African Arm Dagger...finally!

[Emanuel]

Thanks!

I'll look for an appropriate sheath...I just noticed on the second to last picture it looks like a chunk is broken off the hilt...too bad, it lookd almost perfect!
Any ideas about where specifically examples like this one come from? They seem to vary a lot in shape and blade quality...are some variants specific to certain countries or ethnic groups?

Emanuel

[Freddy]

Originally Posted by Manolo

Thanks!

I'll look for an appropriate sheath...I just noticed on the second to last picture it looks like a chunk is broken off the hilt...too bad, it lookd almost perfect!
Any ideas about where specifically examples like this one come from? They seem to vary a lot in shape and blade quality...are some variants specific to certain countries or ethnic groups?

Emanuel

Manolo, don't be alarmed because a piece of the hilt is missing. I looked at the picture and it seems to be an old break. This could mean your piece has some age to it.

As to the provenance, Tim is quite right when he states that the origin could be West-Africa. These knives were traded all over the Sahara region and beyond. There are a lot of different styles of arm dagger to be found.

Here is a brand new arm dagger. It was bought by a person who worked in the Sudan, near Darfur. He bought this knife in 2004, in a village between El Fasher, El Geneina and Nyala. The blade is cut from a piece of steel and razor sharp. In addition to the knife, the sheath also contains a long needle and a pair of tweezers. The sheath is made from leather. But to 'embellish' it, the maker took some kind of plastic material with lizard print and added it to the sheath.

Here are two pics of the knife in its sheath. Later, I will post a pic of the knife itself.

[Lew]

Manolo

Most of these daggers are circa 1890-1900. I happen to have an old one that may be from 1875-85 it really is hard to nail down an exact date.

Lew

[Emanuel]

Thanks for the info!

What's somewhat surprising about these blades is the level of refinement they can attain. This is a nice example, but I've seen some with even more complicated fullers. They also show very fine polishing and straight lines. These blades are also thicker...beefier.

1900? so they would have had access to some sort of lath to turn the pommel I imagine. They show a lot of care and craftsmanship, especially the ones with ivory.

I'll write it down as a late 19th-early 20th century western Sahel variant.

Emanuel

[katana]

Originally Posted by Manolo

Thanks for the info!
.

1900? so they would have had access to some sort of lath to turn the pommel I imagine. They show a lot of care and craftsmanship, especially the ones with ivory.
Emanuel

Hi Emanuel, here is some info. I previously posted on primative lathes...I did have a picture of an African craftsman , 19 C but cant find it...



I'm wondering whether the original handles were 'turned' on a primative lathe.... you would only need something like this ... a pole lathe....easily made from local timber and cordage.... these were in common use in medievel Europe and Asia. The cord is wrapped around the 'working' piece, as the pedal is pushed down, the cord 'spins' the wood one way, The branch attached to the other end of the cord is pulled down (putting it under tension) By releasing pressure on the pedal, the branch 'springs' back pulling the cord and 'spins' the 'worked piece' in the opposite direction......then the operation is continually repeated. As the wood is spun it can be worked with a knife of chisel.....as on a 'normal' lathe.

[Lew]

Originally Posted by katana

Hi Emanuel, here is some info. I previously posted on primative lathes...I did have a picture of an African craftsman , 19 C but cant find it...



I'm wondering whether the original handles were 'turned' on a primative lathe.... you would only need something like this ... a pole lathe....easily made from local timber and cordage.... these were in common use in medievel Europe and Asia. The cord is wrapped around the 'working' piece, as the pedal is pushed down, the cord 'spins' the wood one way, The branch attached to the other end of the cord is pulled down (putting it under tension) By releasing pressure on the pedal, the branch 'springs' back pulling the cord and 'spins' the 'worked piece' in the opposite direction......then the operation is continually repeated. As the wood is spun it can be worked with a knife of chisel.....as on a 'normal' lathe.

This is a photo of a Sudanese lathe.

Lew

[katana]

Thanks Lew......this is the same picture I had .....but its lost on my hard drive.....somewhere...