Kunbi Saree ~ Goa...
Paliem, Goa, India...
Damascening is the art of encrusting one metal on another, which are soldered on or wedged into the metal surface to which they are applied, but in the form of wire, which by undercutting and hammering is thoroughly incorporated with the metal which it is intended to ornament. Damascening is now practiced with great success in India, Persia and Spain.
Koftgiri is the technique of encrusting one metal onto another.
Koftgiri craft is damascening the art of encrusting one metal on another, which are soldered on or wedged into the metal surface to which they are applied, but in the form of wire, which by undercutting and hammering is thoroughly incorporated with the metal which it is intended to ornament.
Koftgiri has been closely guarded through generations in the community of ‘Sigligar’.
Damascus steel was the material used to produce the famous Damascus sword blades renowned for remaining extremely hard and sharp, yet able to be bent to a 90 degree angle and spring back to its former shape without any detrimental affect to the blade’s performance, Such a quality is a highly desirable feature for both ancient and modern blades. As an added bonus, the blades also exhibited a decorative surface pattern, which apparently acted as the blades’ trademark’ of quality.
Prior to the early 20th century, heating narrow strips of iron and steel and shaping them around a mandrel, forged all shotgun barrels. This process was referred to as “laminating” or “Damascus”. These types of barrels earned a reputation for weakness and were never to be used with modern smokeless powder, or any kind of moderately powerful explosive. Because of the resemblance to Damascus steel, Belgian and British gun makers made higher-end barrels. These barrels are proof marked and supposed to be used with light pressure loads. Current gun manufacturers such as Caspian Arms make slide assemblies and small parts such as triggers and safeties for Colt M1911 pistols from powdered Swedish steel resulting in a swirling two-toned effect; these parts are often referred to as “Stainless Damascus”.
Until a hundred years or so ago, koftgiri, the technique of encrusting one metal onto another, was widely used by the Gadi-Lohars, the traditional armourers of Rajasthan, to create a range of weaponry and armour for the use of their Rajput clientele.
The technique of Koftgiri was traditionally used for ornamentation of Swords, Sword handles, Sword sheath, Shields, Knifes, Body Armor – Helmets, Horse Armor. These products were traditionally formed of Damascus steel (it was locally known as ‘Faulad’) or mild steel.
Since Koftgiri was always in relation of to this sword making technique. It can be said koftgiri originated somewhere in between the Persia and India. Historically koftgiri has never been traced for origins but the artisans say the craft has become prominent since the time of the Mughals.
At present, there are few craftsmen left who practice this craft. Some families in the regions of Udaipur, Jaipur and Chittorgarh in Rajasthan are still practicing Koftgiri and imitation of Damascus steel as their profession.
With the growth of the ammunition industry, many older weapons of warfare and other paraphernalia have become obsolete. These objects are now seen only on the occasion of Dusshehra when each family takes its collection of arms to a temple so that these may be consecrated. Although elite houses of the region still commission the occasional coat of arms and swords for ritual display at weddings, the wares of the Lahore are now mostly seen as decorative curios and are made as per the requirements of antique dealers and interior decorators.
Common legend states that European Crusaders first encountered Damascus steel in the Middle East, where Islamic soldiers were wielding fantastic Damascus steel sabres. The Crusaders then brought tales of these impressive blades back with them to Europe. Those who believe in the Crusaders’ story also often believe that swords made of Damascus steel were produced in Damascus, Syria, and that the technique was While it is conceivable that the Crusaders first became aware of Damascus steel during their wars in the Middle East, interest in its composition began centuries before the First Crusade (1095) and the technique to produce it was never ‘lost’ as such.
As an art, koftgiri has been closely guarded through generations in the community of ‘Sigligar’. For long they have served the purpose of Rajput traditions by creating forth numerous decorations on the arms. The locals also often call them ‘lohars’.
Only the family was taught the precious art of engraving gold and silver. As the artisans say, these crafts originated out of the need to please the ‘Raba’, The King or the ministers.
Origins of the craft are closely related to another craft of forging the armor’s steel, presently called as ‘Damascus-Steel’.
Damascus steel was a term used by several Western cultures from the medieval period onward to describe a type of steel used in sword making from about 300 BC to 1700 AD. These swords are characterized by distinctive patterns of banding and mottling reminiscent of flowing water. Such blades were reputed to be not only tough and resistant to shattering, but capable of being honed to a sharp and resilient edge.
