Hunting Spear Vala and BDC for 6/24--Pix and awesome deals

[Yangdu]

18.5 inch 19 ounce villager fit and finish Hunting Spear Vala by Purna Kami. Scary sharp edge! One more new addition to your collection at $99 *SOLD*

Beautifully done 12 inch 15 ounce BDC Bura Dui Chirra by Kumar. Horn handle. Leather sheath. Take this beauty home today at $118 *SOLD*

Email to himimp@aol.com to order one or both
First come first served

 

[ndoghouse]

Nice Vala! I just mounted one of mine on a long rattan pole. Sure is nice. You could kill a buffalo with one of these no doubt!

 

[davidf99]

Nice Vala! I just mounted one of mine on a long rattan pole. Sure is nice. You could kill a buffalo with one of these no doubt!

I've been preparing to do the same with mine. Not a long rattan pole, though. I'm using a 4' long shovel handle. The end is already tapered, so I just have to fine tune it to fit.

One slight modification: I've used a file to round over those backward-pointing tips at the rear of the spear. They seem like an accident waiting to happen. They're still pointy, just not so sharp.

One thing I've learned from watching Forged In FIre on tv: It's a good idea to reinforce the junction where the wood shaft joins the blade. That's where they tend to break. I plan to use a hemp wrap soaked in epoxy. Start at the narrow end of the spear socket and extend the wrap several inches onto the shaft.

 

[ndoghouse]

Shovel handle is a good idea. For my short one i want it indexable so I was thinking a boat paddle at first but then decided to do an offset turn on the lathe with a piece of African mahogany. We will see how that works. The Iklwa typically has a knob on the end to prevent the hand from slipping off the end so ill probably integrate that somehow.

I hear ya on them points on the back. Ive already cut myself half dozen times at least handling them. I taped over them while working with them and that helped. Im about done with the long one so ill prolly leave it alone. Its time to make a sheath for it soon. Im waiting on some thin CA glue to saturate the binding cane just to keep it from wearing and fraying apart.

Oh just a tip for when you haft it. I filled the socket up with vinegar to clean the scale and crud from the inside just to ensure the epoxy bond. Might not need it but a bunch of crud did come out. Also the sockets are not perfectly in round so when you haft it rotate it till you get a sweet spot where it aligns. One of mine was better than the other. It prolly matters less on the short one so ill put the one that was more out of line on it. You prolly already are aware of this but for some others i feel its worth mentioning.

BTW...Im thinking that the weld where the socket meets the blade is the weakest point but maybe your right about the shaft. I migh should have rounded the edge of the inside of the socket before hafting? Oh well im gonna find out soon enough. Soon as I seal the binding im going to start throwing it! The balance point is way forward since the rattan is so light. It feels like your throwing just the point.

I look forward to seeing how yours turns out. Pics if you can. I was going to post some pics but I cancelled my hosting service. GoDaddy has gotten way to expensive just to post pics so all my pics in threads ive done since i signed up (12 years ago) on this forum will be gone in a few weeks. Il have to edit them back in when I find a place to host them.

 

[davidf99]

Thanks for the tip about cleaning out the socket. I actually didn't think of it. I'll probably use a steel pin as well as epoxy to join the handle to the socket. A thin pin, so as not to weaken the joint. However, I have a lot of confidence in the epoxy-soaked hemp wrap to reinforce the joint and hold everything together. I'll notch the handle near the joint so the wrap also makes a strong mechanical bond with the wood.

As for indexing the round shaft, I thought of using a draw knife to flatten two sides, but I probably will leave it round. This will primarily be a stabbing (thrusting) spear. Anyway, I don't have any enemies, so it will probably spend its life standing in a corner. By the way, as I'm sure you know (but for the benefit of others reading this thread), a khukuri makes an excellent draw knife, using the inside curve between the belly and the handle. Better than a regular draw knife in my opinion, with one hand on the handle and the other hand on the spine.

 

[tormentist]

Email sent for Beautifully done 12 inch 15 ounce BDC Bura Dui Chirra by Kumar.
+Done Deal