Even the video is not usable the detailed picture of a blade where it goes into handle would help, the handle is brass and there are visible rivets of same material flashed with surface?? Unfortunally the pictures are not detailed enough. The end of handle doesnt look that the blade tang end was forged over washer on end of handle protruding out, so the tang should be inside riveted. Or pressed in some other way.
I've already taken a bunch of photos. It's been very rainy, (you can see the table is wet in some because of it) hopefully tomorrow will be clear. Anyways my indoor lighting is really bad for photos. And the rest I have aren't much better. I'll go ahead and send a few about what you asked about and pointed out tho in the meantime.
Those dots you're pointing out are some of many odd places where it's started leeching and oxidizing a tiny bit. It has some red flecks that I thought was strange. I at first though some rust granules got stuck to it and left some rust stains. But my nail can feel them. So I looked online and read about stuff called "red rot" that happens on thier old brass instruments. So I suppose that's what is on this also.
So I'll attach a closeup on the side of the blade and handle with the small gap for you. Then a Pic of the dots you're pointing at. Maybe more if they're of good enough clarity.
Thanks bud
The last photo should be of the red rot I mentioned BTW. But yeah I'll make better ones asap sorry
Thanks thats are good pictures, the area that i asked are only discoloration on brass. Question is the handle is hollow or full material, which would be heavier on the end of handle. the hole is formed for the blade, how its fixed in handle, hard to say, maybe brazed into handle,when not visible the tang on end cap of handle.
Yeah not many clues. If I use a ×10 magnification loop eyepiece magnifier I can see lots of details that I didn't see before. If you zoom in real close I can even see old brown colored finger prints that got etched into the brass. But I still can't find a single tool mark from files or anything like that nature, even under a magnifier. Not even swirls from things like steel wool. So it must have been polished with a cloth wheel at some point. I think any swirls or marks that at one point did remain I suppose was worn off thru hands handling it over time I suppose.
The handle seems solid. The hole for the blade appears to have been cut out and the blade inserted after. I can't see any traces of solder. There's even a tiny gap around the blade. So it may possibly have been soldered, if so the solder is really deep inside as I can't see any from the top. This makes me think it was friction fit.
I did have the idea to stop and buy some cheap scales yesterday. They're very low quality tho and likely won't be exact but I'll share the weights so far.
I had another idea also. I remembered how the place where I sold some gold coins to in the past had one of the new fancy scanner guns that can zap metals and list its material makeup. They use it to test gold and silver. I don't think they'd mind if I asked to test this also. They should have some better scales also. If they agree I'll share the findings of that also. If we know more about what it's made of we can maybe tell what kind of brass was used and maybe even a region and date perhaps. It's a long shot but I'm sure it won't hurt to know. I'll scan both the handle and the blade.
The weights are for now as follows,
Sword weight:
517 grams
18.25 ounces
1.14 pounds.
I just had an idea. Tell me what you all think.
I know early in WW1 the British had all thier swords recalled according to things I've read. It was because snipers shot anyone with leadership style markings. Swords was a big red flag they said and they lost many officers because the snipers knew to shoot anyone with a sword. Later I saw mention that they was given swagger sticks in thier place. As I ask around people keep saying it resembles a cane sword. But yeah it was too heavy and built differently. Then I had an idea of googling to see if any of the swagger sticks ever had blades. Sure enough when I searched that I saw quite a few very similar designs. Mine still seems like a very thick robust example of one tho. It however does help to explain the overall "trench" style look to it. It would explain the lack of crossgaurd and so on also, plus why it has a blued blade and fullers. It tracks well with the quality of it as well. An officer could likely afford to have a nicer type of weapon like this built maybe. I think if an officer was used to carrying a sword, then had his taken away... he'd try to find the next best thing maybe, that is a sword... but also isn't so he's not breaking the rules. So maybe this is a one of a kind swagger stick weapon?
What do you guys think?
Ok guys. I have a small but curious update. I had the idea of taking this to get it scanned at my local place I've bought gold etc from in the past. They have an XRF style gun that zaps things and says what they're made of. I figured it was a long shot but may help narrow things down. I think by doing so I made a small discovery that shows the time frame the blade was made at least.
