Thread: Jambiya
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Old 10th April 2005, 04:30 PM   #12
tom hyle
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Posts: 1,254
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AFAIK there is no such substance as giraffe horn. No one has ever meaningfully (ie with evidence I can check and anylyze) anwered me against this, and I'd sure appreciate it if anyone who can, will. Reading about giraffes I find they have a bone surounded by skin; no keratenacious horn on their heads. What is the substance usually called giraffe horn? Don't know. Giraffe bone is very fine-grained and nice, but otherwise ordinary bone, and much like camel bone. Maybe the horn of a different, less penis shaped animal? Amber can, interestingly, and this has been known for centuries if not millenia, be disolved in hot oil and shaped; many large amber pieces have been made this way, and I think, that done properly and traditionally, with the "right" natural oil, temp. etc. it is not detectible, at least by "ordinary means" from nonreconstituted amber (reconstituted amber on the market now is in a plastic (epoxide?) matrix, and quite different, BTW); same colour, smell, etc. Amber has a sweet acidic smell you will never forget, often, if you've a sensitive nose, I guess, even when just sitting around. Also, it is said to have some kind of activity in regards to static electricity that is different from horn. I don't know; another subject that has never propelled me to experiment; rub it on you cat and see if it sticks to the wall just kidding, but truly, there is such a thing; knowing of it you could look it up. One gets comfortable weaing Death, and his traditional seats are usually quite effective, but one does not want to get too comfortable or unaware; real fighters often walk around with their hand resting on hilt, and say they have to use that hand, and they're feeling Spidey sense (almost always for real fighters in some degree; part of what makes you a real fighter instead of a real dead guy), the other one will often just drift over to "cover" the dagger situation; to protect it and be ready to use it (this may present some problems in AfrAsian Islam, with its customs around the left hand; I haven't hung out with a lot of Arabs and Berbers, and the Arabs I have known dressed like any other American; "no edge, no edge; you've got no knife, have you?"......
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