The original process of damascening was lost to metal smiths, after production of the patterned swords gradually declined and eventually ceased circa 1750. Several modern theories have ventured to explain this decline, including the breakdown of trade routes to supply the needed metals, the lack of trace-impurities in the metals, the possible loss of knowledge on the crafting techniques through secrecy and lack of transmission, or a combination of all the above.
The raw material for producing the original Damascus steel is believed to be ‘wootz’ imported from India and Sri Lanka by Persia. Due to the distance of trade for this raw material, a sufficiently lengthy disruption of the trade routes could have ended the production of Damascus steel and eventually led to the loss of the technique. As well, the need for key trace-impurities of tungsten or vanadium within the materials needed for production of the steel may be absent if this material was acquired from different production regions or smelted from ores lacking these key trace elements. The technique for controlled thermal cycling after the initial forging at a specific temperature could also have been lost, thereby preventing the final damask pattern in the steel from occurring loss of the technique.
The craft of koftgiri has become more of a commercial craft rather than a usage-based craft. There are only a few families practicing it today in Udaipur and there are industries copying the craft without its best practices.
The craft is losing its valor though the families who do practice it, if revived, can carry the torch ahead.
The craft of koftgiri has become more of a commercial craft rather than a usage-based craft. There are only a few families practicing it today in Udaipur and there are industries copying the craft without its best practices.
The craft is losing its valor though the families who do practice it, if revived, can carry the torch ahead.
Mild steel, Iron Alloys, German silver, Nickel Iron
Thin wires: These wires are made of gold and silver and are wound on a paper roll
Silver & Copper: These metals are used in required quantities to control the colour of gold
Coconut Oil: Used once the product is finished to prevent corrosion on the metal and to provide sheen and glossiness
Silver foil: Started to be used recently to make the leaf motifs work faster than wires
Fule
By the time, a product of koftgiri is finished, it is buffed and polished and leaves shreds of metal along with powdered metal as waste. These are usually thrown away and not used again. If the shreds of metal are bigger in size, they can be molten and used again in the next product.
Gas Burner– Chirni and Sarai
Gutai – A MS file that itself is buffed to a smooth finish;
Buffing Machine
Hakkik-moonstone
Hammers- basic, pointed and often customized
The Mughals and Rajput Kingdoms were based on a hierarchy of monarchs, from the king to the courtiers to the general in charge of the army. Each one held importance according to rank. This display of rank was embodied in the pompousness of their House, Horses, Jewelry, Dress, and armaments. The embellishment of gold and silver on the armaments displayed pompousness. Koftgiri provided the symbolism required to distinguish in between the hierarchy of powers.
The intricateness of the pattern and the amount of gold or silver decided the worth of the armaments’ wield.
Iron discs are bought from Karkhanas (factories) at Ajmer and Bhilwara, manually cut into the desired forms using a hataudi and a sheni and patterned with metal wires. Both women and men are involved in the process- the women prepare the polishes, finish the pieces and embroider the red velvet cases for the objects while the men do most of the heavy manual labour.
1) The Iron or the base is first heated in the kiln.
2) The hot iron slab is taken out of the furnace and taken towards the pneumatic hammer.
3) The thick iron slab is beaten into a long and comparatively thinner slab on the pneumatic hammer.
4) Using an L-shaped strip, a crease is given to the hot slab.
5) The creasing gives a fold to the hot strip.
6) The folded strip is again beaten vigorously. This binds the iron surface join to each other. The process of folding and beating with pneumatic hammer is done approximately from 4 to 5 times.
7) Previously the sheet metal was hand-engraved or ornamented with meenakari. Nowadays, however, the cut strips of metal sheet are usually embossed with dyes and embellished with plastic meenakari.
8) The sheet is then fitted onto the wooden frame of the object and glued on with a synthetic rubber-based adhesive, pressed into position and dried; the ends are nailed as further reinforcement.
9) The object is clamped in a vice and the process of embedding wire into the metal is begun-silver or gold wire is laid on the abraded metallic surface and pressed.
10) The wire is further flattened with the aid of a moonstone. Larger areas such as the tip of the dagger are executed in silver or gold leaf.
11) The strips are then taken to another artisan who gives them different shapes to make different products.
12) Circular drills or vertical/horizontal lines are made to create the required pattern.
13) Grinding is done to attain the required shape and sharpness.
List of craftsmen.