Pitch

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by harrywagner

I am curious about the use of pitch for securing blades to hilts. I have seen more than a few Jambiyas like this and have always been suspicious of them. I would be surprised if readers here have not seen the same themselves, but if not, please let me know and I will post some photos. What I would like to know is:

1. Is this a common and acceptable practice in the ME, or a shortcut?
2. When did knife makers start using pitch?
3. And most importantly, what does the use of pitch do to the desirability and value of a piece?

I hope I won't get in trouble for asking #3. I am not looking for any specifics, just an indication of what effect this practice has on an item's value and how experienced collectors view this practive. Thanks you.

Harry

Hi Harry,
Answer to #1 is yes and no. Most, if not all of my jambiya blades, including the very few late 19thc and early 20thc items I have, are mounted in this way, and "no" I do not believe it is a "shortcut".
Cannot help with #2.
#3....no of course it does not reduce the desirability or value of the piece. It is how it was made in the first place by the craftsman who did the job.
When you receive the book you have on order ("Jambiya from the Ancient Souls of Yemen") you will see on page 180 that the method of fixing blade to hilt is by "resin/wax mixture".....in other words pitch, or the local version of it.
Hope this helps
Stu

[harrywagner]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Hi Harry,
Answer to #1 is yes and no. Most, if not all of my jambiya blades, including the very few late 19thc and early 20thc items I have, are mounted in this way, and "no" I do not believe it is a "shortcut".
Cannot help with #2.
#3....no of course it does not reduce the desirability or value of the piece. It is how it was made in the first place by the craftsman who did the job.
When you receive the book you have on order ("Jambiya from the Ancient Souls of Yemen") you will see on page 180 that the method of fixing blade to hilt is by "resin/wax mixture".....in other words pitch, or the local version of it.
Hope this helps
Stu

Thanks Stu,
I have passed on buying several Jambiyas I would have liked to have, but did not trust due to the blade being set with pitch. I am anxious to see what that book says, and what other collectors think. I am glad I have asked this question. I wish I had asked it about two years ago when I got started.

Harry

[Battara]

Not only jambiyas but other pieces from different parts of the world also use pitch. A hard sticky yet easy material to use.

[Rick]

Most Indian swords .

[estcrh]

I have read that a substance called "lac" was used in securing sword hilts, the lac insect secretes a sticky, resinous material called lac which is collected and used for many types of art work etc.

A quote from Arms and Armour: Traditional Weapons of India By E. Jaiwant. Paul

[Shakethetrees]

Any grip that does not have a peened tang showing through the pommel, or a cover that obscures the peened button, OR has transverse pins or rivets has pitch or a similar substance.

Pitch has been used probably for millennia. There is evidence of it found in weapons going back a thousand years. In the European forum I remember Matchlock mentioning this in ref. to some of his weapons going back to c. 1200 AD.

As far as devaluing a weapon, does the pitch look old and distressed or was it amateurishly added? If it is still a weapon with known pitch use and falls within the aesthetically acceptable look, I wouldn't worry.

[harrywagner]

Thanks for the comments. It sounds like I am worrying about nothing, and have likely passed on some good knives I could have bid on.

Harry

[Gavin Nugent]

Hi Harry,

Here is on of dozens of threads about resins and securing blades.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ighlight=tangs

Gavin