OT a yard sale machete/golok/?

ferguson

ferguson

Joined
Feb 21, 2001
Messages
4,238
Found this interesting blade today. 20.5" long overall, 1/4" thick at tang, distal taper to 1/8", 2 1/4" wide at tip, chisel grind with convex edge. Weight is 1pound 10 ounces. Nicely forged and finished. Very good workmanship. Horn handle with steel ferule. Scabbard is wood, covered with thin strips of horn and leather. Strips of brass or bronze between them, nailed to wood. Interesting on back of sheath is that the horn strips and leather strips are "dovetailed" for lack of a better description, to hold them on. Anybody know what it is?

Thanks,
Steve
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Scabbard back where the thin strips of horn and leather are kind of dovetailed together.
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Nice find!

Can't tell you what it is though.

Maybe Valiant sells something that resembles it.

I looked at a few pages but didn't see a really close match.

But lookit....I found an anti-khuk!!:p

i-ParangLatokDam.JPG


DAMASCUS PARANG LATOK
 
Ferguson now this time you have a filipino bolo. This piece is from Visayas, specifically Panay. Chizel edges are typical of Visayan pieces, and the leather throat on the scabbard is of the classic Panay style (though really old, over 100 years, Panay scabbards lack the leather throat). Some call these nob hilt versions Binogoans. I would hazzard this piece is at least 50 years old, possibly older. Though the scabbard may be a newer replacement. Here is are some more pics of Panay knives that are in my collection:

1st this is my own nob hilt binogoan. A friend who is more familiar with Panay knives believes this example is 100 years old or older.
bolabola.jpg


2nd a real old tenegre, again possibly 100 years old. The head motif on the hilt is a traditional motif unique to Panay, and is said to be symbolic of various dieties.
tenegre.jpg


Now a group shot. The diety hilt piece without the guard is around 50 years old, the one with the guard may be very old. The piece on the far right is a modern bolo from Luzon.
3bolos.jpg
 
Federico, thanks so much for the detailed reply and the pictures! It is wonderful to be able to identify this lovely piece. It looks like it was presented to someone as a gift, and never used. It was covered with recent rust, but is not pitted at all. You can see a couple of small forging flaws or inclusions, but the workmanship is outstanding. There are very fine file marks on the flats of the blade and the spine. The blunt tip is crowned like the spine of a khukuri, showing attention to detail. The edge would probably still chop well. I'm dying to sharpen it, but I won't, to preserve it like it is.

I used Ddean's Evaporust and steel wool to clean the rust off. The piece of plastic pipe I capped to soak old knives in wasn't quite big enough to fit this piece in, so I just dribbled some on the blade and worked with steel wool. It left the natural patina that you see in the pics, but took the active rust off.

Thanks again my friends.

Steve
 
Nice find mr.Ferguson! Is it sharpend from one side? like a chisel?
Looks like it may be in the photo, or is it my eyes?

Spiral
 
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