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Post by Kane Shen on Feb 28, 2021 18:25:35 GMT
Reproductions of 2 Congolese swords: the ikakalaka and a twin-bladed ngala, by Purna Darnal of Nepal. Blade steel: 5160 spring steel. Both are light-weight (the ikakalaka weighs only 798g with a 22" blade, and the ngala 1234g with a 25" twin curved blades), and feature extreme distal taperingš. The ikakalaka has a point of balance at 6", while the ngala has a PoB at 5.5". The copper wire wrapping on the ngala is extremely well done. Incredibly talented and hard-working smith doing tons of custom commissions (for fellow members of SBG) lately: a German kriegsmesser, a Greek kopis, a Roman gladius and a spatha, one Lord of the Rings Arwen's Hadhafang sabre, a Viking-Era sword, a fantasy longsword, an extremely long yataghan among many other! Shout out to him, comes highly recommended!        |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2021 18:27:52 GMT
Wow. They are things of pure beauty. They look majestic, really. That ngala looks like it belongs to some god-like hero.
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Post by Kane Shen on Feb 28, 2021 18:43:58 GMT
Wow. They are things of pure beauty. They look majestic, really. That ngala looks like it belongs to some god-like hero. Thanks, buddy! They definitely look like coming out of some mythological illustrations. Given that these are prestige items in Congo and often used as currency tokens, the chiefs probably want them that way. I tested both of them in cutting. Both are razor sharp, have extremely good spring temper, and most importantly handle really well. Both are top heavy as there are a lot if mass further away from your hand, but surprisingly they are not awkward in cutting. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2021 18:55:06 GMT
A good friend of mine makes wire wrapped jewelry, and by association I have learned to spot great wire wrapping technique, and I have to say I am very impressed. Purna is an all around big talent. I'm thinking of getting a straight bladed tulwar next.
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Post by Kane Shen on Feb 28, 2021 19:00:50 GMT
A good friend of mine makes wire wrapped jewelry, and by association I have learned to spot great wire wrapping technique, and I have to say I am very impressed. Purna is an all around big talent. I'm thinking of getting a straight bladed tulwar next. Yeah. He said this was his first attempt at doing metal wire wrapping. I have to say heāa incredibly adaptive at looking at some rough sketches and blurry old photos and making it a reality. A straight tulwar would be an excellent project! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2021 19:27:43 GMT
Wow. I am so green with jealous rage (Jk) of you guys being able to freely commission all these beautiful swords from the guy. He does amazing work
But let's talk about those designs, those are wicked. They put fantasy swords to shame.
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Post by soulfromheart on Feb 28, 2021 19:29:05 GMT
Wow ! Absolutely awesome !  (Oh those wires...) Oh yes, looking at pictures and interpreting them into something functional is his great strength.  |
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Post by Kane Shen on Feb 28, 2021 19:47:05 GMT
Kane, could we expect to see a video on these? I would love to see more detail, especially with looks like improved fit and finish and distal taper. Most definitely, Nathan! These two swords deserve hell of a review video! They are certainly the most unique ones in my collection! |
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Post by Kane Shen on Feb 28, 2021 20:01:59 GMT
Wow. I am so green with jealous rage (Jk) of you guys being able to freely commission all these beautiful swords from the guy. He does amazing work But let's talk about those designs, those are wicked. They put fantasy swords to shame. They certainly do. They are fancier than most fantasy weapons, but in way that make sense. I encourage you to make a commission with Purna. I don't know if the financial constraint or your country's law and regulations being a hurdle. If it's the formal, I suggest starting a commission with relatively simpler but still unique design, as it would be rather affordable. |
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Post by Kane Shen on Feb 28, 2021 20:10:48 GMT
Wow ! Absolutely awesome ! (Oh those wires...) Oh yes, looking at pictures and interpreting them into something functional is his great strength. After the copper inlays on your sword, these wire wrapping probably feels like a breeze for Purna. Honestly all of your guys' commission designs are pretty EPIC. But your Hadhafang is really the first I went truly:  I always like the design of Hadhafang, but prior to Purna's work, I was sure it was because the sword always appears alongside Liv Tyler  . You have to excuse the male brain. This incarnation of Hadhafang is the first to blow my mind without Liv. It is now confirmed it is actually more epic than the actual ones in the film. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2021 20:13:52 GMT
Liv Tyler is an ultimate specimen of feminine beauty. That's for sure. I will never forget when she appeared on Colbert and brought the sword with her, and said she had it tucked away in her attic since the film wrapped, and Colbert rather incredulously shouted, "WHAT?! You mean you don't take it out and play with it all the time?!"
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Feb 28, 2021 20:18:32 GMT
Purna Darnal is truly a master craftsman and will be looking forward to seeing a video on those unusual pieces.
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Post by Kane Shen on Feb 28, 2021 20:30:37 GMT
Liv Tyler is an ultimate specimen of feminine beauty. That's for sure. I will never forget when she appeared on Colbert and brought the sword with her, and said she had it tucked away in her attic since the film wrapped, and Colbert rather incredulously shouted, "WHAT?! You mean you don't take it out and play with it all the time?!" I remember that. And the part where Colbert rested his head on her laps with Liv Tyler raising Hadhafang. Gold! |
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Post by Kane Shen on Feb 28, 2021 20:32:03 GMT
Purna Darnal is truly a master craftsman and will be looking forward to seeing a video on those unusual pieces. He certainly is. I am hoping to get some forumites' permission to also guest showcase some of his work for our fellow members' commissions in my video. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2021 20:36:41 GMT
He certainly is. I am hoping to get some forumites' permission to also guest showcase some of his work for our fellow members' commissions in my video. You have my permission to showcase mine. Yeah, but which one? I'd be hard pressed to choose which one of mine would make the cut. |
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Post by Kane Shen on Feb 28, 2021 20:38:45 GMT
He certainly is. I am hoping to get some forumites' permission to also guest showcase some of his work for our fellow members' commissions in my video. You have my permission to showcase mine. That's great! Thank you so much. If possible, all of them? Or whichever you feel like. |
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Post by Kane Shen on Feb 28, 2021 20:40:34 GMT
You have my permission to showcase mine. Yeah, but which one? I'd be hard pressed to choose which one of mine would make the cut. Honestly, I would think each and every one would be showcase-worthy. I think on top of the quality, the diversity is the keyword here, as I think the adaptability is his most impressive strength. |
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Post by Kane Shen on Feb 28, 2021 20:46:50 GMT
All of them, your choice. The photos are available for all on here anyway lol Would be cool if you showcased the knives too IMO. You are just going to insert photos into the video right? Yeah. Currently I plan to have a section of the video dedicated to his current custom work commissioned by us here at SBG. |
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Post by soulfromheart on Feb 28, 2021 21:15:31 GMT
Wow ! The shoutout would be so awesome ! You have my permission too (Just, hmmm, please kinda forget the part where I screwed up with the screw things... xD ) |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2021 21:17:28 GMT
Wow ! The shoutout would be so awesome ! You have my permission too (Just, hmmm, please kinda forget the part where I screwed up with the screw things... xD ) But it's hilarious. I still get a chuckle out of it, and it's no one's fault. It's just a result of something being lost in translation. One of Purna's gifts is being able to literally interpret what you present to him. He took my crappy yataghan design and interpreted its fault literally. |
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. You have to excuse the male brain. This incarnation of Hadhafang is the first to blow my mind without Liv. It is now confirmed it is actually more epic than the actual ones in the film.
