Tweezers on a sword scabbard
 

Good morning/evening to all,
The entire membership of my fan club (both of you) will be pleased to see another posting from me. This time, pics of a sword with tweezers attached to the scabbard. I have not seen this before, but then I am a relative newcomer to collecting edged weapons. Such a thing may be commonplace. Someone will tell me if common or unusual. Also, note the thin leather strap to hold the sword in the scabbard; I have never seen this before.
Best to all,
Brian

More Pics

Hi Brian,

There is certainly a precedent for tweezers and other additional tools with Kukri of course.
But I've never seen additional tools on the scabbard of a Tulwar.
However, the way it has been done does remind me of a Kukri sheath with their 'pockets' for the Karda, Chakmak and sometimes 'other things'.
I've looked at the pictures and while I'm not 100% that the tweezers are the original item, they certainly fit well, and are made to resemble a Kard/Pesh handle. So why not?
A personal grooming item for a well prepared Warrior?
Very interesting. I particularly like the form of the tweezers with the faux dagger hilt and sliding lock.
Any casual glance and it looks like a little knife, but it's actually for tweezing! lol, a very manly disguise for a little grooming item.
Excellent item and an interesting anomaly to add to our repertoire of knowledge.

Thanks Atlantia, for the reply. Could the tweezers be used for extracting a musket ball from a wound?
Brian

Hi Brian

They could probobly fix a monobrow or help to shape a fabulous moustache!

Seriously though, a set of tweezers is a very useful little tool.
The fact that they lock might be a clue? (if they are not for personal grooming that is) ;)
Presumably they have mis-shapen with time and when originally made the sliding lock could be moved down to 'lock' them shut, which would have possibly made them usable as a medical clamp?
I could be mistaken but they don't look like they'd be the right shape to insert into a bullet hole to grab a musket-ball, but they would possibly work to temporarily clamp off an artery or some other internal tubing if you'd been sliced open?

ATB
Gene

P.S. is that embroidered 'symbol' on the scabbard a word of character?
Might be a clue there?

A VERY INTERESTING SWORD I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE TWEEZERS ARE INCLUDED ON A SWORD FOR. SO I WILL MAKE SOMETHING UP JUST FOR FUN :p ONE OF THE PUNISHMENTS IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD WAS TO PLUCK OUT A MAN'S BEARD, SO PERHAPS WHEN AN ENEMY WAS CAPTRED THEY WOULD HAVE A SUITABLE TOOL AT HAND. PLUCKING A FEW NOSE HAIRS WOULD ALSO BE A GOOD FORM OF INTERIGATION. :D

Salaams Iliad ~ I can't believe it. They just cannot be tweezers. It has to be a weapon.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Not to mention useful for in the field stamp collecting! :eek:

The tweezers could be for removing splinters or thorns on himself or his horse. Many kukri come with tools and I have seen a few arm daggers that've have canvas sewing needles in them. Nice find :).

Why not?? The Khanjar/Jambiya have tools attached...........and in fact tweezers are often one of the items..............

Tweezers have many uses, but the nationalities that are fairly naked when it comes to body hair have a tendency to use tweezers to pluck any such offending hairs that appear out. ;)

Weve all seen them with kukri, {Some provenenced examples Dating as early as C.1815}

And Ive also often seen them attachted to Pia Katta & even a katar on one occasian,

Spiral

Hello,
I doubt that the twezzers have anything to do with personal grooming...
I think that have the same use as the twezzers on cretan knifes, that is to enable someone to pick a burning charcoal from the fire, and put it on his pipe or on the nargile to start smoking.

Afternoon Brian, handsome thing you have there! Happened to glance in and just thought I'd contribute re: the leather strap: while reading the late Richard Holmes' excellent Sahib, which (unsurprisingly) is all about the British Raj and its armies. He notes that, during the Mutiny, several British officers and soldiers observed the Indians using straps, or ribbons, to hold their swords in the scabbard, presumably because the scabbard was kept loose. They apparently weren't impressed by the British habit of having tight, metal scabbards that blunted their swords thanks to repeated drawing and sheathing.

He also quotes one bloke who felled an Indian, and remarked that he had opportunity to only because the Indian, a little distracted in the heat of battle, had forgotten about this small strap, and couldn't extract his tulwar from its scabbard, however hard he yanked. Fortunately for the author, he had no such encumbrances.

A very interesting passage.

My opinion in this instance clearly differs though. The fabric wrapped around the hilt is part of the decoration of the scabbard that has come adrift as can be seen in the images of where it once was attached. By default and chance it now sits around the hilt.
I for one have not ever seen this leather strap noted in this passage, perhaps one of the more learned Indian scholars such as Jens can provide visual evidence of this.

The sabre as a whole is a wonderful piece to study and appears to have by design some good age to it.
The tweezers are a ponderous twist too! I like the design with the locking slide.

Thanks for sharing

Gav

D'oh! I really should have paid closer attention - thanks Gav! I'll endeavour to find the reference for that above statement, mind.

- Meredydd (Who always forgets there's no automatic signature here.)

Gav, thank you for your comment about the strap. I have examined it, and you are quite correct that it is part of the decoration of the scabbard and has come adrift and by chance has encircled the hilt. It was like that when I got it, and assumed (without close examination) that it was a holding strap. I suppose it is a case of seeing what I wanted to see!
The blade is quite thin in comparison to some other Tulwars I have, and is very very sharp.It is very lightweight in the hand. It does seem to have some age to it.
Thanks to all who have commented, I am greatly enlightened, what a great forum this is!
Best
Brian