Ban sword of the Lepcha people of Sikkim

[josh stout]

Originally Posted by Ferguson

Hi Josh,
The sword had been polished, with little patina, so I etched it. It is forged, differentially hardened monosteel. I was hoping for hairpin, but it's still a nice piece.

Steve

In mine, there are two very indistinct U shaped rods around a single central rod. There are no very dark rods as found in Tibetan blades, just bands of the same colored steel with fine pitting marking the welding lines similar to what an inserted edge looks like, but on both sides of the blade and following the contour of the tip. When I look at the acid darkened blade on yours, I see a dark area at the edge, then a lighter line in the middle, then a darker line again, then a lighter line, then a darker. Is it my imagination? Could differential tempering produce that effect alone?
Josh