Attention: For those who want a fancy Falcata. Pix and price change.

Bill Martino

Bill Martino

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Mar 5, 1999
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When we started this Falcata project I guessed at a price of $195 for the standard and $245 for the fancy version -- if my memory serves me correctly and it doesn't always. My standard price was pretty close but I missed the fancy version. I figured the Nepali woodchucks would charge about $50 for this fancy scabbard -- Wrong!! They hit Pala $125 per scabbard. This puts me in the most undesireable position of having the change the price upward. I hate it but there is no way I can avoid it and still offer this model and stay in business.

I know some of you had a hankering for this version but the price has gone up to $325. Again, I'm very sorry for this but just don't know what else to do. Nobody had prepaid for one of these but if you had I would have honored the deal.

So, it's a new ballgame. I have the two models as shown above. Both Falcatas are done by Sanu and I can't find a thing wrong with them. Excellent work by Sanu. The scabbards are carved both front and back with Hanuman and Ganesh on the front and Ram (I think!) and a critter that I call the Black Bhairab but I think John Powell has a different and probably more correct name for him. Very good carving and held together with silver strap. When I look at the scabbards they are real works of art and would be a delight for any woodchuck and/or those who appreciate very good artwork in wood and silver. It's a lot of work and I don't begrudge the Nepali woodchucks the $125. I just hate having to raise my estimated price.

So, here they are. If anybody wants one or both call or email.

Again, my apologies for being a poor estimator of woodchuck cost in Nepal.
 
Those "ARE" beautiful!! I will wait my turn for one of the plain ones though. I am more of a user type of a collector. Did Sanu manage to bring the weight down any? It does not really matter that much to me. More just to satisfy my understanding of how the project is going. Have any of the regular, user ones come in? If so, are any avalible?I Hope!! Those beautys will make someone very happy. I am sure.
 
Oh no! Why did I have to be broke now?! :mad: :(

This is EXACTLY the kind of thing I want...
 
Wow...those are gorgous! :eek:
Another to add to my list. :D
One day I will have a full time job, and I will no longer be in college...the HI forum will rue the day! (Insert maniacal laughture)
 
Uncle Bill,

What are the dimensions on these? And, are you still planning to offer the plain version for $195?

n2s
 
What are the chances of getting a scabbard like that without the carving or chasing on the metal?
 
Yes, the plain verson still goes for $195. I do okay estimating standard stuff but when it starts getting fancy I'm out of my element.

The specs for the falcatas are:

oal: 26 & 1/2
width: about 2.5
thickness: about 5/16
weight: about 3 pounds
fit: perfect
finish: magic stone mirror
hardness: guessing 58 to 60 Rc.
 
Wow!!!

Uncle, those sheaths are truly works of art! I guess I'll add one of these to my lust list...

...dang, just when I take one off, I put another back on! (mumbling )!@($%*)#(%)_@#_@)#& HIKV!!! :D:D:D.

Alan
 
Beautiful work. Don't feel to bad about upping the price Uncle, 125.00 for that quantity and quality of woodchucking is an absolute steal.
 
Nepali woodchucks love to stain and varnish the wood which to me is a big mistake. If I were going to keep one of these I'd take all that stain and varnish off, get down to the bare wood and oil it. I suspect a lot of woodchucks would do the same.

I looked inside the scabbard and I'm not sure what kind of wood it might be but I don't think it's saatisal -- might be rosewood. It has a reddish hue to it and from what I can see it has a nice grain. But I don't know anything about wood and my eyes are no good so take all this from the mouth of an old wood ignorant half blind man.
 
Uncle Bill,

Is this a 3/16" thick blade? It seems a little thin for a 3 Lbs - I am not sure a 3/16" piece of steel that size would weight in at 3 pounds. Then again the scabbard might be heavy (the siver no doubt). :)

Also, is that a single fuller on one side or both sides of the blade?

n2s

BTW, beware - someone sent me a USPS package laced with the HIKV bug. The return address on the package read Himilayan Imports, so watch out. :p
 
Tilt! I am just like my, Bro. I read one thing and write another. It is 5/16 and many thanks for help n2s. I'll go back and edit my specs.

The blade is very, very nicely fullered, both sides!!!!
 
I'll take one. :) :) :) :) :) :) ....
...... Oh, joy!!!!!

n2s

That only leave one if anybody is counting :eek:

Just one, then there will be none...
 
I wanted one of these anyway and since I don't have a fancy carved wood scabbard with chased metal furniture why the hay'ill not?:rolleyes: :D

That's Gorgeous!!!!

But now Bro before you let the Nepali Shipping Staff at them it would be nice if you would tell us who is portrayed in the carvings.
I recognise Ganesha, but I don't know the other three.
There's a nice very beautiful statue in granite of Ganesha at the Tulsa Zoo Elephant Enclosure, but it's been awhile since I've been to that area so I don't recall if that Ganesha (hope I'm spelling that correctly) has human leg's or not.:confused: :)
 
Bro Walosi what would your recommendations be for properly finishing the stained and varnished wood on these gorgeous pieces of
art?
I don't know if a stripper would be the proper thing to use since something that harsh, I think, might be very detrimental to not only the wood, but the metal work as well?

