Other knives?

kamagong

kamagong

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2001
Messages
10,677
I was exploring the new format of the forums the other day and I checked out some of the profiles. It seems that there is now a part of the profile that allows a member to state what their favorite knife is? I know for many of us our favorite knife maybe of a certain ethnic curved variety. What about other types of knives? I for one love balisongs. They are part of the history of my people and they are just play fun to play with. I also need to get me a puukko or two and maybe a gaucho knife. I have my first bowie coming in about 34 months. It'll be a ironwood handled Randall #1-7" with a brass buttcap and double brass guard and a 7" blade. What about you guys?
 
Well, you mentioned several I enjoy. Puukkos, Bowies, tantos (Japanese style, not the Americanized version), Punales/Facas, balisongs and on and on.

I find that I have become more and more interested in "ethnic" blades of various sorts which enhance the homegrown versions in my collection of steel.

A look at the pictures on my site shows no particular dominant style (except for a lot of neck knives, a handy way for me to carry a fixed blade daily).

I'm expecting a Sorocabana from our friend Ivan Campos in Brazil any day now.

I guess I should've just said I like them all. ;)

Blues
 
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I haven't seen that option, but then I haven't been exploring that much either.
Where's it at in the option, assumeing it's there.:D

I like ethnic knives as well. And from just about everywhere.
One of these days I may finally decide to turn loose of the money and order one of the beautiful and finely made knives of the Canary Islands.
They have a blade that's incredibly thin and just the opposite of the Nepalese Khukuri.
And their handles are a marvel to behold made from many, many pieces of different materials in patterns.
 
Any knife if it looks okay and does the job is of interest. Handcrafted is the only way to go. I generally don't like mass produced factory stuff. I also like hand made tools of almost any kind.
 
Another style I find of great interest though I don't own any are the so called "Indian Trading Knives", the Hudson Bay Dags, and Scalpers.

To have an authentic piece that survived from the days when it was carried and used would be to own a piece of real history.

The one blade that I have in my collection that does that for me is a Japanese tanto which I received from Sava Damlovac, an extremely talented knifemaker (who will hopefully go for his master smith rating next year) and great all around guy.

The tanto is in shira saya (wood storage scabbard) and is somewhere between 180 to 300 years old. (Shinto or Shin Shinto period)

When I look at the incredible craftsmanship on this piece, from the hamon (temper line) to the almost seamless ho wood scabbard, it is amazing to the modern mind what craftsmen were able to do without sophisticated (not to mention power) tools.

Then I wonder about who may have owned it and what that blade may have lived through.

It puts me in touch with a bit of history and fellow travelers from a time gone by.

Our modern day HI khukuris do much the same for me with our brethren in Nepal, but of course not with the same feeling of antiquity.

Blues
 
I've always been fascinated by Moro swords, especially the barong. It seems to me that the barong is the perfect bladed weapon, especially for people of the Moros' size.
Khukuris interest me for many of the same reasons -- they are a nearly perfect tool made by ingenious people with little in the way of tools and resources.
They both show the human spirit at its best.
 
With barongs as my favourite then followed by kris. In actuality the real reason I stumbled upon the HI forum was that I heard they were making a barong. Though I have to say the one HI khukri that I have is now my favourite user knife up there with my Bataangas bali. It actually hasnt seen rest from the day I got it about a week or two ago. It has been a nice compliment to my main collection habit as since I used it to re-do a kris scabbard. Barong and kris are nice but you cant really do much with them. They arent intended for much use other than fighting, and luckily I dont need to use them for there intended use.
 
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Originally posted by Federico Though I have to say the one HI khukri that I have is now my favourite user knife up there with my Bataangas bali.
Click to expand...

Fedrico please pray tell what is a
"Bataangas bali"?:confused: Confused and intrigued yet again.

I just want to say that when Ray gets the model finished for the Barong I won't hesitate being first or at least near the top of the list for getting one of them!!!!:cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:
And I believe I can guarantee you that it will be a full blown user and not just for fighting!!!!:D
 
Batangaas is a city in the Philippines and bali is just short for balisong. The best balisongs in PI are made in Bataangas, the cheapy junky ones are made in Manila. I really like mine since its overall a good knife and gift from a friend. Its hand made, has some lovely file work and other decorations, water bufallo inserts, mirror finished blade, nice hard edge of about 60 rc. Generally just a good knife. Reminds me alot of an HI khukri in quality and spirit.

