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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Oct 22, 2011 16:11:58 GMT
Ok, so I recently purchased the VA1601 Katana from the classifieds here and I absolutely LOVE it!! Now I need a wakizashi of comparable quality and aesthetics to keep it company when not being used. This is my first real Katana, and i cant even begin to express my surprise at its quality. The hamon, the bohi and the polish are extraordinary. Although the cotton wrapped tsuka is something I'll address later, I couldnt be happier with my first katana. I'm hoping some of you guys are familiar with the model and can make some recommendations as to a suitable rack mate, or even point me to where I can actually find a VA1601 wakizashi. I've seen lots of posts regarding various retailers, but as close a match as possible is important to me, so thats where you guys come in. As i stated earlier, the hamon, bo-hi, and waisted tsuka are very important elements and alot of retailer pics leave me guessing. I'd really appreciate any help you folks can offer.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Oct 22, 2011 15:57:07 GMT
anxiously awaiting impressions,............
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Oct 22, 2011 0:09:34 GMT
Congratulations for welcoming a lil swordfan to the world!!! I cant help but be a little bit envious of your collection there , not to mention the support/enabling of the wifey. I still get minor pangs of regret for not jumping on gurthang while the iron was hot, but it is certainly in good company. I do however have a question. Is the guard/pommel made of brass?? I thought i read on Brenno's page that they were actually fired steel. I suppose i should just go see for myself, as i really just wanted to comment on my lust for your toys and to wish you all the best for your family's new addition.
edit: i'm officially slowtarded, it is indeed brass (as i'm sure you're aware :oops: ), now i'm not gonna sleep until i know which one of brenno's blades i'm thinkin of.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Oct 20, 2011 22:53:56 GMT
I cant help but chuckle at the bulk of the posts in this thread. it brings to mind something my gandfather said when i was a kid,...something, anything is worth only or as much as what someone is willing to pay or take for them. It seems that every time this subject comes up, someone gets heated. That tells me that Daniel and angel sword are doing what alot of companies wish they coud do, and that is generate interest. Good or bad, some of the posts in this thread are more thought out than the usual back and forth.That tells me that the marketing works. For me, after speaking with Daniel I found him to be more the carnival barker with a seemingly unsubstantiated and boastful nature. It was enough to turn me off and decided to go elsewhere. I feel no need to bash him or his products, but am in strong agreement with those that feel his wares are overpriced FOR ME. If he can sell a sword for 20K or 2mil, then god bless his soul, but he wont be getting my dollars. I'm curious as to whether his methods would stand up to the hype, and do find it a little curious that he provides almost no real world information on the subject. But all in all, I'll say that if that is good enough for him and his business, then so be it. I certainly dont have the time or inclination to get all butt hurt at the fact that he can charge (and receive) 20k for a sword. That is in fact the american dream. He offers a product for sale and someone buys it. I will also say that given the lack of available dissatisfied customers to hear from, it could be surmised that most of his customers are satisfied with their purchases. Ultimately its his choice to do with his information and business what he chooses, and to demand otherwise is rather elitist in my opinion. You can ALWAYS exercise your right to go elsewhere. I cant help but notice that those who cry the loudest in these cases are usually the "have nots" and some posts to me seem wrought with a tinge of jealousy. If you really wanna get all up in arms about what something is worth, look at bottled water. How many buy it in bulk, drink it every day and know exactly what is in it or how it's processed??? There's a multimillion dollar mockery that most people pay into without question.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Oct 15, 2011 16:24:55 GMT
just wanted to post up and say that my dealings with mick have been upright , honest and gentlemanly. He's a good gut to deal with , and i wouldnt think twicw about dealing with him again.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Oct 1, 2011 10:00:27 GMT
@ herobane i just called it like i read it. You posted an opinion of disappointment, and cant even say for sure that the company you're disappointed in is even aware of your issue. If you have time to hack away with your mace and talk about it here, then surely you can find the time to get a phone #. I've got a full plate too, but i'm not gonna publicly bash someone without the decency of at least a phone call. Simply put, I feel your disappointment, based on information you provided is premature to say the least until you've exhausted all reasonable means at your disposal to verify that they are at least aware that a problem exists. Any vendor that carries windlass can give you a name and a # for a rep. that they deal with. These situations almost always require a phone call and to expect that it shouldn't isn't realistic in my opinion. If my comment warrants that i should watch my tongue as you suggest, then i respectfully ask that i be told to do so by a mod. I was of the understanding that a reprimand was their responsibilty. and FYI, my nose is in the way of a good view, but at a glance it really doesn't seem to do anything noteworthy.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Oct 1, 2011 7:44:28 GMT
As someone in concrete for almost 25 years, i've mad a few pointies outta rebar, but i never blued any. I LIKE IT!! The mustard etch is interesting too. Where would i go to read up on that? Thats a good lookin little sticker talon. Very well done. I cold see one of those with my .36 pocket police special for a nice little gambler clutch.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Sept 30, 2011 23:41:50 GMT
for the sake of clarity, i'm not defending a lack of respectable customer service, just pointing out a severe lack of true effort toward getting YOUR problem solved.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Sept 30, 2011 23:31:07 GMT
After reading the OP, and all subsequent posts, i sincerely have no sympathy whatsoever. First you say that the mace "proved" itself which begs the question,......how so? How did the damage occur, was it a shaft strike? You say you invested a ton of labour, yet no modifications. Then to top it off the best you could do was email?!?!?.............never even going so far as to get the ph.# for yourself? I don't mean to sound harsh or disrespectful, but c'mon to me it would seem like sitting at the table wondering why the waitress wont come when you snap your fingers.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Sept 17, 2011 6:07:22 GMT
not to mention that the armor piercing points are rendered completely useless in the configuration in the pic. At the very least they could have cut them off to save some weight. That is probably THE most uninspired design I've yet to see in a major movie. I'm actually embarrassed for the designer.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Sept 11, 2011 2:00:25 GMT
Very nicely done. I like this alot!! That really works sooo much better with the new pommel shape, it really has a much more regal feel now.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Sept 9, 2011 5:08:00 GMT
Saito, i didn't realize you were looking to have the hilt parts cast. For whatever reason i was thinking of etching or engraving. I've been trying to work up the nerve to bust out the tools and engrave/silver inlay my bastard sword so i guess the thought is stuck in my head.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Sept 9, 2011 4:52:07 GMT
the chained wolf is an homage to Fenrir of norse mythology, chained in the ragnarok until the day of the great battle when he kills Odin. I see someone skips all them pesky lil words and just looks at da pictures huh,..... :oops:
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Sept 8, 2011 14:02:47 GMT
The tribal stuff is a little bit difficult, i've only done a couple like that. I was actually surprised how difficult it was to draw a wolf hat looks like a wolf. The fluffier coat makes it tough to use anatomical cues, so when i was trying to draw a timber wolf type, it kept looking like a german shepard/pug hybrid. I'm glad I saw this thread cause it made me try something i've been wanting to do for a while.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Sept 8, 2011 5:36:47 GMT
Thanks Saito. Your's aint too shabby either. The more I look at the first one, the more it keeps lookin like scooby doo to me.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Sept 8, 2011 0:27:36 GMT
as far as filling in the background goes, the placement of the chain is critical. The way you have the chain now, it has created multiple small background fields that make it tough to carry a seamless design through. The only thing I can think of as is, would be to give the background a piened or hammered look. But if you were to arrange the chain as a border, you'll free up a ton of space for knotwork, text, banners, etc.etc.etc. I also wanted to ask if you made the chains different on either side of the guard on purpose? (the left side is missing one compared to the right).
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Sept 8, 2011 0:14:12 GMT
Saito, After i posted last night i couldnt help but grab my sketch pad and run a couple of doodles. I had no idea of the pet connection as you referred to fenris in your post. I looked at a bunch of celtic designs last night and i know what you mean. I couldn't really find any that I liked either so i tried my hand at a few of my own. I'm only posting this sketch as an example of how I might tackle my own design. I just took the original(top) doodle and started to stylize it more toward a celtic or tribal direction. I was purposely trying to avoid realism and ended up a little too toonish for my tastes, but you get the idea. For your sword, i would use the chain as a border around the outside edges of the guard. The way you have the chains on your mock up makes me think of multiple haphazard chains, while to use the chain as a flowing border might bring it together a little bit. I'm pretty sure i've said enough and dont want to overstep, i'm just trying to help out if i can.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Sept 6, 2011 23:39:40 GMT
saito, love the wicked hamon designs!! I like the look of the eurojap demon hilt too. I just wanted to suggest a revision of the pommel on the 2 handed viking wit the wolf motif. I don't want to come off the wrong way, but you encouraged opinions , so here goes. I love the look of the overall design, but the wolves used in the sketch are killing it for me. When i see the wolf on the pommel, it just makes me think of the franklin mint type"collector" knives. Stylisticly i think the realistic portrayal of the wolf clashes with the ancient nature of and even the basic style of the sword. If you were to incorporate the wolf on the guard in a nordic style "knot" type drawing with a border of chains as an example, it might fit the style a little bit better. I'm running with the thought that "vikings" used more of a totemic or stylized form to represent such things.I like the design, but I've seen so many resin "knick knacks" that incorporate the howling wolf that it immediately makes me think flea market. I really mean no disrespect toward your design, but offering thoughts you may not have had toward revisions.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Jun 3, 2011 15:51:09 GMT
Great write up Saito, I never realized TB was so corrosive until Brenno pointed it out in your scabbrd thread, but alas it was too late for mine. I was super careful, and none got in the blade channel, so i should be good to go. When i did mine,i had a woodshop at my disposal, and when mine was too thick, i ran it under the planer a few times on both sides, now it's about 5/8" thick and feels almost "dainty". I'll try the lining next time, but without the liner, the sword actually makes a pleasant little ringing sound when i pull it out.
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Post by KaOsBlaKbLaDe on Jun 3, 2011 14:20:31 GMT
i guess Chuck beat me to it, but i've always known them as dynafiles. Very handy indeed. ive used em a ton to deburr the inside of motorcycle frames before wlding up in the jig. Harbor freight sells cheap ones for 20.00.
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