I'm Digging the 30" Siru, but...

Dave Rishar

Dave Rishar

Joined
Oct 25, 2004
Messages
3,178
...it's not digging me.

45 minutes of trail maintenance, brush clearing, and sapling removal went without a hitch, although I'll probably be feeling it tomorrow. I intentionally made a few bad cuts, the kind that worry me with the Kobra. No problem. The Siru took it like a champ. I took a few swings at a quarterpanel on my room mate's parts truck with the spine; aside from having to remove some automotive paint from my blade, no problems. I gave it one shot with the edge. It wouldn't shave afterwards but the blade wasn't damaged. Impressive, especially considering the length. (I'm going to have to do this again on film, now that I know it can handle it.) I had to vary my technique a bit though - this thing's just too heavy to flail with like the Kobra. Then again, I can't go hitting pickup trucks with my Kobra either.

Now, I don't normally get bit by khuks while working - the first rule of swinging khuks in my opinion is figure out where it's going to go and make sure no part of my body is there. I'm pretty strict about this and haven't had any issues. It's afterwards, during sharpening, steeling, maintenance, etc., that I occasionally get bit.

This Siru is out to get me.

I'm not kidding. Inside of five minutes, it bit me once on the hand, tried for the hand twice more (surface cuts, no blood - I was watching it by now), then went after my leg a few more times (sliced denim, no injury) - and that's just while I was steeling it. The damned thing grabbed ahold of the strop and came away with a few pieces...even the Bowie never tried anything like that. It then proceeded to slice my oil rag. It now gets oiled by spraying it down and throwing it in the scabbard.

I used to think the idea of blades - inanimate objects - being downright malevolent was foolish; then I got the Bowie and the Rose. We've had our ups and downs. The Rose gave up on me (or has gotten enough of me already), the Bowie still bears watching. (Especially after last week's little episode.)

The Siru downright scares me.

My rational side tells me that there's a perfectly normal reason for all of this - the blade's too long, somewhat awkward, very sharp, etc. The problem is that I'm no stranger to longer blades and the AK Bowie, the other problem child, is neither long nor awkward. The rest of my collection is pretty sharp and I haven't had any problems with them. Something's not right here.

Right now it's hanging up on my $20 Walmart gunrack-turned-swordrack, not six feet away from me. I feel like I'm being watched whenever I'm in the room with it. I almost get the impression that it's daring me to draw it - "Go on, pull me out. I'm gonna gitcha next time and you ain't gonna like it."

I'm looking forward to putting it to work again. I'm not looking forward to cleaning it afterwards. This one's shaping up as one of my favorites already.
 
The bigger ones take some getting used to sharpening and handling them OK.





munk
 
You know, if these things keep giving you trouble, I'll gladly take them off your hands.

You don't need to thank me. That's just the kind of guy I am. :D :D

Nam
 
namaarie said:
You know, if these things keep giving you trouble, I'll gladly take them off your hands.
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If a 30" sirupati gives him too much trouble it may take off his hands for you. :eek:
 
My only use for the 30" Sirupati is if I swing it two handed in a sideways figure 8 pattern in front of me at ribcage level it saves me the cost of a visit to the chiropracter. Seriously, it straightens my spine out. I can't explain it, but it does the job.

I hear you on the malevolent bit. I listen to and trust my feelings. Doesn't matter to me whether it's really the blade's spirit talking or my subconcious warning me. I don't argue.
 
Rusty said:
I hear you on the malevolent bit. I listen to and trust my feelings. Doesn't matter to me whether it's really the blade's spirit talking or my subconcious warning me. I don't argue.
Click to expand...


I agree. Sometimes, you gotta act on that voice and call it a day. Getting a leg wound from a 30 incher is no joke.

Make sure nothing is in the path of the sword, if you cut from right shoulder toward your lower left side, make sure the left leg is back... and vice versa.
You probably already know this, but hey. friendly reminder.

If the blade's spirit doesn't sit well with you, you might want to smudge it. Take it through the smoke of smouldering sage or flat ceder.
 
Good advice all around. Thank you.

This contest of wills isn't over yet. I'm going to take it out after work tomorrow and put both of us through a pretty good workout. We're going to come to some sort of an arrangement, one way or the other.
 
All I can say is dayum! I got my 30" sirupati this weekend. Theres not much to chop in the middle of winter here in Vermont, but I don't even know if I'd dare. This thing is a beast. I'm a big guy, but I don't think I can swing it with one hand! Luckily, the handle is kind of a "hand and a half" It really is quite a khuk. The karda is very usefull, unlike the tiny ones on my smaller khuks.
 
Trick is, just get it moving in the right direction and let it do its job. Don't sweat the velocity - it's really not necessary. That length generates some impressive momentum even at slow speeds.

When I need to make a very short cut, or a cut at a target that won't yield much resistance - say, that single briar strand that just whipped me in the face - I'll "pommel" the end with my second hand for more control and better braking.

The minor nuisances between techniques for different khuks, or even the same style khuk in different lengths, could probably fill a book. Suffice it to say, Satori-ryu originally consisted of either flailing it like a machete or swinging it like a maul. I definitely consider learning to use these as a work in progress.
 
you can also rig a tournicate to the side of the sheath if you scared enough .basically, a long strap (20") of velcro straping with a ring at one end. slip whatever limb has damage into it, strap down, and high tail it to a phone, car, or hospital

also a very good thing to have in your shop, or if you own dogs that know how to fight
 
SethMurdoc said:
you can also rig a tournicate to the side of the sheath if you scared enough .basically, a long strap (20") of velcro straping with a ring at one end. slip whatever limb has damage into it, strap down, and high tail it to a phone, car, or hospital
Click to expand...

Between you and Kismet, I'm detecting a bit of pessimism here...
 
hey, im just sayin :rolleyes:


actually it was my brothers idea after he and his room mate both had one of their fingers almost bitten off by a pitbull who wasin a fight with one of their other dogs (both were their dogs, one pure bred pit, and one rottweiler). his freinds was his right hand middle finger, and my brothers was his left hand ring finger. bitten straight to the bone, and had the teeth not been offset, it would have made a perfect circle and cost him the finger.

after that, as well as reading several occurences of flying blades in the shop (albiet mostly on buffers), he decided that it would be a good idea to set up an ultra quick, ultra easy tournicate for just such an ocassion. he got to the hospital okay (though they didnt do anything, he went to the county hospital, in a city who has one of the highest petty crime rates in america), but it was just a good warning on how bad things can get in a few seconds, and how much lost blood and shock can do to a person.
 
Maybe you ought to triple tape the edge with ductape over a layer of cardboard until you get better acquainted with it. A bad bounceback could still break bones, but --- and make darned sure you get the POINT twice as well blunted as the rest.
 
thank you very much for that link... didnt know they made industrial stainless mesh like that... VERY good to know :D :D
 
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