At long last, Garabs!

[Ian]

Hi Detlef:

Good point. What I should have said was that all of the old style (19th C.) examples I have seen had a concave spine on the blade, downward angled tang, and a "thumb rest" at forte. This compares to what many of the more recent examples have evolved (degraded?) to, with a straighter spine, less of an angle between the tang and blade, and no "thumb rest."

There are intermediate forms that retain some of the older features, such as a more acutely angled tang or a concave spine of the blade. The "thumb rest" seems to have been the first feature to be omitted, and is uncommon on these knives after WWII (I would not say disappeared after WWII based on my comments above). I think the next to go was probably the concave spine of the blade and lastly the angled tang. The latter features probably reflect less skill or time required in making the knife. The appearance of examples with slender blades (as shown in several of Leif's examples) also seems to date from the WWII period and later, and again suggest a use more for stabbing and slicing rather than chopping.

As far as edge treatment on these knives, I think quenching may be the main method used on more recent examples and perhaps edge insertion on older ones. I don't recall many inserted edges on more recent examples that I have seen. Some of the blades, even clearly older examples (of which I've handled maybe 20 or so), seem to be monosteeel although most were not etched to reveal any lamination so it's hard to be sure. One of the HOS examples above seems to have some lamination.

Many of the more recent knives, while perhaps lacking the skill and time that went into making the older style, are still very sturdy knives that cut well and would serve their original purpose. The wide variety of hilts seen on more recent examples came largely during and after WWII, when they were originally marketed to U.S. troops.

Ian.

[Sajen]

Hi Ian,

yes, agree complete with you! And thank you for your detailed answer.

Regards,
Detlef

[Rafngard]

Thank you all for your comments.

One question. How does an "inserted edge" differ from "San Mai" blade construction, or a "lamminated" blade?

Thanks,
Leif

[Ian]

Good question.

San mai is an inserted edge. Basically, a hardened piece is inserted between two softer pieces to create a tougher cutting edge. A laminated blade usually refers to the blade having been made by heating and folding the steel and pounding it out, then folding again, etc. Using different metal layers can create striking patterns, so it is sometimes called "pattern welded." This differs from "wootz" in which the pattern results from crystallization of its components after iron and various additives are heated in a crucible to make the steel.

Both laminated and wootz blades can have hardened edges produced by differential heating of the edge to alter the crystalline structure.

That's my completely lay explanation. We have expert metallurgists here who can give you way, way more details and there are several essays on wootz and steel-making techniques elsewhere on this web site. For example, see here for Lee's discussion of pattern welding and here for Ann's discussion of wootz (pulad) blades and techniques.

Originally Posted by Rafngard

One question. How does an "inserted edge" differ from "San Mai" blade construction, or a "laminated" blade?

Thanks,
Leif

[Sajen]

Well explained!