Fantasy Panabas by Purna Darnal
Feb 6, 2021 19:09:25 GMT
Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2021 19:09:25 GMT
A while back I commissioned a fantasy sword from Purna Darnal, but I never got around to reviewing it. The job was to blend the historical sword type, the Filipino Panabas, with Valeria's sword from Conan The Barbarian.
I believe Valeria's sword was designed by the great Ron Cobb, and brought to life by Jody Samson, and was based partly on the scimitar sword type.
The Filipino Panabas, on the other hand, likely began as an agricultural tool that evolved into a weapon, or doubled as both. It's likely an aboriginal design and not really influenced by the sword types carried by Spanish Moors. I may be terribly wrong about this, so feel free to correct me.
This was the sketch I gave Purna:
And this is the sketch he came up with to combine the various elements I requested:
Below are a few images taken during the construction process:
Here are the specifications of the completed sword:
Total length: 33.5 inches
Blade length: 20 inches
Blade width: 1.75 inches (narrowest point), 3.5 inches (widest point)
Blade thickness: 7mm (at tang), 6mm (at base), 5mm (at the middle), 4.5mm (last third of the blade), 1.5mm (at the tip)
Weight: 3.4 pounds (1565g)
POB: 3.5 inches from the bolster
Grip length: 10 inches
Construction:
Methods used: full tang, integrated grip, braising, glue (black pitch)
The blade is 5160 spring steel and was hand forged. The hilt components are carved from brass and were joined together by braising. The interior of the hilt components is hollow. The grip scales are rosewood and are joined with black pitch and 8 quarter-inch diameter brass pins.
The blade is straight, the ridge line in the center is well shaped, the edges are beautifully polished and VERY sharp, wickedly sharp. The hilt/grip is solid as a rock and is very heavy, which is unsurprising given the use of rosewood, the 8 brass pins, and the blade being full tang. However, the hilt/grip could have been MUCH heavier if the hilt pieces were not hollow and if the tang was not also tapered, which it mercifully is.
Overall, I am very pleased with the construction. The finished piece feels heavy, yes, but it also feels authoritative and powerful.
Fit and Finish:
When I received the sword, it felt alive in my hands. The blade was wickedly sharp, shiny, and the grip felt as smooth as silk. Looking back on this, the softness of the grip should have been concerning to me at the time, because it was softer than usual on account of the moisture content of the wood.
After the sword spent a few days in the cold Buffalo climate, the grip scales began to shrink and recede into the tang. This created sharp edges where the tang and the grip scales are joined. The shrinking process stopped after a few weeks, but it was so significant that I had to retroactively modify the blade with rotary tools, files, and sandpaper. I am not sure where Purna is sourcing his wood, but this wasn't your usual shrinkage: the wood was not fully cured. This is something Purna will have to work on in the future. If the piece had stayed behind in Nepal, I am confident the wood would have dried a bit more and the shrinkage would have been typical of exotic hardwoods, but the sword's presence here in the winter wasteland of Buffalo exacerbated the shrinking process due to the wood not being fully dry. The wood itself is good quality and the grain pattern is stunning.
The fit and finish of the blade is very well done, but inconsistent in certain parts. There are a few areas where I can see the marks left behind by rotary tools. Purna has since developed a satin finish that is much improved. The edge, as I stated above, is wickedly sharp on BOTH sides of the blade.
Handling Characteristics:
The sword is heavy, but not unbalanced. In one hand, when gripped at the bolster (which provides a tactile grip on account of the carvings), the sword feels ideal with swung with the point oriented downwards. In this sense, it would have a similar effect to a kopis. It's rather like an axe, but more balanced. The point would have a devastating effect and would create deep gouging wounds. It would also hit very hard on account of the mass and its distribution. The recovery time, on the other hand, would be rather slow. If used one handed, I would pair this sword with a small shield.
When used with both hands, the sword comes alive. It feels equally as deft with the point facing upwards or downwards. Slashes and thrusts feel natural, and yes, I think a thrust with this blade would actually deliver something like a push cut. It would create nasty wounds, but nothing fatal, although they would be really irritating. Big chopping blows have great authority, as do draw cuts, and the curvature of the blade lends itself really well to draw cuts, but they would have to be up close to be really effective.
All in all, the sword feels like it would be most effective in close hand to hand combat. It is similar to the cutlass, the panabas (though much heavier), the falx, the kopis, the dadao, and a few African swords.
Photos: