A nice quiet week...

[SASSAS]

I feel a little more centered this week. I've been a little out of sorts but there is something about the ritual...

Cutting through all the tape on the end of the triangular box...
Sliding the wrapped package out of the box....
Working through the layers of Reno newspaper and tape...
Wiping down the blade to get rid of the forge gunk...
Annointing the blade with ballistol..,
Rubbing it to a nice shine...
Taking it outside to examine in natural light...
Testing the edge...
Seeing if it will slice paper...

Sometimes...
Cutting through the layers of bubble wrap around the carving...
Soaking the wood handle in mineral oil...

I got the 21" 28 oz. Chainpuri by Sher from last week's DOTD. It's got the nifty malla-like point on it. It's got great balance and I'm pretty impressed with it - I like it more than I expected - I was jonesing and it was the only one left. It's got nice balance as a fighter, has enough bulk to it to work and came out of the box slicing paper.

Only two flaws... One is buffer overrun (the sword of Shiva is overbuffed on one side - which I could see from the DOTD picture). My tin chirra has the same thing. The other is a small blue/violet/yellow rainbow spot right at the tip. I think this has something to do with the heat treat, but can't remember what. If anyone knows whether this can be easily removed, I'd appreciate knowing how. The blade is definitely a keeper.

Got my first 18" BDC last week, 31 ounces with a walnut handle. It's a nice blade, well-executed, but 18" in that style just doesn't work for me. The handle is too thick and the balance feels off.

Had a bonus today too. I got a beautiful little kerambit from somebody we all know. Stabilized curly maple scales, cable damascus steel, great edge.... And, he wraps like Yangdu.

 

[Svashtar]

I remember that BDC, and don't want to contradict Yangdu, but that didn't look like hill walnut to me. More like saaj. It just didn't have the color and grain you normally seen with hill walnut. That was from the 1/23 deals wasn't it?

Sounds like you had a good week!

Norm

 

[SASSAS]

I remember that BDC, and don't want to contradict Yangdu, but that didn't look like hill walnut to me. More like saaj. It just didn't have the color and grain you normally seen with hill walnut. That was from the 1/23 deals wasn't it?

Sounds like you had a good week!

Norm

I was wondering about that too... I can't tell if it's just waxed or what. My only hill walnut blades are villagers and completely unfinished, but the wood looks different - I don't have any saaj to compare it to. I'm trying to figure out if I want to try to sand it down to thin out the handle (the tang is dead flush with the handle as it is now, so any thinning will make it more oval unless I invest in a grinder), so I may know for sure soon. The tang is actually wider than the base of the blade and the bolster, so I may grind it down (or have it ground down) there first. It's a nice blade, so I'd hate to give up on it.

 

[BrentH]

Thanks for that SASSAS.
Scored the same, 10/2 DOD. Handle grabbed me.

More machete than chopper (?)

Saw that kerambit.. Good snag! Much talent there!

 

[Fiddleback]

Sassas,

That rainbow discoloration means, probably, that the tip got too hot during polishing, and is not hardened. No big deal there, they aren't supposed to be from what I've read, and its not a stabber anyway. The discoloration may be polished off. No problem. Saaj wood is VERY soft. I got a Jange in Saaj, and you can easily dent it with a fingernail. Its at least as soft as pine. If you can't dent yours then Yangdu was probably right. Its walnut, just not a show quality piece. My experience with walnut is that there can be a lot of variation in grain and color in boards from the same tree. Still, it should be good and hard, and when sanded and polished should be quite striking. Let us know how it turns out. And, if you don't mind, show us a pic of that kermabit.

 

[eswartz]

One is buffer overrun (the sword of Shiva is overbuffed on one side - which I could see from the DOTD picture). My tin chirra has the same thing.

Ha! I got a Chainpuri from Sher last week too and it also has the sword of Shiva overbuffed on one side. Almost obliterated. They do go after it.

Eric