Question about a Dha

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Gav, does the handle of the cleaned sword look like the silver has some color to it? I wonder if that might not be a silver/copper alloy, which would account for the reddish-brown color of the patina.

I have some silver Thai swords of similar design where the silver patina turned a really nice, rich, lustrous midnight blue. A smalll polished area looked purely silver, but there is clearly an alloy metal there that caused a rather atypical patina color.

BTW, those two swords must be very troubling for you to keep track of--let me know if you want me to hold them for you.

Hi Andrew,

The silver handles actually have a blue colour to them in my eye, I'll find some natural lighting conditions to show it better. The same blue hue is seen in the blades too.
All the low laying areas carry a blue patina. I'll have a good look at the uncleaned pieces tonight and advise of any noticable attributes with in the brown colour.

Some times they are hard and troubling to keep track of and please know you are more than welcome to hold them if you ever visit Brisbane

Gav

[Nathaniel]

This Thai short polearm I have has a curious red/brown on the silver ferrule...I don't know if it is a stain...or a natural patina/tarnish...

[Nathaniel]

Originally Posted by freebooter

Hi Andrew,

The silver handles actually have a blue colour to them in my eye, I'll find some natural lighting conditions to show it better. The same blue hue is seen in the blades too.
All the low laying areas carry a blue patina. I'll have a good look at the uncleaned pieces tonight and advise of any noticable attributes with in the brown colour.

Some times they are hard and troubling to keep track of and please know you are more than welcome to hold them if you ever visit Brisbane

Gav

The blades though are blue for another reason though Very interesting...would love to see that captured in a good light as well!

[Battara]

Nathaniel, those areas look like silver tarnish. The purer the silver, the bluer the tarnish will be.

The problem is that the purer the silver, the softer it is and thus less durable, so copper is added in different amounts to strengthen the silver and make it more durable.

[Nathaniel]

Originally Posted by Battara

Nathaniel, those areas look like silver tarnish. The purer the silver, the bluer the tarnish will be.

The problem is that the purer the silver, the softer it is and thus less durable, so copper is added in different amounts to strengthen the silver and make it more durable.

Cool Jose Thanks for the education in metallurgy...so much I have to learn! Love it.