As for the reason I wont use my own barongs and kris is because I would not want to disrespect them and their spirits. Call me superstitious but antique moro weaponry was made for one purpose and the panday who forged them used much time and meditation to properly infuse the blade with a jen. So as not to risk angering the spirit inside I will not use them in a dis-respectful manner. Also wouldnt want to damage a 120 year old antique ;) Anyways its about the spirit of the blade to me. If it was made to have a certain spirit it should only be used that way. Now an HI barong would definitely be nice to use for non-fighting purposes. And I feel the spirit of HI blades are not as malign as some of the more sinister jens of some of my kris and barong.
 
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I kow what you mean about the spirits of the blades of the Keris.:D
I'm like you in not using mine and I also don't/can't say that I own them as well, I'm just their caretaker until they pass from my hands to someone else's.

I also have a Moro Sword that one day I hope to have Ray put a new handle on and also replace the brass retainers which were missing when I bought it.
It is a 9 luk and has what appears to have the original handle.
I say that because I doubt any westerner would know to carve a Cockatoo handle for it, or at least I think that's what I read they're supposed to represent.:D
The handle itself is roughly carved in shape and not really rounded off like I have seen some of them, however it is nice and smooth as a good carver would have done it.
 
Other than The Sirupati Family, my Top 10 are: (in no particular order)

1. Livesay Sandbar Bowie (#11)
2. Greco Two Finger Fighter
3. Benchmade Walter Brend Combat Folder
4. Spyderco Gunting
5. A.G. Russell Arkansas Toothpick
6. "Picker" throwing knife by Tonkasila
7 Emerson La Griffe
8. WWII German bayonet that Pop brought home
9. Spyderco Delica w/ black blade
10. Rimpler 1700's pattern blade that I finished with a stag handle and brass butt cap.

But then again, there's my A.G. Russell Combat Master...and my Case swing-guard folder...and my Case throwers...and my Cold Steel Voyager tanto...and....:) :rolleyes: :)
 
Yvsa if you dont mind me asking more about your kris. If you had any pictures or could describe the state its in possibly the handle could be repaired versus getting a new one made. Missing baca-baca (clamps) arent necessarily a good sign if your superstitious, but can also be made outa silver or plain iron. Heres a pic of one of mine
viewpart2.jpg
 
My favourite knife is, of course, the golok. It is common in the Malay archipelago region. There are different variations on its design.

Some designs of golok look amazingly similar to the Khukri. I have one made by some villager in a forgotten part of my country. The blade is reported to be made from the wheel of an old retired train.

It is bluish black in colour and looks aged. The train must have travelled for millions of miles up and down the country before going to pasture.

So you can imagine the "heat treatment" on the tracks. The guy who sold it to me claimed it is wonderfully tough. I haven't tried chopping it on concrete though!
 
Any chance for an HI kris ;) Ah Im saving my pennies for another HI khukri though :( Oh well I guess I should get another job so I can afford to feed my addictions :)
 
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Federico my Moro Sword has a black and steel color on the blade as if the carbon from the heat treatment or forging was left on it. The blade also has a leaf and line pattern engraved on it with a rough forgeing spot near the top of the blade, just down from the handle.
When I bought it for about $20.00 the baca-baca were missing and there was no scabbard for it.
It is a very well tempered tough sword that I suspect came out ot the jungle in the Phillipines.
It's no where as polished out and clean looking as your's.
 
Its really just a bad picture. Its been etched and the damascus pattern is really nice. Though its about time to re-etch. Just as a visual aid does your kris look anything like this?
19thcenturybladethathassomemodificationsmade.jpg
Anyways one of these days Ill get better pictures of my stuff. Dont got any of my barongs, and only a few bad pics of some of my kris. Oh well. But at $20 for a kris you got a great deal indeed, and Im quite envious ;)
 
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