Archaic kris for comment

[xasterix]

Originally Posted by JBG163

xasterix,
could it be possible to get a close up picture of the "line", on both side ?
Thanks !

Sure, here you go

[JBG163]

XasteriX,
Actually, that line is quite a mystery to me. You can see the pattern going through the line.

So, if the keris was broken, then welded back together, it would be almost impossible to have the pattern exactly corresponding.
==> So, it's not a weld line...

Other possibility... It's the quench line.... But i doubt it is.
I honestly grind my mind

[Interested Party]

Originally Posted by JBG163

XasteriX,
Actually, that line is quite a mystery to me. You can see the pattern going through the line.

So, if the keris was broken, then welded back together, it would be almost impossible to have the pattern exactly corresponding.
==> So, it's not a weld line...

Other possibility... It's the quench line.... But i doubt it is.
I honestly grind my mind

Agreed a forge weld of a broken blade would show a scarp joint. Here are two random theories: 1. Stress fracture that opened and was welded (closed) during the forging process? 2. Silver solder of a break?

Bonus idea could the billet have been saw cut and had a sheet of the lighter metal inserted then forge welded together? Either partially cut and then heated or fully cut and upset?

[JBG163]

The line is quite subtle is some area, i don't think there would be an inserted sheet of nickel or something.

The stress fracture could be possible but you can see the line cross the entire section of the blade. So i doubt it.

I also don't imagine a silver soldering, the result would not be like this.

If you check on the side of the twist, you can also see a line, resulting from a forge welding. Color and consistency are the same. That why i was thinking about a weld.

I will try to think about it tomorrow, with fresh idea

Originally Posted by Interested Party

Agreed a forge weld of a broken blade would show a scarp joint. Here are two random theories: 1. Stress fracture that opened and was welded (closed) during the forging process? 2. Silver solder of a break?

Bonus idea could the billet have been saw cut and had a sheet of the lighter metal inserted then forge welded together? Either partially cut and then heated or fully cut and upset?

[xasterix]

I appreciate the brainstorming guys! This is the only blade I have with such a mysterious line.

[kai]

Thanks for the additional pics, Xas!

I'd bet on it being a quenching line: It's (unusually) sharp towards the thinner edges while it get's a bit blurry in the thicker middle section. This behaviour would be expected due to different cooling rates. With a high polish and an etchant allowing fine resolution, the crystal structures forming this line might become visible.

BTW, the steel of the pattern welding seems to behave very close to the steel utilized for the edges (central layer). Possibly a steel that responds very well to quenching. (Or the bladesmith perfectly hit the sweet spot for quenching this blade!)

Regards,
Kai

[kai]

While I agree with Julien and other contributors that this blade certainly ticks at least some boxes regarding assignment as an archaic blade, I believe this might be a really well-crafted example from the revival period, possibly originating from the 19th century. Just a feeling that I'd currently have a tough time to support!

I'd posit that we need to research these blades in much more detail before we can establish defendable stylistic and technological trends (and/or possibly cultural differences), deduce key features to allow constructing a reliable evolutionary tree/network, and possibly identify individual pieces & even assign age estimates. Given the dearth of documented early pieces which could be used for dating, age estimates are likely to stay relative (younger/older) rather than real periods.

Regards,
Kai