A working bolo for your comments

tom hyle · 11th April 2005, 05:37 PM

Zelbone is quite correct. Be aware that neither I, nor AFAIK, anyone has said that any of these examples actually had had a point cut off them, but that they were a variation on a style AS IF the point were "cut off" ie blunt (this was indeed sometimes done to "demilitarize"/etc. an existant sword). As you say, the slightly flared end is there, and not only that, but their length in relation to the curvature (more striking to my artist's eye, I guess) is the same; the curved tip (the part analagous to the actual cutting blade, rather than the "shaft" of a talibon) is just as long, and similarly curved, but just with a different end. One does, from time to time, especially with caribean/Southern N American machetes, and on small knives carried by soldiers and/or sailors (etc.) see both blades whose points have actually been cut/snapped for "safety", and "Safe point/cut point" ones that have been reground or otherwise reshaped to be thrustable. Also, be aware that a differently shaped point does have some different cutting capabilities. A wide tip is less vibratory, so more solid for cutting to the very tip, so in affect, for cutting, longer, and has been preferred by some workers and warriors for some purposes, and this is certainly a native concept that's been seen in SE Asian swords for a long time. I think we're seeing more the Spanish "blunted" idea here, but that's certainly an alternate line of thought that could have a lot of validity.

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11th April 2005, 05:37 PM	#14
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	Zelbone is quite correct. Be aware that neither I, nor AFAIK, anyone has said that any of these examples actually had had a point cut off them, but that they were a variation on a style AS IF the point were "cut off" ie blunt (this was indeed sometimes done to "demilitarize"/etc. an existant sword). As you say, the slightly flared end is there, and not only that, but their length in relation to the curvature (more striking to my artist's eye, I guess) is the same; the curved tip (the part analagous to the actual cutting blade, rather than the "shaft" of a talibon) is just as long, and similarly curved, but just with a different end. One does, from time to time, especially with caribean/Southern N American machetes, and on small knives carried by soldiers and/or sailors (etc.) see both blades whose points have actually been cut/snapped for "safety", and "Safe point/cut point" ones that have been reground or otherwise reshaped to be thrustable. Also, be aware that a differently shaped point does have some different cutting capabilities. A wide tip is less vibratory, so more solid for cutting to the very tip, so in affect, for cutting, longer, and has been preferred by some workers and warriors for some purposes, and this is certainly a native concept that's been seen in SE Asian swords for a long time. I think we're seeing more the Spanish "blunted" idea here, but that's certainly an alternate line of thought that could have a lot of validity.