LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Apr 13, 2024 7:47:11 GMT
This is off on a bit of a tangent, but if you're going to use epoxy putty (and certainly if unhappy with an existing handle) I've formed entire handles directly to tangs with just the epoxy putty itself. Then just file and sand to final shape and put on your preferred covering.
Another odd modern option I've used but now absolutely love is to make a mold, e.g. of plaster, of the handle you like and then make one directly to the tang by way of hot melt adhesive. (Then just put your leather on, or in my case usually a layer of rawhide then one of leather.) Not that far off examples of e.g. Indo-Persian hilts of hollow metal filled with a cutlers resin.
A little far afield in regards to katana, but hey, if you're already experimenting on more budget pieces, figured I'd throw a couple odd options out there. ;)
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Apr 5, 2024 14:17:10 GMT
Trying to send PM--keep getting "technical difficulties." :p But if no one grabbed it first, I'll definitely bite.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 29, 2024 3:08:24 GMT
The united cultery spearhead looks good for a cutting/poking combo head, but I still wouldn't trust it against a boar. You want the side wings to firmly lodge it in the boar's skin/ribs. For throwing, you want a simple point mostly, helps it stick in the ground, less likely to break if it hits something hard. That being said, spear heads break! It makes sense to buy two different ones that fit on the same haft, then you can try out different techniques. So based on my reply above, this spear head might fit my bill? Yup, I'd say so at least. It'll hold up to that, has a small head but sharp edges, and can definitely stab. Plus you've already tried it and seem to have suspected it'll do. ;)
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 29, 2024 1:06:38 GMT
I also have a few. But if I had to pick one it's a tossup.
It might be my OLD style (circa 1987-8) MRL Mongol. I passed on it year after year, thinking it was cheap and in every catalog, I could always get it later; then it disappeared from the catalog, and worse the model had acquired more nostalgia value because a friend I'd lost had had one. Took me a great effort to nab one a few years back.
Then there's an actual 19th C 1796 "clone" marketed in the US, probably as a trade item. I got it in an antique barn as a blade only, around 1981, when in high school. Rehilted it in a unique way that I nevertheless felt embarassed about since it wasn't commonly historical, and the handle wasn'y historical at all: I'd shaped it from epoxy putty! So I let it go. Then about ten years ago, after plenty of experience made me realize I'd had nothing to be embarassed about and was missing the old thing, believe it or not--I saw it listed on eBay! Nabbed it back, against all odds.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 29, 2024 0:55:18 GMT
You're still a little unclear about what you'd use it for. For one thing, in "backyard beater" are you meaning just to stab with, or are you trying to cut as well? If stabbing do you want to just make a hole (in which case I'd most look into the Cold Steel lance point spear! it's great) or a stab that would IRL cause massive hemorrhage, as if used in hunting (CS boar spear would be my recommendation there; assegai head on a long shaft if you want to go lighter). Then there's the question of whether just handheld, or you want to throw it a bit too.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 29, 2024 0:49:55 GMT
Viking era (800 AD - 1000 AD) - The Thegn or The Huscarl Early Medieval (1050 AD - 1200 AD) - The Norman or The Vigil High Med (1250 AD - 1350 AD) - The Sovereign or The Prince Late Med (1350 AD - 1450 AD) - The Poitier or The Burgundian Early Renn (1450 AD - 1550 AD) - The Doge or The Machiavelli Honorable Mentions - The Hospitaler, The Soldat and the Laird I'd go pretty close. Viking: Thegn Early M: Laird High M: Sovereign Late M: Squire Ren: Doge
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 27, 2024 15:40:23 GMT
Don't know how historical it is, but two words: cutler's resin. Don't have to be perfect grinding down the shaft to fit; if you overdo it, but are sure it's fitting straight, you always can use a strong space-filling adhesive.
(Third word, though only historical AFAIK in New World indigenous work on tanged heads, but still works great on socketed heads: rawhide. Put a rawhide sleeve that covers the join of the bottom of the socket and top of the shaft and once it shrinks down on them you have not only internal friction holding the head on but external as well.)
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 22, 2024 22:30:51 GMT
In any case, I'm overall leaning towards keeping the sword instead of sending it back. I think I'll get over the pommel issue relatively quickly, and the rest of the sword is in incredible condition and is beautiful. I'm a tad worried that if I send it back, I'll receive a replacement that is more deficient sword in other, less acceptable, ways. It's always somewhat of a gamble at the end of the day. And don't forget, shipping takes money, and your TIME and trouble is money. A whole feces-ton of people in this hobby like to be "optimizers" vs "satisficers" (look it up if you've never heard the comparison) in no small part, sad to say, because being the former in any field or subculture is a way that those ostensibly higher on the pecking order purport to distinguish themselves from the supposed "know nothings" and newbs. But if there's no issue with safety/structural stability, and it's still functional as a weapon, my attitude toward "defects" has always been it better be a HUGE screw job in regards to the price to make it worth my time and trouble seeking a refund or exchange, rather than just shrug and make do with the quirks. After all, how are you going to practice "Improvise, Adapt, Overcome" if everything drops onto your lap "perfect?" ;)
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 18, 2024 17:59:19 GMT
TOO. MANY. GOOD. PRODUCTS. NOW!
