2020, 08:13 PM

Thanks Battara !

Here is some pictures after restoration, and I must say that I'm quite happy with the result (I will detail what I did later).

While doing some researches, I found this page : http://www.vikingsword.com/lew/w1147/w1147.html, suggesting that this type of knives originates from Agadez, in Niger, and started being made during the last quarter of the 20th century. Which makes sense to me, as it seems like Agadez was a silverworking center during the 20th century, and because the Smithsonian keep some similar knives in its collections, identified as Nigerian or Malian.

Another thing I noticed during my researches, and which surprised me, is the relatively high prices that this type of knives sell for, while being relatively recent and not of a traditionnal type (or so I think), any idea why ?

Thanks in advance for your answers !

Yvain · 22nd August 2020, 12:31 AM

Now for the restoration part !

EDIT : I modified the pictures number in my post, as it seems like the forum don't want to post them in the correct order ...

As you can see from the pictures in my first post, the chape was detached from the rest of the sheath (as if someone pulled on the wrong part of it for whatever reason, then clumsily tried to put it back in place), as such, the green rawhide ended completely bunched up at the bottom of the chape, which wasn't connected to the rest of the sheath anymore.

As most parts of the mounts seem to be made of low silver / copper alloy,there also was traces of oxidation. The blade and forte were really dirty and somewhat oxidised, and a small silver alloy sheet on the hilt had started to come off.

I started by disassembling the sheath completely, and putting the green rawhide piece in oil, as it was completely dried out. I then cleaned every metallic parts of the knife, using fine steel wool and alcohol for the silver alloy parts and blade (which I also polished a little), and using a dull precision knife to scrape oxidation from the inside of the chape (picture 6 is what I had to remove).

As the green rawhide still was somewhat crumpled after its oil bath (picture 5), I decided to use the boiled leather technique to give it back its shape, strenghten it, and bond it to the rest of the sheath. The piece of rawhide was thus put in bath of gelatin mixed with water (1.5g of gelatin for 30g of water), between 32 and 37 degree celsius (no more, or it would damage the hide/leather), soaked for few minutes (picture 4), then stuck on the sheath. It worked perfectly and it seems like it won't move for a long time ! After that, I just had to clip the chape back in place.

The part that gave the most trouble was actually the small sheet of silver that started coming off from the hilt (picture 3). As I don't like using irreversible techniques or products, and try to only use museum approved restoration methods, I had to make my own strong glue, using, again, gelatin, but this time much more concentrated.

I tried 2 times to piece those two parts together without success (using different glue recipes), until I decided to remove the silver alloy sheet completely (picture 1). I then degreased it with alcohol, as well as the part of the hilt that it would be glued on, then slightly bent it to the shape of the hilt, and sanded it (picture 2), before light crosshatching it to help the glue do its job. This time I used a glue made of 1.5g gelatin for 10g water, soaked for 24 hours, before heating it to 60 degrees celsius for 15 minutes (picture 7), adding some garlic cloves (that I filtered later), as garlic is a natural surfactant, and is used by restorers in their glue to help metal bind to wood. After letting it dry for 24 hours with an elastic band to maintain a slight pressure, I was delighted to see that my third attempt worked perfectly, and that the silver alloy sheet was now firmly secured to the grip (picture 8).

I hope this little restoration walkthrough, using only safe and reversible methods was at least somewhat interesting, and let me know if you have any question !

Battara · 22nd August 2020, 02:31 AM

Great work! The Tuareg live in those areas of the Sahara you mentioned, and have even a further reach in the desert. And yes they are and have been great silversmiths.

When I was in Morocco I brought back 2 Tuareg silver chased pendants. I was lucky to get them. Most Tuareg jewelry is sold to dealers in the high end market.

MitsuWa. · 22nd August 2020, 06:24 PM

I have not encountered hide glue used for metal before; much less garlic as an glue ingredient. Was there remnants of hide glue binding the 2 pieces together? Is hide glue used this way traditionaly in a particular region or craft, or is this a museum conservators technique for ease of disassembly? I have seen hide glue used for wood work, composite horn bows, musical instrument making. Pitch glue has been used for assembling cutlery in some parts of the world and pitch is also something found in silver smithing shops. So that is what I would of been inclined to reach for if I were making a knife with only traditional materials. Although in Japan lacquer is used as a glue too for adhering metal fittings. Like to learn more about traditional African techniques.

