Panabas, aka Bruticus Maximus...

Spunjer · 23rd March 2005, 10:36 PM

...for some reason, those were the first words that popped on my head the first time i saw this piece. it is very heavy; weighing in at 3.5 lbs. as for the rest of the stats, well here it is.

the blade is 7/16" wide. it is about 18 inches long and the tip measured 5". one thing to notice; the blade has a diamond cross section. not quite shandigan (thx, ian

), but nevertheless it is still an uncommon type. i did try to etch it but am afraid to go any further. i just wanted to know if it was laminated or not...

the handle was kinda loose, but nothing that was hard to fix. total length is 13.25 inches. instead of the usual rattan bindings, this one has thin metal grip. the metal is evenly covered with rust. i can't tell the difference between blood rust or common rust, but i would like to assume that it is blood rust

. also, there are what seems to be tacks made out of brass which really accentuate the handle. one thing that sticks out are the two bands on the end; can't tell whether it is white brass or low grade silver. there was something behind the brass tacks closest to the end of the handle that attracted my attention. seems to be it has an 'x' mark on it. also, there are three x's just on side of the handle. you would think, it'd go all the way around, but for some reason, only one side had x's on (hash marks, maybe?).

well, anyhow, just sharing with everyone my very first "real" panabas. would love to hear everyone's comments.

Battara · 23rd March 2005, 10:52 PM

What a great puppy!

The bands look like silver, although it would be good to have someone test them out to see if they are silver or white metal.

Rick · 23rd March 2005, 11:46 PM

That ain't rust ; it's patina .

Spunj , I can't tell from the pictures ; how many layers did you find on the blade ?

These little panabas are a combination of sword and impact weapon .

Really nice !!

Spunjer · 24th March 2005, 02:22 AM

patina? he he

oops. thanks for the clarification, rick. as for the layers, i counted three.

Quote:

These little panabas are a combination of sword and impact weapon

could this be the type that are carried during battles, or is there such a thing (battle panabas)?

Federico · 24th March 2005, 02:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spunjer

is there such a thing (battle panabas)?

Sure

Rick · 24th March 2005, 02:37 AM

The little fella shown in this picture has some nasty nicks in the blade and a bullet wound .

tom hyle · 24th March 2005, 02:42 AM

The three are macro layers; each may be composed itself of layers, and if it's prewar (wwII; the meaningful dividing line of the old times from the new for so many of the Earth's peoples) they probably are; even if it was made last year, it wouldn't be terribly unlikely, based on stuff I see come out of PI. A deeper etch might show this, but if each macro layer is fairly homogenous (ie. muchly folded), which is common, only an etch deep enough to have a somewhat textured/rough "hand", which you may not desire.

Conogre · 24th March 2005, 08:25 AM

Nice find, Spunger, and congrats!
The bands appear to be silver, and if so will clean easily with some decent silver polish (I use Metal Glo, made of aluminum oxide and non-abrasive) if so desired.....iron often photographs with a brownish hue in the "patina" **grin**.
To the best of my knowledge, the panabas is actually a farming tool used much like a scythe or sickle and that just happens to be very effective for removing heads (and other body parts) and thus was often used as a weapon.
I've got a contemprary piece that is almost identical, the same measurements and weight, with a blade actually thicker than in other, longer specimens that I've seen, to the point that I suspect it's an extremely localized form from one particular tribe.
Yours, of course, has some real age to it, but the brass tack repairs on the silver would seem to indicate that it was valued enough to keep and improve upon, much like a kris, making me suspect that it's seen actual combat and is not JUST a farm implement, which is about as close to a "fighting panabas" as you can get.
Mike

23rd March 2005, 10:36 PM	#1
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	Panabas, aka Bruticus Maximus... ...for some reason, those were the first words that popped on my head the first time i saw this piece. it is very heavy; weighing in at 3.5 lbs. as for the rest of the stats, well here it is. the blade is 7/16" wide. it is about 18 inches long and the tip measured 5". one thing to notice; the blade has a diamond cross section. not quite shandigan (thx, ian ), but nevertheless it is still an uncommon type. i did try to etch it but am afraid to go any further. i just wanted to know if it was laminated or not... the handle was kinda loose, but nothing that was hard to fix. total length is 13.25 inches. instead of the usual rattan bindings, this one has thin metal grip. the metal is evenly covered with rust. i can't tell the difference between blood rust or common rust, but i would like to assume that it is blood rust . also, there are what seems to be tacks made out of brass which really accentuate the handle. one thing that sticks out are the two bands on the end; can't tell whether it is white brass or low grade silver. there was something behind the brass tacks closest to the end of the handle that attracted my attention. seems to be it has an 'x' mark on it. also, there are three x's just on side of the handle. you would think, it'd go all the way around, but for some reason, only one side had x's on (hash marks, maybe?). well, anyhow, just sharing with everyone my very first "real" panabas. would love to hear everyone's comments. Attached Images

23rd March 2005, 11:46 PM	#3
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	Nice That ain't rust ; it's patina . Spunj , I can't tell from the pictures ; how many layers did you find on the blade ? These little panabas are a combination of sword and impact weapon . Really nice !!

24th March 2005, 02:37 AM	#6
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	Well ..... The little fella shown in this picture has some nasty nicks in the blade and a bullet wound . Attached Images

23rd March 2005, 10:52 PM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	What a great puppy! The bands look like silver, although it would be good to have someone test them out to see if they are silver or white metal.

24th March 2005, 02:42 AM	#7
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	The three are macro layers; each may be composed itself of layers, and if it's prewar (wwII; the meaningful dividing line of the old times from the new for so many of the Earth's peoples) they probably are; even if it was made last year, it wouldn't be terribly unlikely, based on stuff I see come out of PI. A deeper etch might show this, but if each macro layer is fairly homogenous (ie. muchly folded), which is common, only an etch deep enough to have a somewhat textured/rough "hand", which you may not desire.

24th March 2005, 08:25 AM	#8
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	Nice find, Spunger, and congrats! The bands appear to be silver, and if so will clean easily with some decent silver polish (I use Metal Glo, made of aluminum oxide and non-abrasive) if so desired.....iron often photographs with a brownish hue in the "patina" grin. To the best of my knowledge, the panabas is actually a farming tool used much like a scythe or sickle and that just happens to be very effective for removing heads (and other body parts) and thus was often used as a weapon. I've got a contemprary piece that is almost identical, the same measurements and weight, with a blade actually thicker than in other, longer specimens that I've seen, to the point that I suspect it's an extremely localized form from one particular tribe. Yours, of course, has some real age to it, but the brass tack repairs on the silver would seem to indicate that it was valued enough to keep and improve upon, much like a kris, making me suspect that it's seen actual combat and is not JUST a farm implement, which is about as close to a "fighting panabas" as you can get. Mike