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#1 |
(deceased)
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast USA
Posts: 3,191
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Here is a strange beast. I picked this up this week and it arrived the other day. Now all of the katars that I have seen are made from one type of wootz blade or another but this one is pattern welded. It is quite heavy and thick compared to my others. What I find interesting is the dark steel at the tip. I have seen a number of wootz katars with the tips broken off this makes me think that these wootz tips were a bit on the brittle side? Maybe this smith forged this one out of pattern welded steel to give it a more resilient tip.
![]() Last edited by Lew; 14th October 2011 at 10:37 PM. |
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#2 |
EAAF Staff
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,200
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I've seen this piece in hand and it is indeed interesting and odd.
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#3 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 936
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Lew,
Your logic does make sense. Wootz is brittle. When it comes to sword blades, it has great strength against cutting-edge directed impact, but not against front or side impact. This katar may very well be an attempt to addres this weakness (perhaps similarly to scarf-welding effect and heat-treated/tempered edge). I cannot think of another examples/references, but you may be on to something. Good thinking! |
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#4 |
Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,852
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Going back about thirty years I handled a beautiful katar that was forged with a chevron pattern. It was exceptional.
I've never attempted it, but I rather think that welding wootz to ordinary material that had been pattern welded might be just a wee bit tricky. |
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#5 | |
Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: The Sharp end
Posts: 2,928
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![]() Quote:
Haven't we seen blades with wootz on one side and laminated/pattern welded on the other? Seem to remember such a discussion from a while back......? Lew, Nice katar mate. Were it just darkened with patina I would heve suggested an etch because I'd have thought simply from the style that wootz was a good possibility. However, that said I've seen plenty of nice indian blades with interesting laminated 'patterns' (although not usually Katar). I agree that we do see a lot of Katar with tips missing and this would seem to be an excellent method of strengthening that area. I think that now that we are all wootz obcessed we are going to see a lot of 'investigations' into blade construction turning up interesting results during the search for wootz, as pretty much all old blades get 'tested'. I've seen a few Tulwar turning up recently with laminated/pattern welded blades. Best Gene |
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#6 |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,287
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The pattern would most likely be lost from the welding temps ?
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#7 | |
Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: The Sharp end
Posts: 2,928
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LOL, I think that formed part of the discussion.... or am I losing the plot? ![]() |
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#8 | |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,287
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![]() Quote:
![]() IIRC it was a sword; wootz on one side, plain steel (again IIRC) on the other .. wootz can be scarf-welded of course . Possibly it was in Artzi's possesion ??? |
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