Boxer/Republican era dadao

[Yu-Ming Chang]

One question: how is that ring pommel attached to the handle?

The ring pommel is actually part of the tang bent back on itself to form the ring after the guard has been placed on. In the picture below, you can see the overlap.

I beleive if you see pink in the old beige cord that it was probably beige to begin with but dyed to obtain the red in it's former life.

Yes, I agree, which is one reason I asked for red cord

The color looks more orange than red in the photos, but don't know if that's due to the effect of the flash.....But if it's a cotton or hemp-based fiber, at least the material is historical and the color of the existing wrap can be adjusted and "antiqued" if replacement is not desired.

Thank you, Philip, for your comments and advice. The cord is red, the orange tinge is the result of my poor photographic skills and flash. The current cord is cotton based, I'm not quite as tasteless as it may sometimes appear

When I start experimenting with the wrap, I'll post some follow up to get further input to see if I'm getting things right.

Yu-Ming