Interesting Choora, ivory question

[harrywagner]

Here is one i like. Lots of detail, which makes it interesting to me, and the sheath looks like more than an afterthought. It needs cleaned and I expect that will reveal additional detail. The blade has been etched on one side and chiseled on the spine, near the forte and the tip. The bolsters and grip strap are silver with what appears to be a copper lining. The grips are dark horn and light horn, or dark horn and light bone. I still sometimes have a difficult time differentiating between bone and horn. The pommel has two inserts and the remnants of a steel loop. I am curious about the inserts. They don't appear to be bone. Are they ivory? TIA.

Harry

[Rich]

Nice Choora. I would suspect the grip scales are bone and horn.
Rich

[Helleri]

For the dark scales, horn is not that thick, likely hoof.

[edited to cut out what I wrote previously. And to say that I don't think the lighting in the pictures is good enough to make a judgment on whether the white scales are ivory, bone or some other material. Pictures with high ambient lighting and no flash would be ideal]
The inlays on the butt are almost certainly enamel (even if the scales are ivory or bone). How flush it is and the fit of the inlay is too perfectly conforming to the hole in the horn to not be enamel.

The bolster/chape/grip is not silver. Silver does not oxidize red. That is steel.

[edited to add additional information below]
For helping to identify the white scale material:

First test:
Rub it vigorously with your thumb until it is warm. Bone or Ivory will smell strongly of burnt hair when rubbed like this.

Second test:
eat a sewing needle (you will want to hold it with pliers of some kind) over a flame until it is red hot. Touch the hot needle tip to one of the scales. If it burns at all it is not ivory. However bone will burn (leaving a blackened pin hole and likely with a small wisp of smoke that smells strongly of burnt hair).

Precautions with second test:
There is tiny chance that one or more of the scales could be a replacement/repair piece. If that is the case there is a possibility that it is made of bakelite. Which is a very early form of plastic and is highly flammable. So you will want to have a cold damp rag on stand by. If you see flame...drop the needle and the thing holding it immediately, grab the rag and press it hard against the test area quickly (bakelite can explode)! The chances of this are really really slim...but better safe then sorry.

If it does burn a tiny hole you can repair it by first cleaning the hole with a water dampened wooden tooth pick, then using a very high grit file (like those used for filing finger nails) you can get a little white dust off the edge of one of the scales. And after applying the tiniest dot of super glue (liquid form not gel form) to the hole with a needle tip you can wipe the white does you got into that hole. This should make for a seamless repair if it turned out to be bone.

[Pukka Bundook]

I've noticed one or two knives of this type lately, called a choora, but to me they look for all the world like a pesh kabz. Can someone please tell me the difference?
I always thought the choora the long Afghan knife or 'Khyber' knife....

All the best,
Richard.

[Helleri]

Originally Posted by Pukka Bundook

I've noticed one or two knives of this type lately, called a choora, but to me they look for all the world like a pesh kabz. Can someone please tell me the difference?
I always thought the choora the long Afghan knife or 'Khyber' knife....

All the best,
Richard.

I thought those were two words for the same thing. Or that one was somehow a more specific localization of the other?

[David]

Harry, before you start burning holes in your bone (which is the most probable material here) or, heaven forbid, catching fire to or exploding some possible bakelite replacement , try making some better photos for us to examine.
It is one thing to have to restore nice antique pieces that have been damaged over time by abuse and the environment. It's another to have to repair your own damage. I think many of us have been aware of this hot pin method for many years, but it is not something i would personally pursue on a piece i cared about and there are ways to determine ivory from bone without having to damage you collections .

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by Pukka Bundook

I've noticed one or two knives of this type lately, called a choora, but to me they look for all the world like a pesh kabz. Can someone please tell me the difference?
I always thought the choora the long Afghan knife or 'Khyber' knife....

All the best,
Richard.

In my opinion Choora, which is more typical to Afghanistan, is a type of straight blade Pesh-kabz with specific grips.

[Pukka Bundook]

Thanks for the answer M,

A friend who was stationed at Spin Boldak (spelling) insisted a Choora is a ladies necklace........said Chora was a knife. But I well understand your answer and accept it as such!

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Pukka Bundook

I've noticed one or two knives of this type lately, called a choora, but to me they look for all the world like a pesh kabz. Can someone please tell me the difference?
I always thought the choora the long Afghan knife or 'Khyber' knife....

All the best,
Richard.

Richard, pesh and karud have solid hilts, choora have hilts that are made from several pieces, when seen together you can easily see the difference between them. Choora with ivory hilt, karud with bone hilt and pesh with ivory hilt.