Garrotes?

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Re: Garrotes?

Postby Fenrisco » Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:29 pm

A garotte is about the worst self-defense weapon imaginable since its utility relies completely upon the element of surprise. Unless you take an extremely proactive view of self-defense, you are unlikely to realize that you are in combat until it is far too late to use such a weapon. It's also not particularly terrifying to an opponent unless he's already wearing it. If you're skilful, strong and fast enough to use it effectively in face-to-face combat you would probably be far more devastating with hands and feet alone. Furthermore, unlike a blade or blunt instrument you cannot strike and run (or engage another attacker); you need "alone time" with your victim.

However, not a bad weapon with which to take control of a vehicle from the rear seat when you are believed unarmed, perhaps.

I imagine you could make your own pretty easily with a couple of 4~5-inch pieces of strong dowel or broom handle and a low E, A or D electric guitar string from your local music store. I'm leery of fishing line. In extremis as an improvised weapon (and considering the materials available in an average hotel room, apropos of nothing), electrical wire, cat. 5 Internet cable, window sash cord or a curtain drawstring would likely be sufficiently strong (if unsure, double it up), and a few minutes' work with a couple of wire coathangers would give you serviceable handles (might bend, but won't break).

If you were to use such an awkward weapon, you would also need to think about how to store it in your pocket, or wherever, so that it will not tangle up when you want to use it (another reason to stay away from damn fishing line, which will happily tie itself in knots without the slightest human intervention). I imagine that you should wind the line neatly around one garotte handle so that you can take one handle in each hand when you remove it from the pocket and "unroll" quickly.
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby Caliban » Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:50 pm

redharen wrote:
coldharvest wrote:dental floss

I even know some people who use it for cleaning their teeth.


Freaks


Woodsman wrote:I was thinking about that yesterday while running in the A/M. What would happen if a nasty animal came out and I had no tools to defend myself? I carry a bandana everywhere - maybe roll it up and choke the bastard? I quickly moved away from that idea because it was a shitty one. :-)


I am getting some hilarious mental images in the vane of Calvin and Hobbs.


Image




But then it all ends horribly

Image
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby db36046 » Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:13 am

Yeah, the CIA letter opener is a mucho better idea. Don't pack it in your carry-on, because the newer machines will pick it up there. You have to keep it on your person when you go through security. A pat-down by a person who actually knows what they are doing might turn it up there (rarely an issue in US airports), but the machines won't.
I had one for several years but it somehow slipped out of my sock in the bathroom of a 747 on the way back from somewhere. I wonder what they thought when they found it! Probably some airplane janitor picked it up and kept it.
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby redharen » Thu Nov 06, 2008 2:34 pm

The sites where you can order said "letter opener" now state that carrying one into an airport is a felony offense. True?
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby Zero » Sun Nov 09, 2008 3:09 pm

redharen wrote:The sites where you can order said "letter opener" now state that carrying one into an airport is a felony offense. True?


I remember reading that it was specifically banned/federal offense etc.

I feel stupid for giving money to a company that offers 'tactical 100% cotton sarongs' for $50, but I ordered one of these: http://www.coldsteel.com/95sseries.html

The sjambok weighs under a pound, can be worn as a belt, and because its original purpose was 'cow motivator', I expect that it will quite handily fill the 'angry dog' gap in my self-defense capability, which was not covered by the flashlight, or the pocketknife.
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby marie-angelique » Sun Nov 09, 2008 4:16 pm

whoa! that looks kinky! did you buy one?
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby Woodsman » Sun Nov 09, 2008 4:36 pm

marie-angelique wrote:whoa! that looks kinky! did you buy one?
Image


Would YOU let that guy on the plane? I wouldn't. Send him to the full cavity search line is what I'm thinking...
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby Zero » Sun Nov 09, 2008 6:28 pm

This is the 'chicotte' that was legendary in King Leopold's Congo for leaving permanent scarring on the first swing across the buttocks, and is really more on the order of
Image

than

Image

Here's the 'demo' video that sold me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xryx3g5RAc4

And according to the internet, here's a quick and easy way to make your own from scratch! I'm pretty sure I can force it through my belt loops, or better yet do the 'up one sleeve and down the other' trick.

