Tulwar with ladder pattern

[DaveS]

Originally Posted by ALEX

one cannot name an Indian tiger eye pattern a rose pattern! Essentially, this pattern is similar in production technique, so calling it ladder pattern based on appearance of lines, and not how they were produced, is similarly incorrect in my opinion. The ladders were not made/incised into metal like they were on wootz blades.

As I understand it, and maybe some forum member who are knife makers and do damascus blades would better be able to explain it, I've always thought that one way to produce a ladder was to file across the billet and when the billet was hammered out that then the layers that are underneath will appear as lines across a blade. Essentially, you then have a "ladder". So basically these lines were also made/incised into the metal so why would this not be considered a true ladder pattern? Also one must consider, is this what the smith was intending to produce. Unless we can get into his mind, we just have no way of really knowing.........Dave.