Gurade sword with nice french blade
 

Hello dear members,

I wanted to share with you the pictures of this ethiopian gurade sword,
made with a french blade,
Manufacture Impériale de Chatellerault 1856 Cavallerie mod 1829,

the blade was rusty/ almost black,
I cleaned it/ sand it a little it , a nice pattern ''came out'',
I haven't seen a lot of european military blades with this kind of damas steel,
not usual !
am I right ?

Hello,

I'm not sure if it is damascus, I think the steel is just folded for refinement.
The hilt is made of rhino horn.
Good sword.

Regards
Robin

Until "fluid cast steel" became common, most if not all blade making involved a certain amount of folding and hammering. Shear steel was a the norm for a decent blade for a very long time. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dict...Dshear%20steel

The odd appearance of the blade surface is from corrosion. Water trapped with the blade in a scabbard does exactly this. It can become fairly deep and you will continue to see it even after later use without a scabbard. Originally the blade was polished and water would puddle making this type of pattern for lack of a better term . These French blades are not folded steel.

The blade is certainly very beautiful and interesting, but I like to emphasize the beauty of the hilt and the fact that it is in perfect condition, which happens very rarely!
Congratulations, a truly beautiful object.

Hello,

Thank you all for your messages,
I'm not sure about damascus but I don't think humidity and water can make this ''pattern'' so deeply ''engraved'' in the blade,
I sanded it ( 400 and 600 grain ) and it's still like that
as David said I think it has a high carbon amount and was folded and hammered many times.

For the hilt, a nice surprise, ( with a nice knob)
a chief leader sword ?

Kind regards

Water can and does make this sort of corrosion, seen it many times from storage in poor conditions in leather scabbards.

A nice sword though!

No this blade is not damascus... Well you have a beautifull 19th c French blade and a terrific rhino hilt, what do you want more?
I wish to have the same.
:):):):)

Just for share,
and for knowledge :)

THANK YOU !