Lovely Old Barung With Twistcore

kai · 17th January 2018, 01:10 PM

Hello Roland,

Quote:

I believe, this is not a twistcore, it is thin layer of twisted metal on each side. This would explain the unusual wild look of the twisted layer. The twisted bar was forged into two thin layers.

Thanks for chiming in! I was also trying to figure out how this pattern got forged.

I was considering a complex stacked construction instead of twistcore - kinda like the blotchy pattern sometimes seen with barung blades but crafted with the intend to obtain a regular "fishbone" pattern.

However, the margins of the pattern do seem to support your notion that this twistcore got flattened a lot and sandwiched onto the central steel layer; this certainly explains the distortions but still is a real feat to forge with only a traditional workplace!

Regards,
Kai

Gustav · 17th January 2018, 01:54 PM

There are two twisted bars on each side. The blade as end product is much to wide and long for the size of these bars - so while forging out in the length and width the control over the appearance of twisted pattern was lost. We see it the best towards the tip of the blade - always the trickiest place to control the pattern.

Normally there would be more bars on such a blade, like on ex-Gavin's Barong (or yataghans)

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...istcore+barong

and/or the bars would have been kept narrow

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...istcore+barong

The smith simply wasn't experienced well enough to work with twisted bars and didn't know the relation between the size of the bars before the forging process (let alone some tricks like increasing the amplitude of the twists) and the blade at the end of process.

That could be a hint to a slightly later date of production or/and a more "provincial" place of production.

Ian · 17th January 2018, 07:08 PM

Gustav,

Thanks for your very interesting observations. You seem to have some experience with twist core techniques. Do you forge your own blades?

Ian

Gustav · 18th January 2018, 09:15 PM

Ian,

no, just had some interesting conversations with a person who does forging with a focus on pattern welding.

Actually one can understand a lot about different appearances of twistcore and other patterns just using plasticine of two different colours.

Gustav

17th January 2018, 01:54 PM	#2
Gustav Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,273	There are two twisted bars on each side. The blade as end product is much to wide and long for the size of these bars - so while forging out in the length and width the control over the appearance of twisted pattern was lost. We see it the best towards the tip of the blade - always the trickiest place to control the pattern. Normally there would be more bars on such a blade, like on ex-Gavin's Barong (or yataghans) http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...istcore+barong and/or the bars would have been kept narrow http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...istcore+barong The smith simply wasn't experienced well enough to work with twisted bars and didn't know the relation between the size of the bars before the forging process (let alone some tricks like increasing the amplitude of the twists) and the blade at the end of process. That could be a hint to a slightly later date of production or/and a more "provincial" place of production. Last edited by Gustav; 17th January 2018 at 02:08 PM.

17th January 2018, 07:08 PM	#3
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,361	Gustav, Thanks for your very interesting observations. You seem to have some experience with twist core techniques. Do you forge your own blades? Ian

18th January 2018, 09:15 PM	#4
Gustav Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,273	Ian, no, just had some interesting conversations with a person who does forging with a focus on pattern welding. Actually one can understand a lot about different appearances of twistcore and other patterns just using plasticine of two different colours. Gustav