Found a Bolo

Howard Wallace

Howard Wallace

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The Philippine Bolo shares many characteristics with the khukuri. It is often made of an automobile spring, chopping power is similar to the khukuri.





bolo15.jpg


This is a bolo I just got in from the Philippines.



It has a nice distal taper to the blade and a few minutes with a fallen apple tree tells me it is a good chopper. The blade is lighter than a similar sized HI khukuri, but heavier than a hardware store machete.



More about this knife here. https://home.comcast.net/~howardwallace/Bolo.htm

bolo15b.jpg


 
pretty neat - love the carrier......been wanting to make one of those for some time now.....I needed the inspiration/reminder. thanks!
 
Very nice.

Any idea of the age? I just bought a couple of modern ones. Great for around the garden, as your source said.
 
That's a great tool. I like the way they forge the handle from a flat to a tube. One piece design. Cool.

Steve
 
I agree - I like integral pieces as well....hasn't caught on yet here in the USA....but I hope to be trying my hand at one soon.
 
Aardvark,

I don't know the age. There is discoloration on the ratan wrap and rust on the knife that may indicate age.

It looks like it's been around the block a few times. (Up the river and across the mountain?) Nonetheless, it is sturdy and seems like it has many decades of hard use left.

The handle design is very strong and circumvents some of the drawbacks of the traditional khukuri handles. The kamis say that a khukuri blade is for life, but you have to replace the handles occassionally. This one-piece design is unlikely to break or crack like a wood or horn handle might. On the other hand, I do not find it as comfortable as the khukuri handle. It does swell towards the rear to prevent the blade moving forward out of the user's grip, like the khukri handle. There is no angled central ring to prevent forward motion of the hand like on the khukuri. However, there is a bare central portion between the rattan wraps that serves a similar function. The rattan gives a good non-slip grip. I suspect the wrap may have to be redone every decade or so, so perhaps the maintenance is not that different from the khukuri.
 
Really enjoyed your homepage Howard.

Got a tip for you that you might try one day. When making fringe for rattle or fan handles or leather "rope" for ties from brain or commercial brain tanned leather and you want to twist it and make it appear larger in diameter do this....
Cut your leather twice as wide as you want it finished or a tad more. Then slice it right down the center to within a couple of inches of the end, leave a 3/8" wide piece solid and then finish cutting it down the center to "fray" the ends.
After you do this wet it down until it won't hold anymore water then wring it almost dry.
Lay it flat and roll one end in one direction until the fringe or rope is as tight as you want it.
Anchor both ends until dry.
I almost always roll it tighter than I want because it will loosen a little when dry, takes a little experimentation.;)
I use these rolled ropes of leather for many things, great for making ties for leather bags like a soft one a Flute is carried in, doubled and inserted into handles they make great fringe.:D
 
Cool bolo Howard! I found a local importer for new bolos at a very reasonable price (they have caraboa handles on a stick tang though). I think I will buy some and give them a whirl.

Dan, have you ever visited Tai Goo's homepage? He has a tutorial on how to forge these Igorot hollow handle jobbies if IIRC.

Hey K Monster, if you read this, are you pounding iron yet??!!

stevo
 
Thanks Yvsa. I'll have to give that a try.

I use a twining method. I have 2 strands, twist 1 strand clockwise, twist group counterclockwise, switch to strand 2 and twist it clockwise, twist group counterclockwise, and repeat.

I've done it with both wet and dry braintan, and other fibers like nettle as well.

It's easier to do than write about. It comes out like rope with the individual strands having the oposite twist than the group does. It gives strong cordage, but it has no fringe like I am visualising with your method.
 
Howard, I used to use the blown fur off of my golden retriever to make cord like you describe. I even made a bow string for a light weight primitve bow that I had made. Worked good!
 
Yes - I'm a fan of Tai Goo. Interesting guy. Great work.
 
There's one of these for sale right now in "For Sale: Production knives" along with some more Philippine and Indonesian pieces.

Steve
 
Stevo - Can you explain your method? I've a friend with a halfbreed wolf that sheds like crazy.
 
Nasty, I can't add much to what Howard said in his post. There is a good description of how to make cordage w/picts in "Outdoor Survival Skills" by Larry Dean Olsen. One thing that isn't covered, though, is how to use shorter fibers like a dogs fur (the wooly undercoat works the best). You need to get a hand full of fur and brush it between two wire brushes. This will align all the fibers so that they are not all tangled and jumbled. Once you have a large bundle of aligned fibers, pinch in the center end of the bundle and partially draw out a portion while twisting it between finger and thumb. Keep drawing out portions and twisting tightly. As the twisted bundle is pulled out it will entwine hairs behind it and start pulling them forward. It takes a lot of practice to keep the yarn a consistent thickness. Also, it helps to do this barefoot if you are doing long sections. You can grab stuff with your big toes so that you can use both hands (and sometimes your mouth :barf: ) Multiple pieces of this yarn can then be twisted together as described by Howard.
 
Hey, Stevo, what's your local source of bolos, if you don't mind sharing? If you don't want to post it, I'd appreciate an email. I'm a big fan of them. Thanks.
 
I have one that my Great Uncle brought back.
It is too big to scan. Oddly, I think it was made by Collins.
 
Coupchoux, thanks a lot for that link. Some very nice stuff.

Those were cool pictures you posted earlier, too. I especially like the juxtaposition of the spear, the bolo, and the spectacles.
 
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