I sharked today's Parang with the cracked handle and was wondering if anyone has a suggestion on repair. I think I can just epoxy the crack, but replacing it with a new handle seems more fun. I have no experience with anything of this nature, however. Does one glue it into a one-piece handle with epoxy since it is not a full tang? Any advice would be appreciated.
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Parang Handle Replacement
- Thread starter bubbachen
- Start date
oldschool45
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I'd go nose over to the makers sub-forum and look around.
I see 3 options;1) drill and run a pin into the existing tang and you are good to go before or after epoxying the crack. Options 2 and 3 really depend on the tools you have available and you skill level. First boil the handle till the laha(Nepalese epoxy) lets go of the blade to see just how much Tang you have to work with Andy's thread here should give you a good idea http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=772028 HI's aren't Japaneses chef knife style of partial tangs they are a lot more robust than that
2) Then you either drill & carve the tang space out of your handle material (some people heat the tang and let it burn a channel out) then mix and dump the epoxy & let it set.
3) you could do a rabbet tang and use pins and epoxy the link in my post #24 here http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=769093&page=2 has a good link on the rabbeted tang.
The material is really whatever you feel like working with, aluminum could be cute, as could G10, micarta or good old fashioned wood.
I see 3 options;1) drill and run a pin into the existing tang and you are good to go before or after epoxying the crack. Options 2 and 3 really depend on the tools you have available and you skill level. First boil the handle till the laha(Nepalese epoxy) lets go of the blade to see just how much Tang you have to work with Andy's thread here should give you a good idea http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=772028 HI's aren't Japaneses chef knife style of partial tangs they are a lot more robust than that
2) Then you either drill & carve the tang space out of your handle material (some people heat the tang and let it burn a channel out) then mix and dump the epoxy & let it set.
3) you could do a rabbet tang and use pins and epoxy the link in my post #24 here http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=769093&page=2 has a good link on the rabbeted tang.
The material is really whatever you feel like working with, aluminum could be cute, as could G10, micarta or good old fashioned wood.
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Personally if you have limited experience with it I'd leave it be for now.
when you get it just check the handle for play and make sure its secure, then I'd go the epoxy route for now as oldschool said.. .. Also if I'm not mistaken this blade needs an edge put on it. If it does and you're unfamiliar with doing this I'd recommend RichardJ on the forums here, hes extremely reasonable and VERY professional.. I've spoke with him at great length on the phone, I picked his brain a little and this guys top notch..
Keep us posted when you get it..
when you get it just check the handle for play and make sure its secure, then I'd go the epoxy route for now as oldschool said.. .. Also if I'm not mistaken this blade needs an edge put on it. If it does and you're unfamiliar with doing this I'd recommend RichardJ on the forums here, hes extremely reasonable and VERY professional.. I've spoke with him at great length on the phone, I picked his brain a little and this guys top notch..
Keep us posted when you get it..
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There are some GREAT how to's as far as through tang handles go on youtube. BurlSource is a great place to look for material, as well. Some slow set 2 ton epoxy, a drill press, a fiskars hand drill and some sanding and you'll be set.
Great information here; thanks for all the input. I purchased the Parang because of its usefulness as a daily tool, kitchen implement, but also because the price was right and the handle crack presented a challenge. I have a drill press new in box, nice set of chisels, and a bunch of other tools I've never learned how to use, so this is a great chance for me to learn. I'm an all or nothing kind of guy anyways, so I think I'm just gonna dive right in and absorb as much information as possible, especially since there is such a wealth of it from all of you guys. Unfortunately, my wife convinced me to give up a brand new belt/disk sander combo I've kept for four years to be used as a father's day present. I'll just lock down an angle grinder and try that as a sander. I've already got a blank of zebra wood that should fit the bill!
I have some ideas as follows:
1. To boil and remove current handle. Put on a bolster like in the below pix. You can cut a piece of brass tube or water pipe to make this bolster. Next is to join them in with expoxy.Then drill a pin thrust the bolster, the horn part and the hidden tang to secure the blade (like in full tang type).
2. If you know how to make a turk knot (like in the above pix), let's take advantage of the ridge (where the crack happens) to tie up one or two or three knots like in the below picture. You can use the string from fishing line or from tenis bat, then super-glue those knots. This way, you dont have to separate the blade out of the handle. For sure you have to fill up the crack with expoxy first.
Good luck!
Hung
1. To boil and remove current handle. Put on a bolster like in the below pix. You can cut a piece of brass tube or water pipe to make this bolster. Next is to join them in with expoxy.Then drill a pin thrust the bolster, the horn part and the hidden tang to secure the blade (like in full tang type).
2. If you know how to make a turk knot (like in the above pix), let's take advantage of the ridge (where the crack happens) to tie up one or two or three knots like in the below picture. You can use the string from fishing line or from tenis bat, then super-glue those knots. This way, you dont have to separate the blade out of the handle. For sure you have to fill up the crack with expoxy first.
Good luck!
Hung
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There's no telling how long the tang is on that knife. I haven't seen one of them bare, and they are a new offering. I'd send an email to Yangdu asking her for some input on that before I went about removing the handle.
In the meanwhile I would just fill the crack first with the thin superglue, then after that dried the gel superglue. I would use the knife (carefully, at first) to see if the handle seemed to want to loosen up.
If Yangdu lets you know that there are several inches of tang in the handle, enough to allow you to easily fit a handle, then you can start thinking about handle types and materials.
IMO, there needs to be enough tang that the end of it can fit through a buttcap so you can peen it over to secure it.Andy
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I remember Yangdu posting a picture of a bare parang blade and it seemed to have substantial tang. If you wanted to get creative, you might think about putting on an antler handle if you can find a piece that will work.
I got my Parang in the mail today, and I have to say, it is a pleasure to swing. The blade came sharp but there is a section of excess grinding about 1/4 the way from the tip of the blade on the edge, thinning the blade excessively. This can be seen in the reflection of the third picture. The tang looks like it has been welded onto a larger piece of metal that encases it, but I ran a magnet against that metal, and it appears to actually be epoxy or glue. The horn itself is very thin and is developing a crack close to the spine as well. So I think the only way I can rehandle the blade is to crack the whole thing open and grind off the large chunk of epoxy surrounding tang and proceed from there, but I won't know where the tang ends until the epoxy is removed. Should I epoxy the crack and maybe apply compression to the handle with some duct tape for the time being?
Last edited:
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Yup. Get the glue as deep into the crack as possible, clamp it firmly to pull the edges together, and use some acetone to clean off the excess epoxy before it dries.
:thumbup:
Andy
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I was thinking about buying that one..and fixing a leather washer handle on it..it would be a cool twist on an old classic.
You could also do a cord wrap with epoxy..maybe hemp cord. that would look traditional.
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I wouldnt use acetone...it might spoil the bond..I would just wipe with a cloth until clean..if the epoxy isnt set up..It will clean off easily.
I am not saying you are wrong..just my experience and opinion...and we all know what that is worth
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THat was awesome..I really like how that came out!!!! Thanks much.
We have been seeing alot of rehandles lately..very cool.
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I had an Indonesian parang and golok that both developed cracks in their horn handles. I filled them gradually with epoxy or superglue mixed with some horn dust that I sanded off elsewhere. Once that was dry, I wrapped black thread tightly around the affected area and saturated the thread with epoxy. The cracks haven't gone anywhere since.
Given the size of the crack in your handle though, my technique would entail a LOT of binding.
Given the size of the crack in your handle though, my technique would entail a LOT of binding.