jambiya dagger

[BANTARU]

Originally Posted by Adriboy

Hello.. Maybe my big old family have relationship or friendship with ancestor from yaman, arabian middle east who lalso live hear in Idonesia..

Since this three days, I begin to look at any kind of our native steel material, wood tree and horn or part of the body from animal ( such as ebony wood, teak timber, some other local timber, deer-cow-bull-ivory, tiger claw, pig, crocodile, bear and even jungle hen ) which using for hilt for our traditional weapon/ blade.. But maybe, none of them I see which similar to this hilt.. But the leather of this weapon almost surely look like as our animal leather ( I can said that this weapon is true using animal leather)...

I also read many topics in forum here, and said that if it is a typically dagger from yaman, maybe its hilt is from rhino horn..

So then about the test that you explain to me, is it a flash light test, not burning with lighter test? What about the test with smell hairy burning test with lighter? And also glass magnifier with eyes test which will see the material at the top end of the hilt will look like a bundle of "thin spaghetti"?
Thanks so much for your help.. Have a nice day then

hello there. the leather is real. anyways dont worry about it. Its not that important.

There are the following types of test for Rhino horn:

- Bounce: Rhino horn will bounce and not break when dropped from shoulder height. However , be careful. If your handle is not rhino, the dagger might break so keep this for the end or just dont do it if you are not sure.
Heat: Take a red hot pin and place it on the handle or if you can risk it, light a very tiny part of the horn. Burning rhino horn smells like burning hair.
Cut: The fibrous structure is visible when the surface, which may be shiny, is cut away. Dont try this, unless you want to disect your handle.
Light: Rhino horn displays luminescence when a torch is shone along its edge. Take the torch and place it close to the handle as i told you before.
Magnify: Fibres are more easily visible on the surface under low magnification. THese fibres look like orange peel/ hair strands or as you said, "thin spaghetti".

Selamat.

[kai]

the leather is real.

Agreed. Always check worn areas, especially torn edges/etc. - very tough to fake with plastic leather.

There are the following types of test for Rhino horn:
Bounce: Rhino horn will bounce and not break when dropped from shoulder height. However , be careful. If your handle is not rhino, the dagger might break so keep this for the end or just dont do it if you are not sure.

To me, this sounds very much like "Kids, don't try this at home!"...
A fairly compact jambiya/khanjar hilt may survive some punishment (average shoulder height, floor material?) when structurally intact to begin with. Antique, weathered rhino horn is certainly not immune to cracking as can be seen in many extant hilts.

Heat: Take a red hot pin and place it on the handle or if you can risk it, light a very tiny part of the horn. Burning rhino horn smells like burning hair.

As do all other horn types as already noted by Barry.

Cut: The fibrous structure is visible when the surface, which may be shiny, is cut away. Dont try this, unless you want to disect your handle.

No need to damage a piece of history. Magnification is the key (experience and examples for comparing do help though).

Light: Rhino horn displays luminescence when a torch is shone along its edge. Take the torch and place it close to the handle as i told you before.

Not diagnostic as already covered in the post above.

Magnify: Fibres are more easily visible on the surface under low magnification. THese fibres look like orange peel/ hair strands or as you said, "thin spaghetti".

The microstructure of the hair strands of which rhino horn consists is the only suitable diagnostic feature to identify rhino horn; the orange peel look may be a first hint but can be mimicked by other (well-aged) horn types. For verification, we need to focus on the microstructure!

Regards,
Kai