One more fancy carved scabbard Falcata available.

Bill Martino

Bill Martino

Joined
Mar 5, 1999
Messages
34,096
That's the story. The handle cracked on one side which I think it going to be the standard story with the Flacata. But, it's a jewel and the crack can be fixed with epoxy mixed with dark wood dust so that it will probably look like a grain line.

Price is $325.

Call or email if interested.

Check the other threads on Falcatas for detailed reports on this model.
 
Bro that's a dayumed shame!!!!
I wonder if they're all cracking on the same side?
Mine's cracked on the left side with the edge down. It may sound like a stupid question, but if there's a pattern to the cracking only on one side it might lead to a cure.
There's more factors involved than just riveting wood handles onto steel tangs.
If they're not perfectly or at least reasonably flat to the tang they will definitely crack when the wood is pulled down to the steel with the last rivet that far off a straight line.
Even 1/32 inch would create a tremendous amount of torque!!!!
 
Here is a link to D. G. Farrar & Co., where they sell and show how they make Scottish walking sticks, crooks & canes.

They now use Asian water buffalo horn for the handle instead of traditional ram horn, and they show how they shape, polish and attach the very curved handle to the hazel shank.

They use a jig, hot air gun, and pressure to bend the horn around a former block to the desired shape. I was not aware that horn could be shaped (especially so much!), although I suppose it's obvious, looking especially at the butt of a khukuri handle, that the kamis probably use heat to shape the handles.

While I'm unable to see a way that this technique could be applied to the falcata, I did think about how nice a shaped horn handle would be.

Found it interesting anyway.
 
I don't know what Sanu did to mine, but the handle is still as good as the day I got it, no crack. :confused: Does anyone else have a falcata that hasn't developed a crack yet?

Bob
 
I've been trying to figure out a fix. I was thinking about sections and more rivets. Maybe going to sectioned horn. I was afraid of it from the start and now I'm even more afraid. We could go to metal but I hate that option.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
 
Maybe if the Kamis could get a hold of some heavily burled wood, the wild grain structure may prevent cracking along the grain. Is that how the cracks are occuring, in the direction of the grain? Wal might know about this better, I don't work with burls because it is too hard to work with knives and gouges, the grain is too wild. Just brainstorming here.
 
Yvsa hit the problem - both the wood and metal surfaces must match perfectly, and even then the riveting must not put unequal pressure on the grain. Burl is denser, but unpredictable, ie the grain structure is dense beyond most normal grains, but the internal stresses are wildly uneven, and even drilling can cause a piece to split. The handle shape is not a good one for wood. The pommel curves - the wood grain does not. The result is a "tail" of grain which is not supported for any distance, and is more susceptible to normal stress, moisture etc., etc. Fitting and riveting a block to the tang, and then shaping it, relieves the stresses in normally grained wood, and it is prone to cracks. Hand fitting pre-shaped scales is prohibitively expensive, and when they are riveted in place, the handle shape makes them prone to cracking anyway. Uncle's idea of sections is probably the most viable way around this. It would add to the cost, but good, straight-grained Saatisal scales and a horn tail (sorry, it's early) might look neat, and cut way down on problems.
 
Just leave the the straight four inch section held in place by the first two rivets and replace the curved sections with brass plates. The extra weight would probably help the balance. I'll try to get a read on the precussion point this week. Ultimately that is a better indicator than the balance point and will tell us whether the piece would benefit by moving the weight balance back.

n2s

BTW,
The wood is holding up well on my example, although I did notices that the wood had been drilled for the 4th rivet, although the rivet had never been installed. The drilling may be creating a stress point helping to cause the failures at the curve.
 
Where do the kamis get their brass for the khukuris, Uncle? Do you think finding enough brass to make the falcata handles would be feasible? Of course your idea of sectioned areas of wood sounds good, just also brainstorming.

Bob
 
Personally I hate the notion of a metal handle. So far the best idea I can come up with is a sectioned handle -- and I'm not sure that would work well but it's better than what we have.
 
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