Bali song forum / different perspective now.

Rusty

Rusty

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Dropped by the bali-song forum for the first time. Found that my perpective has apparently been permanently changed by HI.

Now I started reading the old HI forum on Knifeforums about January or February last year. Moved with the changeover to Bladeforums in March a year ago. So ever since, I've been on Uncle Bill about not touting the 12" khuks more.

Yeah, they don't chop thru things as quickly as the 15" ones, but they are *so* handy. And the blades run around 8" to 8 1/2". The Randall #1 Fighting Knife is usually seen in 7" blade length ( Cold Steel and Blackjack 1-7 clones ) but is made in 5,6, and 8" blade lengths too. Blackjack also made a 1-5 blade that actually measured 5 3/4". The Applegate-Fairbairn blade is 6".

Was out cleaning in the garage in an area where we'd stacked stuff when we mooved in 15 years ago, meaning to unpack when things got back to normal. Found my old D.H.Russell Canadian belt knife. Well, a year back, I bought two Kershaw 1416 Talons - the big, nearly 4" blade ones. Thought they'd be just the thing. No problem finding them both when I looked for them today, a year later. They were right next to my Berretta model 950 (25 auto) and my model 21 (22lr) mouseguns. Mousegun paired with mouseknife. Blade length of Talon, Russell, and Kagas Katne all right at about 4". Pulled out the 9" OAL CBKC paired with the Berretta model 35 in 7.65mm. Compared it to Blackjack - both had 5 3/4" blades.

Today my 12"ers are aired with my 38 snubs as backup for the service size knives and beltguns. The 15-17"ers rest with the the 4" 38/357 revolvers and 9mm pistols. The 18-20"ers match up with my 41's and .45s.

A year ago, there was not HI trout and bird bowie. Cliff and Will had 20" AK's. There were no 18" AK's or WW2's. Today, there is a 26" Kora and a 30" Sirupati sitting in my closet. There are 25" Sirupatis, and 30" Kobras. God knows what else the Kamis are working on.

So what does all this have to do with the balisong forum? Just this: their web pages I've visited showed a 5" blade as *the* biggest I found offhand. As I type this, the karda to the 20" Sirupati is laying here, with a 4 1/4" long blade. After posting this, I'll take that Sirupati out and swap it for the 19" Sirupati bladed/Chainpuri handled villager I keep behind the truck seat with the SKS and two mag pouches holding 4 30 round AK mags each - one of softpoints, one of ball ( done ).

There are some really nice guys on the balisong forum. Clay, Chuck, and a whole bunch of others. There are some delightful stories and yarns. But I'm sorry, either my tastes have grown or your toys seem to have shrunken.

A knife blade and the pull length on your stock ought to be the same: the inside of your elbow to the pad of your trigger finger. Just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.
 
I know exactly what you mean. A while back I thought my Randall No.14 was big. Now I look at my 15" Ang Khola as just right for a knife. Perhaps you should mosey over to the Swordforum?
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I don't have pictures of it up right now, but I have a balisong with a 27" blade. That means that locked open this sucker is over 56" long. Susan has one that's longer still. She may have pictures of that up on her site.

There is a strong tradition in the Philippines of making balisongs that are about 27-29" overall when open (those who study Arnis will know why). I have several of those, but no pictures up on the site now. If you'd have come to the balisong demonstrations at the recent Oregon Knife Collector's show, you'd have seen me manipulating on that's about 29" overall when open. I just put it in my waistband small-of-back-style carry and leave it there. Sooner or later during the show, someone will ask to see me swing the big one around. The I get to do a modified sword dance with it.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
Chuck:

I can see it now. Get a Nu Yawk City liberal hoplophobe ( Jeff Cooper's definition of one who is phobic about weapons ) in the center of an elevator with you and your 29" bali in one corner, RayC who does a quickdraw with his 15" Sirupati in the second corner, Yvsa G with one of his 'hawks in the third corner, and then I can pull out my John Primble castrating knife.
 
"A knife blade and the pull length on your stock ought to be the same: the inside of your elbow to the pad of your trigger finger."

Rusty...... LOL, thats funny!

Damn, I've been looking at it the wrong way all this time.... equating my knife to my women. I believe THEY should be the same.....

"Short, fast, loud, and ready for anything!"

