Bhutan sword with chromed blade: advice needed

Tatyana Dianova · 3rd May 2011, 08:23 PM

More pictures:

Tim Simmons · 3rd May 2011, 08:33 PM

Tatyana, you clearly have doubts. I wonder if that is silver plated and masked off so you have silver and brass showing on the decorative metal work? It seems clean on the handle in a way that causes doubts and the leather. Dare you sratch the silvery scabbard. That chrome is very clean like a new motor cycle exhaust back in the day when they were chromed?

Tatyana Dianova · 3rd May 2011, 08:49 PM

No Tim, it is a solid silver everywhere, although not sterling - I'd say pretty low grade. I have tested it with a jeweller's file

and silver acid. I am collecting oriental silver jewelry and silver plating is not news for me

The yellow accents may be gold, but I do not have a gold testing acid...

Tim Simmons · 3rd May 2011, 09:06 PM

So could it be fire gilding on the silver? It has a haphazard look and there is a lot of oxidiziation there, that also seems to be on the gold? I am just curious. It is still a nice sword.

Sajen · 3rd May 2011, 09:13 PM

Hello Tatyana,

the comlete sword have a good quality but I have no clue if it is recent or old. Maybe someone have done a "over-restauration" by the leather, red fabric and the chrome?
How to remove chrome from a blade Jose have described here:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=13662

Regards,

Detlef

Battara · 3rd May 2011, 10:55 PM

A lot of new stuff on it, chrome, and clean silver. The silver doesn't bother me but the rest does.

dennee · 4th May 2011, 02:32 AM

The Bhutanese are again making swords, including with traditional blades, and I have seen some up close (when I get a chance, I can get some photos off my other computer). The most difficult thing to produce and get right is the pierced work of the pommel. The modern ones I have seen seem to have sharper edges than the old ones. The reverse side, with the hexagons, is actually more regular than most old ones I have seen.

In all, this is likely all new work, but quite good and interesting and worth having.

dennee · 4th May 2011, 02:54 AM

I should say that the most difficult thing to reproduce is a traditional blade. But a few years back, Bhutanese smiths worked with some German ones and produced some convincing reproductions, and the Bhutanese continue to do so. But it's not necessarily common, easy or cheap. The custom of wearing a sword is still common enough that its conceivable that reproductions with unconvincing blades have been produced in recent years, just as some were produced in India presumably using "monosteel" in the 1970s, after the indigenous sowrdsmithing art had largely died out (but Bhutanese smiths continue to turn out large numbers of utility blades, largely of billets of imported steel).

3rd May 2011, 08:23 PM	#1
Tatyana Dianova Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 736	More pictures: Attached Images

3rd May 2011, 09:06 PM	#4
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,854	So could it be fire gilding on the silver? It has a haphazard look and there is a lot of oxidiziation there, that also seems to be on the gold? I am just curious. It is still a nice sword. Attached Images Last edited by Tim Simmons; 3rd May 2011 at 09:31 PM.

3rd May 2011, 08:33 PM	#2
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,854	Tatyana, you clearly have doubts. I wonder if that is silver plated and masked off so you have silver and brass showing on the decorative metal work? It seems clean on the handle in a way that causes doubts and the leather. Dare you sratch the silvery scabbard. That chrome is very clean like a new motor cycle exhaust back in the day when they were chromed?

3rd May 2011, 08:49 PM	#3
Tatyana Dianova Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 736	No Tim, it is a solid silver everywhere, although not sterling - I'd say pretty low grade. I have tested it with a jeweller's file and silver acid. I am collecting oriental silver jewelry and silver plating is not news for me The yellow accents may be gold, but I do not have a gold testing acid...

3rd May 2011, 09:13 PM	#5
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 9,207	Hello Tatyana, the comlete sword have a good quality but I have no clue if it is recent or old. Maybe someone have done a "over-restauration" by the leather, red fabric and the chrome? How to remove chrome from a blade Jose have described here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=13662 Regards, Detlef

3rd May 2011, 10:55 PM	#6
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,280	A lot of new stuff on it, chrome, and clean silver. The silver doesn't bother me but the rest does.

4th May 2011, 02:32 AM	#7
dennee Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: College Park, MD Posts: 186	The Bhutanese are again making swords, including with traditional blades, and I have seen some up close (when I get a chance, I can get some photos off my other computer). The most difficult thing to produce and get right is the pierced work of the pommel. The modern ones I have seen seem to have sharper edges than the old ones. The reverse side, with the hexagons, is actually more regular than most old ones I have seen. In all, this is likely all new work, but quite good and interesting and worth having.

4th May 2011, 02:54 AM	#8
dennee Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: College Park, MD Posts: 186	I should say that the most difficult thing to reproduce is a traditional blade. But a few years back, Bhutanese smiths worked with some German ones and produced some convincing reproductions, and the Bhutanese continue to do so. But it's not necessarily common, easy or cheap. The custom of wearing a sword is still common enough that its conceivable that reproductions with unconvincing blades have been produced in recent years, just as some were produced in India presumably using "monosteel" in the 1970s, after the indigenous sowrdsmithing art had largely died out (but Bhutanese smiths continue to turn out large numbers of utility blades, largely of billets of imported steel).