Machete Questions

D

dalee100

Joined
Mar 15, 2008
Messages
1,539
Hi,

I just got my first ever machete. My Daughter got it in Guatemala this past summer in a small mountain village she was working in. And it has now become my birthday gift from her.

It was fairly rough out of the sheath. It has an 18" blade. The edge was crudely formed and didn't even meet by a 1/16" Is that common with machetes. I reworked it on a belt sander and then with a file and finally a medium stone. Are such machetes carbon steel or stainless blades?

She said she saw a number of this particular machete and sheath being used around the village. It stamped Victory Guatemala CA on the blade.
maker.jpg


Interesting sheath. Is leather commonly used?
fullveiw.jpg


The handle is riveted plastic. I don't think it would prove to be very comfortable for long use.
handle.jpg


Any info is appreciated and tips for getting best use out of it.

dalee
 
Roll a bike inner tube over that handle and start choppin' stuff.
Machetes aren't always finished nicely because they're meant to be rough and tumble jungle tools.
I don't know that brand, but I would bet it's carbon steel because of country of origin.
That sheath is uber-cool. Yes, leather is common. I bought this El Salvador model off of one of our own here in W&SS.

P1020844.jpg
 
Hi,

Thanks! I would not have thought of using an old inner tube on the grip. I thought the sparks were telling me plain carbon steel, but with the low speed, the sparks can be deceiving. I did try it on some sweet corn stalks in the garden. Even with a toothy edge, it whistled right through them.

I can see this becoming a useful tool for me.

dalee
 
Post removed due to sleep deprivation-induced confusion. :p:foot:
 
Last edited:
FortyTwoBlades said:
As a note, that's not known as an El Salvador pattern. It's more typically referred to either as a Latin or "bush" pattern. Condor simply refers to their bush pattern as their El Salvador model. But that one's a Tramontina of course. :):thumbup:
Click to expand...

I think he meant the sheath. I might be wrong though.
 
Take pride in that machete-it's a fine gift. South American machetes are among the best in the world, and have all the experience in use, maintenance, design and manufacture. There are a number of 'how to' videos on youtube of rigging your machete to get the most of it, such as grinding the ricasso into a chisel or scandi and continuing up to a convex edge at the top, various spine and handle modifications, etc. It really comes down to how you plan on using the tool. One of the best parts about a new machete like that is all the potential that can be made from it. If you really dislike the handles that much, send it off and have someone make you a set of micarta or a nice south american hardwood scales. You could also give it a gutted parachute chord wrap.
 
Guyon said:
That sheath is uber-cool. Yes, leather is common. I bought this El Salvador model off of one of our own here in W&SS.
Click to expand...

FortyTwoBlades said:
As a note, that's not known as an El Salvador pattern. It's more typically referred to either as a Latin or "bush" pattern. Condor simply refers to their bush pattern as their El Salvador model. But that one's a Tramontina of course. :):thumbup:
Click to expand...

The leather sheath is from El Salvador. Joezilla actually watched the sheaths being made.

The Tramontina machete is from Brasil. Says so right on the blade. :D

The Brazilian machete fits perfectly in the El Salvadoran sheath.
 
That Tram has seen some modifications that make the grip more comfortable and functional.

P1020877.jpg
 
Gotcha'. Goes to show what happens when I try to make a post after my 18 month old deprives me of sleep. :p:foot: I have one of those same style of sheaths for a guarizama pattern Imacasa. Good sheath! :thumbup:
 
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