decrative hammered silver sheet for handles/scabbards

[bjalongi]

I'm considering a kirpan project. I have some knives that I picked up in my travels in Tibet and Nepal that have very decorative silver handles. I'm pretty sure they hammer it from the inside, but I'm not sure. Does anyone have any info on the process?

Thanks.
Brook

 

[Phil Dwyer]

Photos?

 

[bjalongi]

They are in a display case at my mother's house, about 6 hours away. I might be able to get her to take a pic.

 

[John M Cohea]

Without seeing photos it sounds as if you may be talking about reticulaton, but I don't know for sure. If so Tai Goo could explain it and probably Famer Phil and Stacy Apelt since they have jeweler's backgrounds amongst their many skills.

 

[JasonSCarter]

wouldnt that be called "Repoussè" ?

Jason

 

[bjalongi]

I'm searching the net for some examples that are as close as possible. I'll post something by tomorrow, if I can find it.

 

[John M Cohea]

It could very well be repousse' if it is indeed hammered. but reticulated silver looks similar. Here is a link about reticulation, and it shows a pic as well.


http://lotusii.deviantart.com/art/Reticulated-Silver-Tutorial-27999666

 

[Wild Rose]

Look up kirpan to see pics of various styles - they are the knife of the Sikhs, it is a version of the jambiyah. The few pieces I looked at appear to be repousse not reticulation, especially since many were in brass and not silver.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

It is probably repousse, not reticulation. True repousse is done on a pitch bowl, and the work is raised by hammering from the back. 99% of what we see is actually stamped in a set of dies, though ( especially handles).

Reticulation is done by several methods. The method developed by Heikki Seppa is the most popular.
You use a silver alloy of 80-83% silver (coin silver) and the rest copper. The silver sheet is repeatedly heated to develop a severe case of fire scale (copper oxide), then pickled in acid to remove the copper, leaving a fine silver skin and an alloy core. This is brought to red heat and the core melts before the surface, causing the wrinkling called reticulation. It takes a deft hand, and the failure rate in learning makes water quenching 1095 look like a piece of cake.

While reticulation is stunning, it would be a real trick to do knife handles by this method. If you see a handle with a reticulated surface, it is almost surely stamped in a set of dies.
Stacy

 

[bjalongi]

The repousse method appears to be the closest, as the reticulation process seems to be rather random. The method I'm refering to has silver sheet that is hammered from the back to create ornate, raised patterns and then wrapped over a wooden handle. The scabbards are also wood inside with silver on the outside. My mother will e-mail a pic sometime today.