Yvain · 22nd August 2020, 07:45 PM

Hi MitsuWa,

You're right, this is indeed not a traditionnal African techniques, but a restorer technique. Gelatin glue (along with starch and hide glue) is prefered in museums, as it is easily reversible, and will not damage the object while degrading over time, contrarily to most modern glues.

I found the gelatin glue technique (and the garlic tip) to bond metal to wood on a furniture restorer website, that had experience working on pieces in the style of Boulle, which include a lot of metallic ornaments that tend to come loose easily.

I guess that pitch glue could have been more accurate (even though I'm not sure, as I wasn't able to see any remnants of the original glue), but since I'm not a professionnal restorer - I actually learned a lot while doing this restoration - I prefer to use reversible techniques. (And if professionnal restorers use gelatin glue for metal ornaments on wood, I guess it means it's sturdy enough, only time will tell !

)

Battara,

I would love to get some Tuareg jewelry too (I guess it could be found in France), but I need to learn about it first, as I wouldn't be able to recognize a traditionnal piece at the moment !

16th August 2020, 12:15 AM	#1
Yvain Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: France Posts: 178	Sahelian knife Hi everyone ! I found this nice little sahelian knife today. I know it was "made for us", but the level of craftsmanship and price (half a pack of cigarettes, for those of us in Europe ) made me give in. It obviously wasn't meant to be used, as the blade isn't sharpened at all (even if it seems to be made of older steel and not scrap metal). The mounts are very refined, with some nice leather tooling and silverwork, or, at least, nicer than what I've usually seen on this type of knives. The metallic parts seems to be made of a thin sheet of low grade silver over a structure of thicker brass. I was able to notice that as the sheath is a little damaged, as you will see in the picture (nothing terrible, and will be easily fixed). As I've already seen on the higher end examples of this type of knives, it seems like the sheath chape bears a signature or makers mark. I've already found this thread (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...t=tuareg+knife) with a very similar knife, but I find the subject interesting and would like to learn more. Who do you think made those knives ? When ? And why or for whom ? An idea that I got, due to the high level of craftsmanship involved (at least way higher than on many "tourist" knives and dagger of Northern Africa), the use of a signature (or makers mark), and the general "Tuareg" look, is that those knives might have been made in the middle of the XXth century for the first european tourists, by legit Tuareg craftsmen from the Inaden group. But at this point, this is just guesswork, and I have nothing to substantiate this idea ! Anyway, I would love to hear what you have to say about it ! (And don't be afraid to be too harsh, it was cheap , and I told myself I would give it an edge and use it as a fancy side knife if it was a dud ) Attached Images

21st August 2020, 08:13 PM	#3
Yvain Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: France Posts: 178	Thanks Battara ! Here is some pictures after restoration, and I must say that I'm quite happy with the result (I will detail what I did later). While doing some researches, I found this page : http://www.vikingsword.com/lew/w1147/w1147.html, suggesting that this type of knives originates from Agadez, in Niger, and started being made during the last quarter of the 20th century. Which makes sense to me, as it seems like Agadez was a silverworking center during the 20th century, and because the Smithsonian keep some similar knives in its collections, identified as Nigerian or Malian. Another thing I noticed during my researches, and which surprised me, is the relatively high prices that this type of knives sell for, while being relatively recent and not of a traditionnal type (or so I think), any idea why ? Thanks in advance for your answers ! Attached Images

