Omani Sayf/Saif

[Edster]

Kai,

I don't recall any smith plunge a blade into an oil or water bath or see such a container, just the water tray I mentioned. No doubt I missed that part. The two days I hung around the Kassala smithy was my first experience among sword & knife makers. Even though I was/am a mechanical engineer, I likely didn't really understand all of what I was seeing. The goal of my anthropological investigation was "the social economics or sword & knife production" (what the various actors were doing and how much they could earn). Now I wish I had focused/documented more on the production process.

The smiths seemed very methodological and apparently knew what they were doing. They used no gages and all dimensions were my eye. They apparently had made so many blades that they may have been on auto-pilot; just felt the making rather than a step-by-step process. They began with a billet of spring steel, split it to add length and started the elongation process. The actual dimensions of the finished blade were ultimately defined from the size of the initial chunk of steel. The sword was contained within the original billet. Each smith used his individual skill/experience/magic to produce a finished blade to his satisfaction using the available technology. I think bendy or not was just how it turned out. I could be wrong in my ignorance.

Jim,
I think that once the dimensions of a dancing sword were known; like forte size, if any and blade taper & thickness, balance point, length, weight, whatever, a skilled smith could make bendy swords at will to the local cultural market. The Kassala smiths were making serviceable weapons to their cultural market and bendy was great, but not required.

Best,
Ed

[Jim McDougall]

Thanks very much Ed! I think your field studies in Kassala and Sudanese areas around have been some of the most valuable reports for not only the edged weapons there, but in general of that period. Your insights I think pretty much show that makers in Oman could have produced blades as suggested, for the ceremonies in the same manner.

[Edster]

Thanks Jim,

Now that my initial field work is deficient in sword making tech, about 5 or 8 years ago I tried to contact my initial informant via a local NGO that worked with the suqs in Kassala. Many questions had emerged that only local knowledge could answer. Alas, at the time the powers in Khartoum nixed the Kassala staff from interacting because the Bega there were at odds with the Khartoum regime. These days I have no link.

Regards,
Ed

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Edster

Thanks Jim,

Now that my initial field work is deficient in sword making tech, about 5 or 8 years ago I tried to contact my initial informant via a local NGO that worked with the suqs in Kassala. Many questions had emerged that only local knowledge could answer. Alas, at the time the powers in Khartoum nixed the Kassala staff from interacting because the Bega there were at odds with the Khartoum regime. These days I have no link.

Regards,
Ed

That is a shame Ed, a very familiar dilemma it seems these days, but hopefully research and knowledge can prevail.