Kampilan Question

[kai]

Hello Jose,

And you are sure that the curved back edge is not a later sharpening?

Maybe an acid etch of the blade may give additional clues?

This is very unusual. In every single kampilan (and traditionally) the straight part is what is sharpened.

The straight edge of this piece is fully sharpened if I understand correctly. This tip profile is the most likely to be also sharpened: Several members of the klewang family of blades (from which the kampilan obviously originates) do exhibit a sharpened back edge along the tip. It would be nice to hear of other examples if any were known!

Regards,
Kai

[potapych]

Hi,

Please excuse me if I didn't explain well enough; the straight "front" edge is entirely sharpened, as is usual and the first third of the "back" (curved edge) is sharpened exactly equally.

Anyway, I tried to get better pictures of the profiles today, the last one depicts the taper of the "back" side, from it's full width to the point of where it is truly sharpened. (Please excuse the greenish hue, it's a from Japanese Maple that's always trying to get into the picture ;-)

Ray

[potapych]

Hi Jose,

No, with my admittedly limited experience I can't be absolutely, positively certain but even if it the "back" third portion were to have been sharpened in that manner sometime after it's manufacture; it would appear it was done very long ago and indigenously, which would still make it a valid sub-type?

Best,

Ray