- Joined
- Feb 21, 2001
- Messages
- 4,238
Over a year ago I bought a little tulwar on ebay. I posted pictures here. I thought it might be a tourist piece, but John Powell told me:
"Your tulwar was originally a cavalry sabre used c1880 around Hyderabad perhaps with the 1st Madras Lancers (a long shot), but the fluted grip is described in a "stores account" from that period and unit. The officer's carried a British Pattern sword, but the sepoys would have had this and a musket. The unit became "King George's Own" in 1910. This grip was also much later copied for 'tourist' sales because of its attractive style."
So I thought that was cool, but is wasn't a very nice piece, pitted and well used. Well a couple of weeks ago I met a "serious" sword collector who came by to show me some of his pieces and look at my khuks. He collects only damascus and wootz (crystaline crucible steel) pieces. His swords were museum quality and were amazing. I showed him my stuff, but not the tulwar, thinking it so ordinary. He asked to see it and showed me on the spine what he called a cleft, kind of a wrinkle that develops during the forging process. Then he showed me the same cleft on the spine of one of his swords. He suggested that I etch the blade to see if it was wootz. So a few days later I picked up some Ferric Chloride at Radio Shack, lightly sanded a part of the blade and rubbed some on. Like watching a picture develop, there it was. Wootz. It's a very subtle pattern, and hard to photograph, but beautiful when you hold it just the right way. The sword is still pitted and worn, but it's an honest sword, made from some of the finest steel produced before modern times. A nice surprise when I really needed one. Just needed to share it with my friends.
Thanks,
Steve
"Your tulwar was originally a cavalry sabre used c1880 around Hyderabad perhaps with the 1st Madras Lancers (a long shot), but the fluted grip is described in a "stores account" from that period and unit. The officer's carried a British Pattern sword, but the sepoys would have had this and a musket. The unit became "King George's Own" in 1910. This grip was also much later copied for 'tourist' sales because of its attractive style."
So I thought that was cool, but is wasn't a very nice piece, pitted and well used. Well a couple of weeks ago I met a "serious" sword collector who came by to show me some of his pieces and look at my khuks. He collects only damascus and wootz (crystaline crucible steel) pieces. His swords were museum quality and were amazing. I showed him my stuff, but not the tulwar, thinking it so ordinary. He asked to see it and showed me on the spine what he called a cleft, kind of a wrinkle that develops during the forging process. Then he showed me the same cleft on the spine of one of his swords. He suggested that I etch the blade to see if it was wootz. So a few days later I picked up some Ferric Chloride at Radio Shack, lightly sanded a part of the blade and rubbed some on. Like watching a picture develop, there it was. Wootz. It's a very subtle pattern, and hard to photograph, but beautiful when you hold it just the right way. The sword is still pitted and worn, but it's an honest sword, made from some of the finest steel produced before modern times. A nice surprise when I really needed one. Just needed to share it with my friends.
Thanks,
Steve
