Sickle Knife, India ???

manteris1 · 20th September 2013, 03:35 PM

no marks, nice horn collar, very heavy blade and sharp, i think its from india what do you all think.................jimmy

Billman · 23rd September 2013, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by manteris1

no marks, nice horn collar, very heavy blade and sharp, i think its from india what do you all think.................jimmy

What type of horn is it?? (I have seen cow horn used as the ferrule on European billhooks - but I thought in India that the cow was sacred, so unlikely they woud have used its horn for tools). Buffalo (water) tends to be solid, but other types of horn - goat, sheep and some types of deer antler have hollow sections...

Identifying the origins of this only emphasises the need for provenance with a tool as certain tools are generic and found in many continents and countries..

I have built up an archive collection of several thousand images, and have over 6000 billhooks - yet I cannot identify the origins of this one with any degeree of certainty....

kronckew · 23rd September 2013, 11:12 AM

water bufala* are commonly used to supply mozzarella cheese to a horde of hungry italians and inhabitants of other western countries who have become addicted to pizza and grilled slabs of mozzarella. it has a higher melting point than other cheeses and can be grilled or bbq'd. (some inferior non-italian 'mozzarella' is made from cow's milk - caveat emptor)

i thus imagine buff horn is fairly common in italy, as it is in nepal or india/SEA.

* - italian for the female buffalo. male buffalo milk is unsuited to making edible cheese. they are also harder to milk and the resulting milk is highly perishable, so is kept at cryogenic temperatures and used almost exclusively for making additional buffaloes.

manteris1 · 23rd September 2013, 05:24 PM

thanks, i've cleaned it and it does look european/italian, say billman how about some photo's................jimmy

Billman · 24th September 2013, 02:50 PM

You learn something new each day:

Bufala mediterranea italiana, is the only indigenous Italian breed of water buffalo.It is of the River subtype of water buffalo, and is similar to the buffalo breeds of Hungary, Romania and the Balkan countries. Previously considered to belong to the Mediterranean buffalo grouping, it was officially recognised as a breed in 2000, based on its long isolation from, and lack of interbreeding with, other buffalo breeds. A herdbook was opened in 1980....

Not sure how their horn compares with other breeds of water buffalo - but if solid, not a lot of good for ferrules.

Jimmy, I'll try to find some comparable images, but if you could take a) an image at 90 degrees to the blade, and b) a close up of the marks on the blade, it would help..

manteris1 · 24th September 2013, 05:37 PM

i hope this will help......

Billman · 24th September 2013, 06:40 PM

Many thanks - the weld line on the blade is very typical of European billhooks - a steel edge forge welded onto a wrought iron body (this process was continued well into the 20th century). The blade shape is not a coomon one, nor is the handle... The best match for a blades shape is that of an Italian decorated one sold a few years ago (with a rather nasty brass handle fitted)... I'll try to find more examples...

23rd September 2013, 11:12 AM	#3
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,215	water bufala* are commonly used to supply mozzarella cheese to a horde of hungry italians and inhabitants of other western countries who have become addicted to pizza and grilled slabs of mozzarella. it has a higher melting point than other cheeses and can be grilled or bbq'd. (some inferior non-italian 'mozzarella' is made from cow's milk - caveat emptor) i thus imagine buff horn is fairly common in italy, as it is in nepal or india/SEA. * - italian for the female buffalo. male buffalo milk is unsuited to making edible cheese. they are also harder to milk and the resulting milk is highly perishable, so is kept at cryogenic temperatures and used almost exclusively for making additional buffaloes. Last edited by kronckew; 23rd September 2013 at 11:34 AM.

24th September 2013, 05:37 PM	#6
manteris1 Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 114	i hope this will help...... Attached Images

24th September 2013, 06:40 PM	#7
Billman Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 129	Many thanks - the weld line on the blade is very typical of European billhooks - a steel edge forge welded onto a wrought iron body (this process was continued well into the 20th century). The blade shape is not a coomon one, nor is the handle... The best match for a blades shape is that of an Italian decorated one sold a few years ago (with a rather nasty brass handle fitted)... I'll try to find more examples... Attached Images

20th September 2013, 03:35 PM	#1
manteris1 Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 114	no marks, nice horn collar, very heavy blade and sharp, i think its from india what do you all think.................jimmy

23rd September 2013, 05:24 PM	#4
manteris1 Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 114	thanks, i've cleaned it and it does look european/italian, say billman how about some photo's................jimmy

24th September 2013, 02:50 PM	#5
Billman Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 129	You learn something new each day: Bufala mediterranea italiana, is the only indigenous Italian breed of water buffalo.It is of the River subtype of water buffalo, and is similar to the buffalo breeds of Hungary, Romania and the Balkan countries. Previously considered to belong to the Mediterranean buffalo grouping, it was officially recognised as a breed in 2000, based on its long isolation from, and lack of interbreeding with, other buffalo breeds. A herdbook was opened in 1980.... Not sure how their horn compares with other breeds of water buffalo - but if solid, not a lot of good for ferrules. Jimmy, I'll try to find some comparable images, but if you could take a) an image at 90 degrees to the blade, and b) a close up of the marks on the blade, it would help..