Palm Leaf Manuscript Foldable Stylus Knife

olaicollector · 13th September 2013, 07:12 PM

Hi,

I am new to these forums, so please forgive my ignorance in any matter. I am actually a collector of palm leaf manuscripts and hence I collect various styluses that are used to inscribe them. Among my collection, is the following stylus that happened to be posted numerous times on this forum. Since I can read Tamil, I figured I can provide a better attribution for these knifes...

This particular stylus is called மடக்கெழுத்தாணி (Maṭakkeḻuttāṇi), which literally translates to foldable writing nail in English. The oldest reference I could find is a 1868 Tamil-English dictionary. But beyond that, this particular item is not mentioned. The more generic ones are described though. Let me know if you need more information on these. As a side note, I want to know how I can remove the rust buildup on the blade. What is the recommended method to clean this without leaving scratches on the blade and removing the patina??

Thanks,

Ram

13th September 2013, 07:12 PM	#1
olaicollector Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 8	Palm Leaf Manuscript Foldable Stylus Knife Hi, I am new to these forums, so please forgive my ignorance in any matter. I am actually a collector of palm leaf manuscripts and hence I collect various styluses that are used to inscribe them. Among my collection, is the following stylus that happened to be posted numerous times on this forum. Since I can read Tamil, I figured I can provide a better attribution for these knifes... This particular stylus is called மடக்கெழுத்தாணி (Maṭakkeḻuttāṇi), which literally translates to foldable writing nail in English. The oldest reference I could find is a 1868 Tamil-English dictionary. But beyond that, this particular item is not mentioned. The more generic ones are described though. Let me know if you need more information on these. As a side note, I want to know how I can remove the rust buildup on the blade. What is the recommended method to clean this without leaving scratches on the blade and removing the patina?? Thanks, Ram Attached Images Last edited by olaicollector; 14th September 2013 at 02:38 PM.