Mend a blade?

Pukka Bundook · 19th February 2007, 03:39 PM

Purchased another old Tulwar.
It has a light, wide (1 5/8") blade with wide shallow double fullers.
There is a crack in the spine of the blade a couple of inches from the hilt.

Q. Is there a way to repair this?
Purchased for very little, as lower quillon is broken off.
I know we don't use these things anymore, but prefer sound condition!!
Will post pictures soon.
One other question;
We see tulwars with narrow-ish but thick blades, and others with broad, flat springy blades, is there a general rule, that one type is older than the other, or were both styles in use together?

Please pardon my questions, But figure it is the best way to learn!!!

Thank you in advance,
Richard.

FenrisWolf · 19th February 2007, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pukka Bundook

Purchased another old Tulwar.
It has a light, wide (1 5/8") blade with wide shallow double fullers.
There is a crack in the spine of the blade a couple of inches from the hilt.

Q. Is there a way to repair this?

If the crack is that close to the hilt, my first impulse would be to shorten the blade to the point where it's cracked and re-weld the tang at that point, much as a tang is sometimes welded to a wootz blade. Since the weld will be hidden by the hilt, you could use the wedge method of extending the tang up into the blade for extra strength. You'd need to find a competent smith to do the work, but it's the best I can come up with as a method.

Pukka Bundook · 20th February 2007, 08:07 PM

Here's the pictures of the cracked blade.

Can anyone give me a rough age for this sword?

was this style in use in conjuction with the narrower bladed types??
Thanks V. much,
Richard.

ariel · 21st February 2007, 02:32 AM

My 5 cents worth of suggestion:
Not to buy irreparably mutilated blades: they are cheap for a good reason.

ham · 21st February 2007, 02:45 AM

And 5 p worth of advice:

These are antiques, come by their condition honestly. Perhaps leave them be.

Ham

FenrisWolf · 21st February 2007, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ham

And 5 p worth of advice:

These are antiques, come by their condition honestly. Perhaps leave them be.

Ham

That's one of those debates that will go on forever; at what point does preservation become restoration, at what point does the historical significance of a piece supercede its physical imperfections, what are the rights and responsibilities of an individual towards the antiques of which we are custodians during our lifetimes?

Given the nature of this forum and the vastly different opinions such a topic can raise, I think the best we can do is voice our opinions if asked for, and then accept the decision of the owner without acrimony.

Pukka Bundook · 21st February 2007, 07:32 AM

I consider all the posts above as valid, and thank each of you for your contribution!
The reason I purchased this one, was because I was unaware of crack in blade, but aware of lost quillon.
I don't have endless resources, and purchasing something in this condition is still to me a treasure.
Once in possesion of something like this, comes the questions of what to do or not do in the way of restoration or preservation.
Ham,
I strongly lean to-wards doing nothing, as this weapon could have gained this defect honestly in combat, and to fix it,( if possible )would detract from its history.
The other side of me likes a challenge, and the thought of retuning this old warrior to its former usefulness is also a strong draw.
Fenris,
I think you summed up the situation extremely well.
That is why I seek your input.........in order to make a more informed decision!

Could anyone answer my other questions, re. age, and wether these wide flat blades were in use in conjunction with the thicker, narrower blades???

Thank you again,
Richard.

FenrisWolf · 21st February 2007, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pukka Bundook

Ham,
I strongly lean to-wards doing nothing, as this weapon could have gained this defect honestly in combat, and to fix it,( if possible )would detract from its history.
The other side of me likes a challenge, and the thought of retuning this old warrior to its former usefulness is also a strong draw.
Fenris,
I think you summed up the situation extremely well.

Well, since you're asking for personal opinions....

Given the relatively common nature of this particular type of sword (there are literally thousands of them floating around the market, as evidenced by the fact that there's rarely less than a dozen of them up for bid on ebay at any given time) and the overall rough condition it's in (broken hilt, cracked blade), I'd honestly look at using it as a practice piece for restoration. If there was an actual provenance with it, as in "this sword was damaged while lopping off Major Smythe-Wickenham's head during the Sepoy Mutiny" that would be one thing, but as it stands the damage could have just as easily occured in a practice salle while a couple of recruits were goofing off.

So if you want the practice for when a better quality piece falls into your hands and if the blade is long enough that shortening it a couple of inches won't ruin the profile, I'd say go ahead and see what can be done. It's not as if the smiths of India never repaired a damaged sword. We've all seen examples of some pretty drastic repairs. Does the fact that we ourselves are not from India make our desire to return and old warhorse to service less valid, especially if we can do so without destroying a sword's history?

Pukka Bundook · 22nd February 2007, 02:28 PM

Fenris,
What you say is very valid. Thank you for the in-put!

On the subject of old repairs to blades, I find this most interesting!........as it sheds a bit more light on the mind -set of the original owner/s.

(Nothing to do with wether we should mess with a damaged blade now, but I have an old English back-sword from the 1630's that was broken in two just below the hilt, and scarf-welded back together. Am So Glad it was mended and not just dumped!!...... it could have gone forever!)

19th February 2007, 03:39 PM	#1
Pukka Bundook Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 803	Mend a blade? Purchased another old Tulwar. It has a light, wide (1 5/8") blade with wide shallow double fullers. There is a crack in the spine of the blade a couple of inches from the hilt. Q. Is there a way to repair this? Purchased for very little, as lower quillon is broken off. I know we don't use these things anymore, but prefer sound condition!! Will post pictures soon. One other question; We see tulwars with narrow-ish but thick blades, and others with broad, flat springy blades, is there a general rule, that one type is older than the other, or were both styles in use together? Please pardon my questions, But figure it is the best way to learn!!! Thank you in advance, Richard.

20th February 2007, 08:07 PM	#3
Pukka Bundook Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 803	Here's the pictures of the cracked blade. Can anyone give me a rough age for this sword? was this style in use in conjuction with the narrower bladed types?? Thanks V. much, Richard. Attached Images

21st February 2007, 02:32 AM	#4
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	My 5 cents worth of suggestion: Not to buy irreparably mutilated blades: they are cheap for a good reason.

21st February 2007, 02:45 AM	#5
ham Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 190	And 5 p worth of advice: These are antiques, come by their condition honestly. Perhaps leave them be. Ham

21st February 2007, 07:32 AM	#7
Pukka Bundook Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 803	I consider all the posts above as valid, and thank each of you for your contribution! The reason I purchased this one, was because I was unaware of crack in blade, but aware of lost quillon. I don't have endless resources, and purchasing something in this condition is still to me a treasure. Once in possesion of something like this, comes the questions of what to do or not do in the way of restoration or preservation. Ham, I strongly lean to-wards doing nothing, as this weapon could have gained this defect honestly in combat, and to fix it,( if possible )would detract from its history. The other side of me likes a challenge, and the thought of retuning this old warrior to its former usefulness is also a strong draw. Fenris, I think you summed up the situation extremely well. That is why I seek your input.........in order to make a more informed decision! Could anyone answer my other questions, re. age, and wether these wide flat blades were in use in conjunction with the thicker, narrower blades??? Thank you again, Richard.

22nd February 2007, 02:28 PM	#9
Pukka Bundook Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 803	Fenris, What you say is very valid. Thank you for the in-put! On the subject of old repairs to blades, I find this most interesting!........as it sheds a bit more light on the mind -set of the original owner/s. (Nothing to do with wether we should mess with a damaged blade now, but I have an old English back-sword from the 1630's that was broken in two just below the hilt, and scarf-welded back together. Am So Glad it was mended and not just dumped!!...... it could have gone forever!)