This degen most of all, but others. Here, LKChen, Windlass Royal Armouries, Landsknecht Emporium--new Honshu and other stuff for that matter.
I'm either going to break my bank account, have to start being willing to part with old pieces to try new ones (No!) or... go insane. ;)
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 13, 2024 15:28:48 GMT
A quick observation is that nakago(tang) looks appropriate in length for a cut down naginata blade remounted in a wakazashi. Generally for a non cut down version the tang is equal or nearly so in length to the blade. For the blade size the shaft is also very short but I understand international shipping can be cost prohibitive or impossible if the total length is too large. I like that pattern on the blade good work there. Yes, totoally agree, we are thinking to extend the length to total 220cm, with 60cm tang, well, will update here for sure. Maybe you should just keep producing these and mounting a suitable handle ON them to make them wakizashi. (I myself am not a big Japanese sword fan, but I love naginata naoshi style stuff.) Meanwhile you can work separately on with what you just said about designing and then making one with a longer tang for the naginata model.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 11, 2024 3:54:34 GMT
Looking at your listing, it'd help if you clearly put (in text, not just a "look at the photos") ALL the stats that folks on this site prefer to consider.
Total length, in both metric and inches. Blade Length Total weight (accurately measured) and POINT OF BALANCE--which is easy enough to figure out
Not only are these crucial to the type of buyer here, that's going to be especially true for a unique/custom piece.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 8, 2024 21:53:00 GMT
The Big Three were what started it all for me: Howard, Wagner, Moorcock. (And the Harryhausen Sinbad films.)
Speaking of which, for lovers of the above, I've long been arguing "sword and sorcery" never went fallow so much as morphed into the weird thriller/action horror realm--much like many lines of "dinosaurs" never so much went extinct as exist now as birds. So, sometimes swords, but not so parochial as to exclude knives, guns, good explosives... ;) If you buy that, F. Paul Wilson's stuff, especially Repairman Jack, is a prime inheritor of the genre, which is no surprise when he gave a nod to REH and Lovecraft at the beginning of The Keep. Anyway, there's a certain semi-therwordly katana that appears in the RJ books, especially (surprise surprise) the one called By the Sword, that I'd love to have a "battle ready" version made of someday.
Besides those, in the past couple decades I've also come to love Perez-Reverte's stuff, and the Alatriste books and The Fencing Master in particular.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Mar 4, 2024 13:23:57 GMT
A coat of spray shellac on clean, dry metal while working around it is a good temporary moisture protectant, then just remove with alcohol when you're done.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Feb 24, 2024 13:21:37 GMT
I've used it with no problems (though it's been a long while) on both grips and scabbards with cool results. The wear issue is easily countered with a coating--linseed oil, lacquer, diluted glue, (my favorite) shellac, etc. with a mind to the type of snakeskin and whether the coating will yellow it. I really liked white cobra skin for example, so wanted something that didn't yellow; rattlesnake in contrast could even look better.
But that speaks to the real challenge--aesthetics. A waisted grip, for example, risers on either a grip or scabbard, are probably ill advised places to use snakeskin. The scales won't easily "line up" and look good if the object varies in width drastically anywhere. (It probably can be done, but I didn't find figuring out how worth it. ;) )
You'll also probably want something where you're comfortable with hiding the seam side too, say on the back or bottom, away from common view. Again, because the scales/pattern almost certainly won't line up and the seam will be very noticeable.
I had the same challenges with crocodile print leather too. Also rayskin. Anything with a pattern. But be mindful of it and use creative workarounds and it can look great.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Feb 14, 2024 15:39:52 GMT
What, nobody gonna chime in on cannabis strains? (And/or homegrown fungi?)
Let's just keep it legal, please...
S'il vous plaît. On me prête attention et je ne veux pas que d'autres personnes aient des ennuis. Je demande aux gens de ne rien publier d'illégal
Not to be that guy, but it is very legal (within certain bounds) in many places, including here in Nevada. (And before legality was still legal to discuss the botany of.)
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Feb 14, 2024 15:33:05 GMT
Looks exactly the same. Ever cut anything with it? A few light water bottles. Worked well. Yeah, pretty much the same, except--it's hard to see in the pic--the shaft is rectangular, as I said earlier an old hockey stick. Fit nicely into the socket just with gaps, so I filled them with my beloved analogue to pitch--high strength hot melt adhesive.
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Feb 14, 2024 8:37:17 GMT
That Hungarian axe is actually quite similar. Thanks for the link. LeMal did you take that pic? Sorry, took a little more digging through storage than I thought to get the thing out! But here's a quick pic. imgur.com/gallery/U1v53LQ
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Feb 14, 2024 8:23:20 GMT
I'd be curious of the results of trying pewter. (And seems a safer experiment.)
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Feb 14, 2024 8:18:53 GMT
No one mentioned that the person with the girlfriend in the bumper sticker might be a fetching woman as well. (And said husband be very, very happy with that.)
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LeMal
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Post by LeMal on Feb 14, 2024 8:14:36 GMT
What, nobody gonna chime in on cannabis strains? (And/or homegrown fungi?) ;)
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