22nd August 2020, 12:31 AM	#4
Yvain Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: France Posts: 178	Now for the restoration part ! EDIT : I modified the pictures number in my post, as it seems like the forum don't want to post them in the correct order ... As you can see from the pictures in my first post, the chape was detached from the rest of the sheath (as if someone pulled on the wrong part of it for whatever reason, then clumsily tried to put it back in place), as such, the green rawhide ended completely bunched up at the bottom of the chape, which wasn't connected to the rest of the sheath anymore. As most parts of the mounts seem to be made of low silver / copper alloy,there also was traces of oxidation. The blade and forte were really dirty and somewhat oxidised, and a small silver alloy sheet on the hilt had started to come off. I started by disassembling the sheath completely, and putting the green rawhide piece in oil, as it was completely dried out. I then cleaned every metallic parts of the knife, using fine steel wool and alcohol for the silver alloy parts and blade (which I also polished a little), and using a dull precision knife to scrape oxidation from the inside of the chape (picture 6 is what I had to remove). As the green rawhide still was somewhat crumpled after its oil bath (picture 5), I decided to use the boiled leather technique to give it back its shape, strenghten it, and bond it to the rest of the sheath. The piece of rawhide was thus put in bath of gelatin mixed with water (1.5g of gelatin for 30g of water), between 32 and 37 degree celsius (no more, or it would damage the hide/leather), soaked for few minutes (picture 4), then stuck on the sheath. It worked perfectly and it seems like it won't move for a long time ! After that, I just had to clip the chape back in place. The part that gave the most trouble was actually the small sheet of silver that started coming off from the hilt (picture 3). As I don't like using irreversible techniques or products, and try to only use museum approved restoration methods, I had to make my own strong glue, using, again, gelatin, but this time much more concentrated. I tried 2 times to piece those two parts together without success (using different glue recipes), until I decided to remove the silver alloy sheet completely (picture 1). I then degreased it with alcohol, as well as the part of the hilt that it would be glued on, then slightly bent it to the shape of the hilt, and sanded it (picture 2), before light crosshatching it to help the glue do its job. This time I used a glue made of 1.5g gelatin for 10g water, soaked for 24 hours, before heating it to 60 degrees celsius for 15 minutes (picture 7), adding some garlic cloves (that I filtered later), as garlic is a natural surfactant, and is used by restorers in their glue to help metal bind to wood. After letting it dry for 24 hours with an elastic band to maintain a slight pressure, I was delighted to see that my third attempt worked perfectly, and that the silver alloy sheet was now firmly secured to the grip (picture 8). I hope this little restoration walkthrough, using only safe and reversible methods was at least somewhat interesting, and let me know if you have any question ! Attached Images

16th August 2020, 02:57 AM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,219	I agree that this is from the Tuareg from North Africa and the metal is probably low silver/copper alloy (metal testing is the only way to be sure). Again I agree that the marks on the back might be either a maker's mark or a silver mark (or both). They are still making these today, but this is a nice piece.

22nd August 2020, 02:31 AM	#5
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,219	Great work! The Tuareg live in those areas of the Sahara you mentioned, and have even a further reach in the desert. And yes they are and have been great silversmiths. When I was in Morocco I brought back 2 Tuareg silver chased pendants. I was lucky to get them. Most Tuareg jewelry is sold to dealers in the high end market.

22nd August 2020, 06:24 PM	#6
MitsuWa. Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 22	I have not encountered hide glue used for metal before; much less garlic as an glue ingredient. Was there remnants of hide glue binding the 2 pieces together? Is hide glue used this way traditionaly in a particular region or craft, or is this a museum conservators technique for ease of disassembly? I have seen hide glue used for wood work, composite horn bows, musical instrument making. Pitch glue has been used for assembling cutlery in some parts of the world and pitch is also something found in silver smithing shops. So that is what I would of been inclined to reach for if I were making a knife with only traditional materials. Although in Japan lacquer is used as a glue too for adhering metal fittings. Like to learn more about traditional African techniques.

22nd August 2020, 07:45 PM	#7
Yvain Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: France Posts: 178	Hi MitsuWa, You're right, this is indeed not a traditionnal African techniques, but a restorer technique. Gelatin glue (along with starch and hide glue) is prefered in museums, as it is easily reversible, and will not damage the object while degrading over time, contrarily to most modern glues. I found the gelatin glue technique (and the garlic tip) to bond metal to wood on a furniture restorer website, that had experience working on pieces in the style of Boulle, which include a lot of metallic ornaments that tend to come loose easily. I guess that pitch glue could have been more accurate (even though I'm not sure, as I wasn't able to see any remnants of the original glue), but since I'm not a professionnal restorer - I actually learned a lot while doing this restoration - I prefer to use reversible techniques. (And if professionnal restorers use gelatin glue for metal ornaments on wood, I guess it means it's sturdy enough, only time will tell ! ) Battara, I would love to get some Tuareg jewelry too (I guess it could be found in France), but I need to learn about it first, as I wouldn't be able to recognize a traditionnal piece at the moment !