For folks who would like a real mean flesh flaying sjambok...I can tell you how to make one! You need a candle and some plastic shopping bags, Pick n Pay packets make a nice colourful sjambok, or alternatively black garbage bags will make you a lethal looking black mamba sjambok . You'll need quite a few, cause you must have a bit of weight in the grip.
With a pair of leather work gloves on, start warming the plastic over the candle flame, pull and twist the bags into a long sausage while slowly and carefully heating the plastic over the flame. Don't set it alight, just soften and melt the plastic to make it pliable, and keep rolling it on a surface to get it into a nice long worsie. Then start pulling it from one end, twisting it like a candy stick, shaping it to taper to a thin long whip in the front. It must taper evenly to about one and a half meters in length, with a 30cm tip nice and thin. Make sure you have a good grip to fit your hand, and then let it set and harden. Dill a little hole in the grip and thread a thong through to put on your wrist when you take your sjambok into action. Practice makes perfect and a sjambok makes a cool prezzie so make one for everyone in the family...
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby marie-angelique » Sun Nov 09, 2008 6:59 pm

For folks who would like a real mean flesh flaying sjambok...I can tell you how to make one! You need a candle and some plastic shopping bags, Pick n Pay packets make a nice colourful sjambok, or alternatively black garbage bags will make you a lethal looking black mamba sjambok . You'll need quite a few, cause you must have a bit of weight in the grip.
With a pair of leather work gloves on, start warming the plastic over the candle flame, pull and twist the bags into a long sausage while slowly and carefully heating the plastic over the flame. Don't set it alight, just soften and melt the plastic to make it pliable, and keep rolling it on a surface to get it into a nice long worsie. Then start pulling it from one end, twisting it like a candy stick, shaping it to taper to a thin long whip in the front. It must taper evenly to about one and a half meters in length, with a 30cm tip nice and thin. Make sure you have a good grip to fit your hand, and then let it set and harden. Dill a little hole in the grip and thread a thong through to put on your wrist when you take your sjambok into action. Practice makes perfect and a sjambok makes a cool prezzie so make one for everyone in the family...


oooh, thanks for that, sounds like a fun sunday afternoon project :)

do you think it would work to keep bicycle chasing dogs at bay, or should i get one of these:

http://www.dazer.com/dog-deterrent.jsp
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby Zero » Sun Nov 09, 2008 7:14 pm



I would think that it would be awkward to swing it while you're trying to ride, the deterrent you could just attach to the handlebars and activate when you felt you needed it...
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby marie-angelique » Mon Nov 10, 2008 5:10 am

back when i was a youngun in kintukky, i used to ride while madly swinging a bicycle pump around to ward off the mad dogs, worked pretty well :p
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby Liam » Tue Nov 11, 2008 4:38 am

I have a Cold Steel Shambok for when I am running PT around here in the country, you never know when a viscous pit bull or my liberal hippie fucking neighbor will show up and need a damned ass whipping.... Seriously.
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby Fenrisco » Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:58 pm

Feral and semi-feral dogs are everywhere here. When walking around the countryside I just carry a 3-ft steel pipe that I have made into a walking stick (I also made a wooden version out of a pickaxe handle, with a handle bound with para cord and a ridged metal ferrule on the bottom that will really ruin someone's day).

The weird thing is that dogs instinctively understand stick-type weapons but have no clue whatsoever about the damage knives will do to them. They'll shy away from a human even carrying a stick, but won't be intimidated by a blade even when you slice it about in front of their faces. Good news if you want to stab a dog, I suppose, but I'd rather not; they have a hard enough time as it is.
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Re: Garrotes?

Postby db36046 » Wed Oct 03, 2012 6:06 pm

Going back and reading old posts from bygone years I stumbled on this series from four years ago. Dogs don't recognize the threat of a knife, true. But they do recognize someone who for some reason isn't afraid of them. I remember a few years ago I was walking a Spaniel bitch in a Mexican city and we were attacked by two other loose canines. I instinctively pulled a Gerber dagger I happened to be carrying, took a fighting stance without even thinking about it and actually growled at them before I knew what I was doing. They turned tail and ran. Similar thing happened a couple of years later in another town when I was suddenly set upon by a really large German Shepherd who had the bad habit of sticking his head as far out of the fence as he could get it and snapping at people passing by on the sidewalk in front of the house that he was legitimately guarding. In that case I wasn't even armed, but the same reaction sent him running for his kennel at the far end of the yard. I don't know where I picked up the reaction of growling at dogs. It just sort of happens. But it seems to have worked, so far. Funny thing.
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