Tulwar with serrated blade

[DaveS]

Here for viewing is a tulwar with a serrated blade. The blade is 27 inches long, 32 inches overall. No scabbard. The silver overlayed handle is 100 percent intact. Must have taken a while to sharpen this sword. I wonder how much skin was left on the hands of the person that did the sharpening............Dave.

[spiral]

Looks brand new.

Was it sold as a reproduction?

spiral

[AJ1356]

That is what I was thinking, Brand New.

[DaveS]

Spiral: No. I have had this for many years. I just clean everything up so it looks as if it was still in use. When I got it, you couldn't even tell that the handle was silver. The blade was covered in a layer of very fine rust. Lucky that there was no pitting. Everything cleaned up really nice, better than I thought it would...........Dave.

[spiral]

mmm. perhaps I am wrong but, the handle edges look sharp. the dot punch marks still have a raised surround, the silver appears new in both style & quality, so Id guess any rust must have been very light surface rust.

That doesn't necessarily imply great age.....

In the world of antique weapons, to me brand new means younger than me, Im 50 I think your sword is a lot younger than that.

But experts in this area like Alex A.J. Artzi, Charles, R.S. & many others could better advise.

Spiral

[DaveS]

Spiral: I will defer to their opinion then if they choose to join in. regardless, even if it's determined to be old or new i still think it has quite a unique look to it..........Dave.

[ALEX]

Originally Posted by DaveS

Spiral: I will defer to their opinion then if they choose to join in. regardless, even if it's determined to be old or new i still think it has quite a unique look to it..........Dave.

Hi Dave,
It all depends on what one compares the look with And this is when old/new argument comes to play, and even more so - whether one collects antique arms or any
Apart from being "too clean", the decorative technique and style play a major role in age estimate. The shaping of the blade was done by relatively simple filing/stock removal, creating a more novelty form than a weapon. Granted, the handle is of better than average modern Indian quality and could have some age. However, I agree with Spiral - being 50 years old is not antique, and I also think it is likely less. Hilts like this are cast of steel, and even being coftgaried or overlaid in silver they develop patina quite fast, which make them look older.

[DaveS]

Alex: You mentioned that these handles are made of cast steel. Are the tulwar style handles, and i'm talking about the main part, the hand grip, cast in either steel or cast iron, and is this casting process relatively recent or does it go back to antique times..........Dave.

[weapons 27]

I also think that it is very recent
Here's a old tulwar from my collection

[ALEX]

Originally Posted by DaveS

Alex: You mentioned that these handles are made of cast steel. Are the tulwar style handles, and i'm talking about the main part, the hand grip, cast in either steel or cast iron, and is this casting process relatively recent or does it go back to antique times..........Dave.

The tulwar hilts are iron cast in one piece. The process is relatively unchanged since antique times, and the original hilts are often used as templates, so the shape remains the same. This is why one needs to pay close attention to decorations and finishing technique. Oftentimes, the recent hilts and crossguards (and some antique hilts as well) are made of two cast parts welded together in the middle and well polished to appear as one piece. But they are often lighter and do not feel solid in hand.
Here are some hilts similar (in shape) to yours. Most of them are at least 19th Century, but a few quite recent. Here's a quiz: which one are they?

[DaveS]

Alex: Just a guess, based on nothing more than gut feeling. Top left handle, bottom right handle.......Dave

[ALEX]

Originally Posted by DaveS

Alex: Just a guess, based on nothing more than gut feeling. Top left handle, bottom right handle.......Dave

Dave, it is not easy without holding it in hands, but you're very close. well done!
Top left and top right are new(er) (about/under 50 y.o). Both are made of welded halves. It is easier to cast 2 halves and then join them, opposite to casting a whole piece via "lost wax" technique, due to the hollow inside required to house the tang. They're considerably lighter and thinner than antique hilts. The left one has silver overlay and right one is chiseled.
Interestingly, the second top right hilt is also cast of 2 parts and welded, but it is antique. It has nice quality heavy silver overlay, much heavier and quite solid.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by DaveS

The blade was covered in a layer of very fine rust. Lucky that there was no pitting. Everything cleaned up really nice, better than I thought it would...........Dave.

Rust can hide a multitude of evils and it does not mean an item is old, when an item is rusted (especially red rust) and shows no signs of age or use you can usually assume the item is modern.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by ALEX

Hilts like this are cast of steel, and even being coftgaried or overlaid in silver they develop patina quite fast, which make them look older.

There is a big difference between rust and or tarnish and a century or more of patina.

[DaveS]

We shouldn't forget though, that a 100 year old looking "patina" can be put on a blade in about 20 seconds with the right kinds of acids....Dave.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by DaveS

We shouldn't forget though, that a 100 year old looking "patina" can be put on a blade in about 20 seconds with the right kinds of acids....Dave.

Not really, you can rust, discolor, stain, etch etc a modern item all you want but when compared to a real 100+ yr old item the difference is obvious. The problem is that you usually are just looking at an internet image with nothing to compare with.

[Sossan]

I am sorry to say but the blade is very recent, a collector I know picked up one of these blades on his travels in India for very cheap and the dealer was well aware that it was a recently made item and made no attempts at trying to pass it off as an antique. I hope you didnt pay too much for it.

[DaveS]

Originally Posted by Sossan

I am sorry to say but the blade is very recent, a collector I know picked up one of these blades on his travels in India for very cheap and the dealer was well aware that it was a recently made item and made no attempts at trying to pass it off as an antique. I hope you didnt pay too much for it.

Didn't pay much for it at all. Even though it's not old I still really like the overall form...........Dave.