Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - A pig in a poke :-)

spiral · 3rd February 2010, 12:53 AM

Well Tatanya Ive learnt a few things over that last 10 years, including that you have got a couple of peices I seriously covet! So congratulations on that & your impecable charm of course!

I personly shy away from magic formula & rules of thumb with these as some kukris would be intended for different specific uses no matter what the formula came up with, but yes the specification details do help the completness of the picture.

I wonder if the steel is what the English called "shear steel"?

If it is it is laminated in its making but doesnt enhance the beuty of the blade in any way & was just a way of making steel of good quality & great cutting pottential before high quality steel alloys became easier to obtain. I dont usualy leave such pieces in anm etched condition myself although its always interesting to see the work that went into making them.

IMHO though, that is a very well forged & ground Dia Chirra kukri, { Translates from two vallys in Gurkhali} It appears typicaly Derhadun construction as made by Garhwal smiths. A shame its lost its bolster.

Dating post 1900 definatly, probably C.1910 to C.1920 could be 1920s , definatly pre. ww2 though.

Made for show and fighting, probably for Senior NCO or British Officer or some other reasonably well off European.

The structure of buttcap is very military in style though for that period..

Made for last ditch self defense not primary weapon or utility tool, {Officers & Senior NCOs would carry pistols as well & didnt have to cut there own firewood!.} definatly not made for sacrafice. Although it could still tame many a goat I am sure!

It was also made to look good & be shown of to the owners peers I am sure!

Jonathan

p.s. To fit a replacment bolster from a matching sized junk kukri without diissembling evry component would be impossible, without having a Kami or lohar on hand to make one for you in situ it would be a difficult construction probaly most suited to a silvrsmith in the west.

Heres a link to one chaps ingenious way of getting round a similar problem but I think it still requires dissasembly of handle.

linky...

3rd February 2010, 12:53 AM	#12
spiral Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,712	Well Tatanya Ive learnt a few things over that last 10 years, including that you have got a couple of peices I seriously covet! So congratulations on that & your impecable charm of course! I personly shy away from magic formula & rules of thumb with these as some kukris would be intended for different specific uses no matter what the formula came up with, but yes the specification details do help the completness of the picture. I wonder if the steel is what the English called "shear steel"? If it is it is laminated in its making but doesnt enhance the beuty of the blade in any way & was just a way of making steel of good quality & great cutting pottential before high quality steel alloys became easier to obtain. I dont usualy leave such pieces in anm etched condition myself although its always interesting to see the work that went into making them. IMHO though, that is a very well forged & ground Dia Chirra kukri, { Translates from two vallys in Gurkhali} It appears typicaly Derhadun construction as made by Garhwal smiths. A shame its lost its bolster. Dating post 1900 definatly, probably C.1910 to C.1920 could be 1920s , definatly pre. ww2 though. Made for show and fighting, probably for Senior NCO or British Officer or some other reasonably well off European. The structure of buttcap is very military in style though for that period.. Made for last ditch self defense not primary weapon or utility tool, {Officers & Senior NCOs would carry pistols as well & didnt have to cut there own firewood!.} definatly not made for sacrafice. Although it could still tame many a goat I am sure! It was also made to look good & be shown of to the owners peers I am sure! Jonathan p.s. To fit a replacment bolster from a matching sized junk kukri without diissembling evry component would be impossible, without having a Kami or lohar on hand to make one for you in situ it would be a difficult construction probaly most suited to a silvrsmith in the west. Heres a link to one chaps ingenious way of getting round a similar problem but I think it still requires dissasembly of handle. linky...