Arrived today and cleaned of rust. Very interesting knife. No fancy steel, there is layering but that is just incidental to forging a hard blade. One might at first dismiss it as a little rough. That is untill, in my opinion one looks at the clay like malleablitiy of the metal. I like the way without any apparent hesitation the blade bolster and tang have all been formed in what appears an instant and the decoration follows on so confidently and naturally. I grant you that it is relativly simple in that it is not labourious, constructed, worked by many hands, but to me that is the essence of skill at the forge? Blade 22cm long, Bovine horn judging by the 3mm lamination bands looking inside the cloven parts. The scabbard is wood held together by a gut ring at the opening and whipped and resined grass like material at the other end. My pictures are not that helpful taken indoors but its all a bit damp and wet outside at the moment. Reminds me of African work. I wonder if it may have come from nomads on what was Persian/Afghan border? It does have a simple beauty?
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5th February 2009, 08:18 PM
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