Show us your khodmi/Bou Saadi knife

[Sajen]

These both will enter the small collection soon.

[TVV]

Detlef, you have done a much better job collecting these than me. Claude writes that the khodmi hilt is split to allow the tang to be inserted, and therefore the wiring is necessary to hold everything in place. On Yuri's example the hilt construction is in between the two types, with horn scales riveted together instead of a single piece of horn. Thus, less wire was needed at only a couple of spots, as opposed to half the hilt. On mine, the hilt is made of a single piece of horn and the wiring is so extensive that it even covers the hole for the lanyard in the middle of the grip.

[Sajen]

The one from my collection with the bone handle has a very similar construction as the one from Yuri where some of the wire binding got lost like Yuri confirmed. I am nearly sure that my one has two rivets under the wire binding also, I have seen some of these knives where the wire binding was opened or lost, all had the same construction like we see it in Yuri's example.
I hope Khaled (Fennec) sees this thread and will be able to tell us more. In my opinion the wire binding is only a reinforcing.

Regards,
Detlef

[kronckew]

My khodmi, Bou Saadi knives: The short one is most traditional, but with a woman's sewing thimble used as a chape. The long one has an all wood scabbard with carvings that look rather Ifflysan.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by kronckew

My khodmi, Bou Saadi knives: The short one is most traditional, but with a woman's sewing thimble used as a chape. The long one has an all wood scabbard with carvings that look rather Ifflysan.

Thank you Wayne for showing your examples! I told you some years ago already that I like your smaller example very much!

Regards,
Detlef

[fennec]

Originally Posted by Sajen

I hope Khaled (Fennec) sees this thread and will be able to tell us more. In my opinion the wire binding is only a reinforcing.
Detlef

Dear brother, Are you serious with that tread ??
How do you want me not to participate haha...but, LET ME FINISH MY BOOK (actually, more than 400pages, and still a lot of pictures needed... that project is such a bad idea.. I'll probably have to split it in two volumes, one for swords/weapons, the other one for tools, cause it would be impossible to edit that way... so I'm still struggling.. so for the moment, I'll keep sharing this here, even pictures from it... but if I continue to much, you will have nothing to learn in it..haha).

About the handle.. NO, that wire is clearly, originally, a way to avoid the blade from "rolling", because it has usually only one pin. For the oldest models, even the pin, isnt really one, but more like a metal sheet bend into an "S". You can note by this picture. Probably the second pin was added when the wire was damaged, or initally just by "security".
Why only one pin ? I think its because the lack of mmaterial.. most of those knives where made with ancient files (under colonisation era I mean, before probably local made steel). The thicker part of that piece (see those kind of triangle or round files, that goes thinner and thinner), is used to make the bolster, and the longer one is forged for the blade. It wont let you a lot of steel to make a tang... usually only a small "nail" that was insert in a wood handle for the file. Once flatten, and thicken, it is not very long. I only see that reason, and more generally the "economy" of steel.

I've talked about that in my book, and hopefully have this picture of a very old one (probably late 1, (battle one, not to cut vegies.. note the thickness of the spine). I've made lately another wire, but its very ugly and have to replace it one day...
You can not the black surface where was the initial wire, as for Yuri model.
I have some others in the exact same mount, just no picture here but I'll share soon !

[fennec]

ps. About the two pins, or one pin. I think that the original and ancient way, was probably with one pin, and wires. But its also as old as this one, that have only two pins, and even no wire (and I'm not talking about those long "saharian" models, as de marvelous one of Théodore (I'll probably ask you for pictures soon .. haha) or yours, but "real" small bousaadis (cf picture). A very close model as mine is displayed at Quai Branly museum (paris), and pretended to be owned it Oran, so very far from Bousaada. Just to remind that if we all call them "bousaadi", here, and in algeria, those knives where actually made in an area bigger that Austria (between Bousaada, Batna, Biskra, and even more in the south). So there is probably more than only one way, that had probably been lost during last centuries. Same for those tin soldering points on the wire, on some models. I think that this process is quite recent (probably colonisation era) to avoid the wire from mooving.
And even for bousaada models, you have some variations, some longs ones to slaughter, some smaller ones as EDC, some thinner ones for skinning or shaving, etc.. Those last ones, are between a rasor and a knife, and have sometimes a shape closer to kabyle rasors, but with horn handles.


Some pictures... Please dont share outside the forum for the moment..
First is my "bousaadi" without wire, quite old model. Those shapes are not very common.
Just after an exemple from the museum, you fan find it by tiping the inventory number in the collection website museum.
Then one of my "bousaada rasors".. actually between knives and rasors, used more for skinning animals, or shaving humans.
Remember that almost all bousaadi was used for that, especially head en beard shaving. Lot of them where find with a little miror attached to them.

[fennec]

Just some more pictures... some from my blades, some from ancient pictures, but please please please please dont share them for the moment.. those are all from my book, and still waiting for some right for the ancient photo (but however, those are my ancestors... haha)

(ps. for the rasor Ive post before, the horn had been covered with a metal sheet, but usually only horn.
Here another kind of "bousaada" rasors, and finally a very rare/unique one /never seen another/ with the typical bousaada work, but on a rasor (10cm something like that...). A very beautyfull piece with a horn handle. Quite old).

And some goodies..
"Shaving the head before the circomcision", 1935
"every man have a knife" 1935
"taking off splinters" 1935.

All of those are bousaadi knives, but from the area of Biskra.

[fennec]

some more classic ones from mine

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by fennec

Dear brother, Are you serious with that tread ??

Hi Mate! I came across the khodmi with the bone handle by the German ebay and after I received it and was very pleased with it after a little bit care and I thought that it's a good idea to start this thread and hoped you would join in!

Originally Posted by fennec

About the handle.. NO, that wire is clearly, originally, a way to avoid the blade from "rolling", because it has usually only one pin. For the oldest models, even the pin, isnt really one, but more like a metal sheet bend into an "S". You can note by this picture. Probably the second pin was added when the wire was damaged, or initally just by "security".
Why only one pin ? I think its because the lack of mmaterial.. most of those knives where made with ancient files (under colonisation era I mean, before probably local made steel). The thicker part of that piece (see those kind of triangle or round files, that goes thinner and thinner), is used to make the bolster, and the longer one is forged for the blade. It wont let you a lot of steel to make a tang... usually only a small "nail" that was insert in a wood handle for the file. Once flatten, and thicken, it is not very long. I only see that reason, and more generally the "economy" of steel.

I've talked about that in my book, and hopefully have this picture of a very old one (probably late 1, (battle one, not to cut vegies.. note the thickness of the spine). I've made lately another wire, but its very ugly and have to replace it one day...
You can not the black surface where was the initial wire, as for Yuri model.
I have some others in the exact same mount, just no picture here but I'll share soon !

You're correct, the knives with wooden handles seem to have only one rivet so far I can tell. I have seen over the years some khodmi where the wire binding got lost. But the ones with bone and horn handles often have two or three rivets like the one from Yuri or some of the very nice ones you have shown. There seems to be not a general norm when the handles are not from wood!?
Sadly I never saved pictures and never bought ones where the wire got lost so I only can tell from remembering and the shown here examples.

Best regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Sajen

These both will enter the small collection soon.

Have received the one in down, I think it's a fairly old example.

[Sajen]

I also received the other one, it's rather small, not very old but very well made and razor sharp, I've cut my finger by cleaning.

[Sajen]

And new group pictures.

[DaveF]

Here's some photos of mine:

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by DaveF

Here's some photos of mine:

Also a very nice one!

[gp]

the only one I have, just a simple one with a small decoration close to the grip