a recent montagnard dha i picked up

Philip · 31st August 2010, 06:51 AM

I concur with Battara. Over the years I've handled a lot of "montagnard" dhas; quite a few came back with US troops during / after the Vietnam War and although the majority are fairly plain if not crude workaday specimens, there is the occasional one appropriate to a tribal chief: well decorated with silver and copper, sometimes with imported Burmese blades ornamented with gold and silver overlay in floral motifs. But never have I seen one ornamened with stones as this one is. Also, the purely cylindrical profile of the hilt components strike me as odd. These dhas invariably have a slightly conical ferrule at the head of the grip, right where the blade emerges. And as Kronckew points out, the asymmetrical positioning of the blade is a point of concern, and that odd pommel is also something that you don't find on the originals either.

Something to ask yourself -- why would an experienced cutler who's presumably made a career of fitting-up dhas, need to install a brass counterweight after-the-fact to improve the balance? Methinks that a craftsman who knows his trade wouldn't have to futz around like that. Especially considering that dha blades have a "blind" tang and therefore the length of the grip (which is a key element of balance) does not have to conform to the parameter set by tang length.

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31st August 2010, 06:51 AM	#7
Philip Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 1,036	I concur with Battara. Over the years I've handled a lot of "montagnard" dhas; quite a few came back with US troops during / after the Vietnam War and although the majority are fairly plain if not crude workaday specimens, there is the occasional one appropriate to a tribal chief: well decorated with silver and copper, sometimes with imported Burmese blades ornamented with gold and silver overlay in floral motifs. But never have I seen one ornamened with stones as this one is. Also, the purely cylindrical profile of the hilt components strike me as odd. These dhas invariably have a slightly conical ferrule at the head of the grip, right where the blade emerges. And as Kronckew points out, the asymmetrical positioning of the blade is a point of concern, and that odd pommel is also something that you don't find on the originals either. Something to ask yourself -- why would an experienced cutler who's presumably made a career of fitting-up dhas, need to install a brass counterweight after-the-fact to improve the balance? Methinks that a craftsman who knows his trade wouldn't have to futz around like that. Especially considering that dha blades have a "blind" tang and therefore the length of the grip (which is a key element of balance) does not have to conform to the parameter set by tang length.