A heavy fighting Laos daab

Iain · 3rd August 2021, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian

Hi Iain,
Another very nice Lao daab. I agree with your dating to 18th C. Appears to have seen some use judging from the wear on the hilt. Nice to have an example of its little brother as well. The smaller ones often came in pairs worn in crossed scabbards on the back.

Glad you like it Ian and we continue to agree on dating is always encouraging. Yes, the little one really is an odd anomaly between a sword and a knife.

The big one, perhaps the most impressive thing for me is the spine thickness, this image hopefully shows it well, the other sword is a 105cm shan dha, so not exactly small either!

Ian · 4th August 2021, 08:25 AM

Yep. Definitely a meaty beast.

Iain · 4th August 2021, 10:53 AM

It's perhaps worth showing as well the pommel with its 'flaw' as some members might not be familiar with the way in which daab are constructed when there is a hilt of this type.

The hilt is cast using the 'lost wax' casting method, quite often the metal used in Laos or Thailand was a mix and not just brass and can also include gold, known as samrit. Resin or ki’tai in Thai, made from the gluta usitata tree, is used not only to secure the blade to the hilt, but also to attach elements like the pommel. You can see in this case the entire pommel was filled with the resin. There was likely a flaw in the casting on this piece that was then probably aggravated by expansion from humidity in the hilt. But it does at least let us see the "guts" of the sword.

Ren Ren · 4th August 2021, 11:13 PM

Thank you very much for the photo and for the information on the resin of Gluta usitata tree! Of course, such cases of damage reduce the collectible value of items, but they provide knowledge that is so often lacking.

4th August 2021, 10:53 AM	#3
Iain Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Olomouc Posts: 1,708	It's perhaps worth showing as well the pommel with its 'flaw' as some members might not be familiar with the way in which daab are constructed when there is a hilt of this type. The hilt is cast using the 'lost wax' casting method, quite often the metal used in Laos or Thailand was a mix and not just brass and can also include gold, known as samrit. Resin or ki’tai in Thai, made from the gluta usitata tree, is used not only to secure the blade to the hilt, but also to attach elements like the pommel. You can see in this case the entire pommel was filled with the resin. There was likely a flaw in the casting on this piece that was then probably aggravated by expansion from humidity in the hilt. But it does at least let us see the "guts" of the sword. Attached Images

4th August 2021, 08:25 AM	#2
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,361	Yep. Definitely a meaty beast.

4th August 2021, 11:13 PM	#4
Ren Ren Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Russia, Moscow Posts: 379	Thank you very much for the photo and for the information on the resin of Gluta usitata tree! Of course, such cases of damage reduce the collectible value of items, but they provide knowledge that is so often lacking.