It just seems more interesting that way;)

 
I like the smaller knives too Rusty. I have
a "12 inch" AK that is actually closer to 14
inches. I'm going to have to hit up Uncle Bill in the next coupe of weeks to see if he has one that really is 12 inches (or less).
I wouldn't give up either of my BAS's or
my Villager (14 and a half), but there are times when a smaller, less obtrusive khukri
would be more useful.
 
You're right, Rusty, about how perspectives change. As recently as about a year ago I considered a 15-inch knife to be large and an 18 incher to be absolutely huge. Now, after working with a few of the bigger HI khuks, I think of a 15 inch blade as being small, and I think of a 12 inch blade as being almost a pen knife, something to be carried on a key chain (maybe not quite that small, but small nevertheless).

As Albert Einstein said, it's all about relativity.
 
Hmmm . . . . Liking our knives like our women?

Shall I compare thee to a Sirupati?
Thou art more lovely and zone-temperate...
Click to expand...
- Apologies to Shakespeare

But who among us guys could get by with just one knife?
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But I guess most of us at least like our women sharp.
biggrin.gif



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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001


[This message has been edited by James Mattis (edited 05-10-2000).]
 
Poor Uncle Bill -

He's going to log on and find a thread that's just grown like topsy.

There's also some good stuff on the Balisong Forum under the thread "Hi guys". There I repeat my standard response to choosing bewtween knives: like choosing between blonde, brunette, redhead, and raven tressed beauties - only possible answer is yes to all of them.

( You didn't miss my post on the 30" Sirupati thread on it maybe being useful for a bris for jewish whales, did you James? ).

[This message has been edited by Rusty (edited 05-10-2000).]
 
Another rule of thumb for them that still has one left:

When holding your knife at your side the tip should not touch the floor. This is, of course, choked up on the grip.

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Some people are alive simply because it is illegal to kill them.
 
And another: knives with spines over 11/16ths to 3/4" thick should not exceed a blade length of 12 inches normally.

And another: blade lengths of up to 24 1nches can usually make do with 1/2 to 5/8ths inch spines if intended primarily for light to moderate tasks.

The funniest part about these rules is that they are derived from experience. And those who haven't been with the forum awhile ain't gonna believe it til they see it.

God I'd love to set up a table at a good size gunshow with the Kora ( 26" OAL), 22,18,15, and 12" AK's, 16.5 and 18" WW2's, Standard and Giant BAS's, 12,15,20,25, and 30" Sirupatis, a Super or Mega-Salyan, and some exotics. Hanuman, Gangaola, Forward Curving, CBKC, Chainpuri, Dui and Tin Chirra's...

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Some people are alive simply because it is illegal to kill them.
 
Rusty - Yep! Saw that line about doing a bris for a whale!
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I probably should restrain myself from telling a tasteless mohel joke at this point. Or is there any other kind of mohel joke?

Hmmmm . . . After the crew at Bir Gorkha get their Katana project going routinely, how about a four-foot overall length balisong?
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Since it would be much too big to go into a pocket, it might well not be covered by laws that ban Evil Pocket Knives.



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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
 
Sounds like the way I get around the concealed weapons laws in Nevada, James.

By definition anything over a certain size, including rifles and shotguns specifically, are legally deemed not to be concealable. A 1911 45 under the driver's seat is a concealed weapon. An M1 Thompson behind the truck seat wrapped in a blanket isn't.

Yes, I have kept a Thompson and loaded mags behind the truck seat. That's reserved for special occassions though. Usually it's only an SKS taking AK mags and two pouches holding 4 30 round mags downloaded to 25 per mag.
 
Playing 5" Balisong between fingers is as heavy as wielding 20" AK to me, not to say both are as much addicting.

JKM, your idea sounds pretty nice, an Everest Katana Balisong! If the blade is a little closer to straight than the current one , and the bottom of the blade is tangless, wider enough to put two holes for large handle pins (half inch in diameter) and one at the center for blade pin, a great balisong is promised. There's a problem. How to find handles to fit? It should be no wood, preferrebly aluminium or titanium in terms of strength...




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\(^o^)/ Mizutani Satoshi \(^o^)/
 
Will pass for now. Belt and suspenders already losing the battle to keep my pants up.
 
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