Can I get a few opinions?

[Jumparound]

Hi All,

Just need to get some opinions on this sword I have had sitting in my shed for the past 20 years.
I wanted to get around to restoring it, but it slipped my mind.

I am curious if it is legit or whether its a fake. I know its probably hard to tell but I have been told if its legit I might want to be careful about restoring it.

Either way, you guys know FAR more than me about the topic.

Here are some pics.

As you can see, the only thing I have really started restoring is the scabbard cap.

P.S - I know the scabbard wood is fairly new but the rest of the scabbard parts seem far older.

[Nik]

I can only tell you my gut feeling, and this is, it isn't a fake, although not being too old. But it seems to be a sword that, albeit well forged from the shape, was never finished. Meaning, it was fabricated up to the hardening, but never polished, as the surface has deep marks from rough grinding. On the other hand, it may have been finished but later drew a lot of water stone while not rusting, and someone tried to clean that with a file. You will see that only if you finish the blade again, which will take some time. Perhaps you find a nice surprise, otherwise it was a good experience in finishing a blade.

[Jumparound]

Thanks for that Nik.

I am a bit wary about doing too much with it, just in case its valuable and I ruin it with my restore attempts

The scabbard cap was polished with Brasso and a Dremel with a cotton pad bit. I plan to use the same method on the blade, but I am sort of clueless when it comes to restoring.

Its been used at some stage, there are marks on the guard on the other side from that picture that look like they are caused by another blade.

The grinding marks have always been there. I bought this from a stall in Indonesia many years back. I am not sure the fellow knew what he had. I would love to know what the symbols mean.

You cant see it in the picture but the carvings on the blade are a chinese dragon running about two thirds from the tip toward the hilt, the last third is it breathing on a symbol of some kind.

Would there be any guesses as to how old it might be? Obviously thats a tough call.

[Scott M. Rodell]

There is no question that this jian is modern. The only question is whether it is a real sword or a wall hanger. If it is the latter, it is unsafe for any kind of use, including forms practice, as it will eventually break due to stress. If you want to test the blade, your can start by testing the edge hardness. It should be around 52-54 HRC. If that is good, preform a structural analysis test wearing the proper protective gear, including eye protection. (If you are not sure how to preform this test, please see my book: A Practical Guide to Test Cutting for Historical Swordsmanship - http://sevenstarstrading.com/site/books ... ttingbook/).