The guys there said the handle was bronze. They said the green and brown spots was called bronze disease, and that yeah the red ones was red rot. Myself I'm not sure why people regard bronze as a highly valuable alloy tho. Myself I consider as just another form of brass but with tin added. Thier scan tho didn't show any tin in the handle. It showed some iron tho. When I searched Google it seemed to me to say it was indeed red brass based on the materials on the list. So personally I don't think it's "bronze" per say. But... I'm not an expert either. So I don't think there's much to learn about the handle, yet. At least as far as I can tell at least. But I'll let you all see and see what you all think also.
I do think the blade readings turned up a very interesting result tho however. It showed "Ti", which is titanium. At first this threw me for a loop. I didn't know what to think about that and I worried maybe some paint remnants affected the reading etc. So when I got home I started searching online to see how it could be in an older blade. To my surprise it seems Germany invented a new way to make super steel by adding a tiny bit of titanium into the steel. They started doing this at 1912 or 1914 from the little I read about it all. I had no idea they did this. Other countries learned and also raced to do so also but it seems Germany did it mostly as they owned most all the mines for it.
So it's a whole new rabbit hole of information I never even knew existed. In the little bit I read it said things like cannons can shoot and last at least twice as long with this new recipe of steel. It seems this was around the same time stainless steel was invented by adding a little chromium to the mix. Very interesting stuff.
I read in some article or something I forget now also but the manganese can be a sign that can be use to date the item also. It said steel makers found ways to reduce the amount of it in later steel. I'm not sure if the amount in my blade can be used to tell what time-frame it was made but I guess that's possible also. I'll have to read more about that.
I'm not sure what to think about the amount of copper in the blade yet, and how it found its way into the recipe. If anyone knows anything about that let me know please also.
I won't try to link to the article where I found the information about the titanium as I'm not sure if it's allowed but I'll include a screenshot that shows the basic information.
I'll have to research some more and see if the alloys changed more towards let's say the WW2 time-frame. If so it may help at least narrow down this to a few year period.
So what are yalls thoughts on the alloys?
Handle with this quality should be a normal rivet brass, 63% of Cu, 37%of Zn. Cheap standard for cold working declared.
By the blade it would be problem as i dont see there C for Carbon, wout carbon its not a steel, but more a iron cast??
Good question. As I searched the results last night I came across others discussing thier analytic findings with much older swords, as they was making sure they was real etc in another forum. Thiers showed other things like silica contents and stuff also. Now that you mention it I'll look back if possible and see if thiers had carbon readings. I need to sit and read about how these testers work exactly as well. I think I saw they work on Xrays. Not sure tho. So they don't actually take a sample from the blade. I think it zaps it and reads what types of metals are involved based on what either what rays make it to the other side, or are reflected back by metals. I don't think carbon is a metal per say, but then again neither is silica I don't think but they were discussing it. The person talking about it said he rented the same thing I used and tested his with it. Maybe there's different types of the gun that can't detect other things than just metals?
As far as if this is cast, I'm not sure how best to describe that. The way the rust behaved makes me believe it's not casted. That and the fact it does have a small bend near the tip where it looks like someone stabbed it hard in some wood one day and pryed it put to test its tip maybe makes me know it's not casted. Cast metal as I know it in modern terms typically means it will shatter and break before bending. Only other steel I know of that was ever fully melted similar to how cast is today is crucible steel, aka bloom and or actual real Damascus steel blades. Which many today call pattern welded steel Damascus steel. But it's no where near what actual Damascus steel is. I have no reason yet to suspect this of that age of blades by no means. I can see very subtle clues in how they ground the fullers that they was carved with a grinding wheel tho and I see a fine brush mark pattern of the final process before it was blued in places. I don't see any forging hammer marks tho I admit but I do think it's not a casted blade with all I see. I know "wrought iron" was different than others steels. It could be that. I'll have to read about what actually is the difference between wrought iron, and hammer forged steel is. I'll also read up on when they began to start making laminar steel. I may find some clues there too
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