I am thinking of something different now....

Gorog

Gorog

Joined
Mar 4, 2011
Messages
515
Yes, the title says it all. What is silly David thinking of now in his silly head? An axe, a machete, kukrock or gokuri, or some other fusion knife? Nope, no knives. Delaware law says no knives, big or small, and, like I said in a previous post, I am not letting a cop get an excuse to arrest me, ever. So, I am turning to legal alternatives. How about a kubotan? Can HI make kubotans, or would that offend the kami's? If they can, do they have the tools to make one in a specific design? Any information would be appreciated. Thanks guys, in advance, 'til next time, then.
David
 
Kubotans are illegal in many places as well, IIRC.

You live in what is called an NPE -- Non-Permissive Environment. In other words, if it's designed for, or well suited for defending yourself, it's illegal.

Want something you can carry, and can be used for self defense, and isn't even too expensive? A flashlight.

I've had good luck with my Fenix PD30:
IMG_0249.jpg


There's also the LD20, which is the same thing, but uses cheaper AA batteries, rather than the CR123, and is a bit longer than the PD30:
FX-LD20C.jpg
 
honestly like CPL suggested you really don't need a knife or any bladed weapon to defend yourself; I have found striking tools like sticks and batons to be very effective if not more superior simply due to the ease of use and minimisation of injury from weilding it. Really comes down to whos using it
 
I don't know, Punishment, the first thing my karate instructor said to me when I said I was paranoid was "you need a kubotan", and he knows the laws of Delaware pretty well, after having been stopped by police with katana's in his trunk, a terrible idea, in case you all were wondering, he learned it by heart almost. But, yes, I have had a love affair with awesome little tactical flashlights myself, so I will probably end up getting one, or two, steel or aerospace aluminum for me. Still, just for kicks, I'd like to know if Himalayan Imports could make a kubotan or not. Even if I could not carry it with me, it would be cool just to have one or two of my design, to inspire me. If no one knows, that's fine with me too. I should probably be asking Yangdu about this directly, should I not?
 
Well I'm sure they COULD, but it might be more cost effective to simply order one online. They come in about 40 different designs and patterns from $6 to $20 dollars. An HI version would be both heavy and probably expensive. The kamis do a lot of cool things, but self defense striking/pressure point tools are pretty alien to them.
 
Okay, thank you very much. I'll look around and see what's out there.
 
One of the reasons I suggest the flashlights is that they can be used just like a kubotan, so even in places they are illegal, you have the same capability, but with a light, too.
 
There is an ancient japanese MUSICAL instrument called a "Shakuhachi". It is made from a very hard bamboo. Now, I doubt you can get in trouble for walking around with a flute... that being said, it was originally designed to not only be a beautiful instrument, but also a self defense weapon in a time when many nobles wouldn't permit the local population to own weapons. It can function like a baton, a small sleligh, a kuboton, or simple club.

Plus, if you learn to play it correctly, it sounds absolutly BEAUTIFUL.

I happen to have a hand made one. I'm afraid getting authentic ones any more, however, is going to be an issue, considering what did/is happening in Japan these days.

w1z1vr.jpg
 
Cool, thank you Snow and Steel for your contribution. Yeah, I agree Punishment, with what you say about the flashlight. I was looking at the demigod of flashlights recently, it puts out 6000 lumens and it comes pretty cheap at 216 dollars on eBay, just type in HID flashlights, (unfortunately, I forgot how to post links, pretty dumb, eh?) and it will come up, in all black heavy duty aluminum glory. I love the design of Surefire's Beast II flashlight, it looks like a mace pumped to bursting with awesomeogens, plus a very powerful 2000+ lumen light, but I despise its collectibility, because its price tag is therefore stupendously high, around $7000. But, to business. I just bought today, for a very reasonable $5.50, a 1.5"w by 12"l piece of Argentinian Lignum Vitae wood, and let me tell you, it is spectacularly detailed with little tendrils of brown and a nice subdued drab green color, and I am in love with it. I was looking back every few seconds the entire way home, afraid it would evaporate from the trunk of my dad's middle aged 2001 Insight. Did you know that lignum vitae is infused with silicon, according to the guy who helped us out at Woodcrafter's? That is possibly the reason why it is so tough and resistant, though it does not explain why it is so dense.... Anyway, I would have bought some cheap Snakewood, because it is beautiful in its own way, but, it is limited to pen blanks, not big enough for my project, not big enough to allow the inevitable mistakes made by an amateur, and apparently, not the strongest wood around, though it is very strong, nonetheless. I should definitely be on a woodworking forum now to ask this, but I hope no one minds that I try here first (forgive me if it is undesirable...please?), is anyone familiar with lignum vitae wood, and know what are the best tools to work it into the desirable shape? I have what might be woodworking needle files, a possible, though not probable, type of lathe machine that belonged to my mother's father (I'm going to wade through my father's...rather tidy-challenged basement to check up on the status of the lathe), a good coping saw, a very good Irwin Universal Hand saw, a Flexcut carving detail knife, and some basswood left over, as well as some cheap woodworking scooping and chiseling tools I let rust almost to the point of no return, and my trusty Annihilator multipurpose wrecking bar (it has the best bottle opener I have ever seen, by the by.). Whew, this is getting long. If I am lucky enough to get a response from someone who does know this wood, its properties, and its ability, or lack therof, to shape, I would ask also of that particular person(s) that they keep in mind that I am being kept alive by $600 per month intravenously, and I would vastly prefer the versatility of a good priced, character-oozing hand tool over a quick, but somewhat less fulfilling monster machine. I am not saying machines are monstrous, I am just saying I believe it is more fulfilling to, say, carve a bird by hand, then to stick a blank in a super advanced super detail rich universal laser machine, and have it spit out a wooden bird even better than the hand carved one, just because someone's sweat, blood, tears, and other undesirable substances went into lovingly/or wrathfully carving that bird. I am aware that my Flexcut knife would probably succumb to the sheer coolness (as well as the rigidity, hardness, density, blah blah blah) of my lignum vitae, my new obsession, so I am looking for, as I might have already said, a low cost hand tool that will not buckle before this amazing wood. As always, I appreciate constructive criticism and will leap at the chance to learn something new out of my mistakes, so do not hesitate to correct me, (just be gentle, I am almost hypersensitive.). Keep being your awe-inspiring selves, everyone on Bladeforums, and peace.EDIT- Oh, and is this beyond the character/word limit on this site? Forgive me if it is, I was just so excited by my newest purchase. If it is, I will remember in the future.
 
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It is an incredibly hard wood. I think they used to make bearings out of it if I remember correctly. I think there are several look-alike woods also so be sure you have the real stuff. It should be pretty good for dulling tools as well. maybe put a post in the bladesmith forum or search there, Some folks use it for handles I believe.
 
they make crochet (sp?) balls out of it b--but -- Lignum vitae, from which the wand of Merlin was made, is said to have magical powers.

it is very hard - the hardest of all trade woods and will ruin most cheap tools - even not so cheap tools
 
Your best bet is to use metalworking files and a hacksaw on lignum vitae. It will make the handwork much easier on you.
While time consuming, handcrafting something in this manner is incredibly fullfilling for the mind and soul.
It keeps the hands busy....and you know what they say about idle hands......
 
also made in to a tea from chips of it is supposed to produce other hard wood
 
Okay, thank you very much, guys. I must say, I am very leery to even attempt cutting into my new block of wood, even with a well devised plan. I should definitely think this through to the maximum, plan it all out, and practice with my basswood until I get the hang of it. Anyway, I don't know if I am courageous enough to post in an alien subforum to masters of the knife and handle making trade, it would be intensely nerve wracking. But, self confidence can go a long way sometimes. Anyway, at that kind of price, I might get a supplemental blank, though I will test it to see if it is real or not. Er...how do you do that, though, test lignum vitae to see if it is authentic or not? I am thinking maybe testing the weight, which I think is pretty spot on in terms of lignum vitae...I think...and maybe trying to slice off a section of it with my carving knife. And what do you mean by making other hardwoods from lignum vitae tea? I would think it would be impossible to synthesize wood from tea, but I will trust your experience and wisdom on that one. Unless you were either using humor, or describing a legendary ability that lignum vitae allegedly possesses? I don't know, sorry if I am slow on the uptake, whatever the case turns out to be. Anyway, I almost am hesitant to test it, because I bought this from a big time woodcrafting store, and I don't think they would be in business if they were in the habit of selling off fake wood, even wood as unusual as this kind of wood is. It feels like I would be betraying their trust, you know what I mean? Anyway, thanks, and see you all later.
 
Heh heh, you guys are funny, and cool. A nice combination, really. My wood bar has some kind of wax over it, perhaps to protect, or maybe it is some kind of polish produced by the wood itself, like the guy said, its self polishing or something like that. I think it is so cool and exciting, but my sister was and is immensely tired of me waxing less than eloquently about my wood blank, so I'll leave it at that, and ask around. Uh, I don't mean to sound dumb, but where exactly should I ask this question? Custom Knife Makers forum? I don't want to ask at the wrong place, you know? Okay, thank you everyone. It's time for me to go to bed, its my sister's birthday tomorrow, yay! I think she's twenty four on that special day...kind of sad I don't know exactly, but hey, live and learn. Okay, peace.
 
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