Any suggestions or help will be greatly apreciated Bro!!!!:)
 
I see that Sanu remembered to remove the one pin at the very bend of the handle-a good sign IMO. These falcatas are still a bit heavier than Anton recommended (by about half a lb), but the falcatas are still a new thing to the kamis and we haven't seen what the rest of them can do with the falcatas yet. ;) Since some of the kamis usually make their khukuris lighter than others (the light 20" AK by KWNN a while back for instance), I think it will only be a matter of time before we start seeing falcatas in the recommended weight range.

I must admit that I find the brass guard on Anton's falcata slightly more appealing than the guards on these, though if my falcata comes with this style guard, I don't think I'll be complaining. ;)

Bill, did the sarkis or woodchucks comment on the price of my scabbard idea? I had figured it would be about $30 extra, but if they want more, just tell me and I'll send the balance (sorry if you've already emailed me but I just got back from work).

Bob
 
All gone. Yes, the pin at the bottom is gone. It wasn't really needed.

Bro, on the front we have Hanuman and Ganesh. On the back we have what we think is Ram and what we call the Black Bhairab. John Powell probably know who these characters are on the back better than we do. If he doesn't we can post pix and some expert will show up to tell us who we have. And, it'll fly today with any luck and if he Nepali shipping staff doesn't send it to China by mistake.
 
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Here they are so expert help, please. As I explained to John Powell in an email this AM most of what I know I learned from folks in Nepal who were/are illiterate so the info I have came from a rather uneducated source and may or may not be valid. We illiterate untouchables call those two characters on the back Ram and Black Bhairab -- maybe they are and maybe they're not. What do we know, anyway, except how to make a khukuri and I can't even do that!
 
Oh My Gawd, Oh My Gawd, Oh My Gawd what can I say?!?!?!?!?

The scabbard is absolutely Beautiful and yet I have to agree with my Bro and wish it hadn't of been varnished. It is just absolutely Begging for a beautiful oiled finish.
And yet I will continue to have second thoughts about stripping the varnish because of all the beautiful fine detail work. Great care will have to be exercised if I do decide to do that sometime at a later date.
I could see a man spending several very long winter evenings doing this scabbard the justice it should be given!!!!

The Blade is perfection personified. The oh so beautifully done distal taper goes from .005" of an inch less than 5/16" to .200" of an inch which is just .013 over 3/16" at the top of the edge bevel at the point that is such a long ways down the blade!!!!
And it's pretty dayumed sharp down the most of the blade. It won't take much to bring it to my specs I think.
I will check the blade hardness later as I'm too lazy to walk to the other room twice right now.;)
But since Sanu did the Falcata I'm betting it is perfection or really dayumed close!!!!
It would be very disapointing to find it not as expected and I have yet to be disapointed by one of Sanu's blades.:)
Oh, and before I forget, Uncle Bill was right on with the 3 pound weight.
On my new scales it was 1/2 ounce under 3 pounds. A man can't get much closer than that.:)

One handle slab succumed to the dayumed Reno lack of humidity by the next morning when Uncle Bill and staff were getting ready to ship khukuris and it cracked all the way through, coincidently(?) right where the missing pin would have been located had of it been there.:(
And any testing will just have to wait until the crack is repaired as I don't want to lose any of the wood there. I think I can super glue it and squeeze it back to about as good as new with a pair of vise grips. We'll see.
Otherwise the handle is very nice, fits me well and is comfortable as it is, but we'll have to see how it feels when the blade is swung and hit on something solid and unmoving.:)

The only downside is that great big huge piece of brass that makes up the bolster.
I can't tell if it's solid brass or has been configured out of sheet brass.
And yet it does 'feel' solid for some reason to me.
If that much brass has to be on the handle I think it would serve better if it was on or around the top of the curve to balance the blade out a bit more and so it would 'feel' lighter although it wouldn't be so.
I won't go so far as to call it downright ugly, but I do have to say it wouldn't work well on many other blades this size.
And it may actually 'grow' on me as it doesn't look quite as overwhelming to me now as it did when I 1st saw it.;)
I haven't held a whole lot of swords in my experience, but I have held a few.
This is one of the most comforting handles I remember a sword having as well as feeling a great deal of hand protection from the way the bottom of the handle wraps around the fingers.

This is all just a first impression along with a few facts. Unlike the Tarwar that was just casually accepted in my harem this beauty is gonna have to be looked at, fondled and carressed for a few days to really decide just where she stands in the collection.
She sorta reminds me of a beautiful blue black Ethiopian Princess with long, shimmering black hair, shining with almost blue undertones, dark black eyes glistening and yet with a tenderness deep underneath and supple yet hard and firm muscles and tendons rippleing just under the skin with the air of saying,
"If you're the right sort of man 'You' 'May' be able to tame me."

Dayum I love a good challenge!!!!:D :D :D :D
 
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