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Comparison shot with my new Dui Churra. The Khukri is about twice as thick at the hilt.

I don't have any sandpaper handy but I did clean the blade off with some lemon juice. You can already see a bit of a pattern coming out. I've got to give it a good polishing before I try again.
 
Fitting as that is more how it was used Blue. Primary weapon not a backup. And if I remember right, they are similar length to a Gladius and used similarly for a lot of thrusting attacks.

Gorgeous pair you 2. I like what Bawanna has done with the hilt on his. Would love to see the scabbard that it came with. Blue's still having the original still looks like it is in great shape. Love them both. Can't wait to see if Blue's cleans up as well as Bawanna's has.
 
kronckew said:
i echo the 'not a chopper' comments. the weapon is NOT used as a direct impact weapon. it is not an axe. it, like a katana, is meant to be used in a slicing draw (or push) cut with finesse not brute force.

many (probably most) 'real' non-touristy phillipine weapons of age (excluding double edged types like kris & gunongs) were chisel ground, ie. the sharpening bevel is only on one side, the other is flat, or even lightly dished. if it has, a european style bevel on both sides, some westerner likely mis-sharpened it after it left the phillipines. sadly, most 'modern' ones have a western double bevel edge berause they are mostly sold to westerners. mine are thankfully 'traditional' as are my pinute and ginunting.
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The barong (at least the Moro fighting style) is one of the few Pinoy blades that is not a chisel grind. I am told that the early barong blades often have Chinese markings, and were imported blades. This is a modern Chan Chi Kee butcher knife:
image.jpg
I've thought about getting one and barongifying it, but they're not cheap.
If you're really lucky you'll find an old one with both chinese markings and a fullered geometry like a Gelbu Special-that is an old barong.
This is the most recent one I restored-when I got it it was covered in yellow varnish (to stop rust in the jungle)
image.jpg
 
Here's some pics of my barong and sheath I said I'd take. I just put it in and it came back out again so life is good.







Mine is just a strong 1/8" at about mid point on the blade. Quite light seems to me, feels pretty nimble.
 
So if I wanted a good barong without going to the Philippines, where would I go?
 
A new barong? Kris cutlery is supposed to be good but they're expensive. There doesn't seem to be a Filipino version of HI that sells the authentic stuff made by local pandays for reasonable prices.

I gave my barong blade a good cleaning with 2000 grit sandpaper followed by some green polish compound. I then cleaned all the gunk and residue off with rubbing alcohol. I covered the blade with some warm lemon juice and let it sit for 30 minutes. I see some faint patterns appearing but nothing really stands out. I think I might need a stronger acid
 
blue lander said:
A new barong? Kris cutlery is supposed to be good but they're expensive. There doesn't seem to be a Filipino version of HI that sells the authentic stuff made by local pandays for reasonable prices.

I gave my barong blade a good cleaning with 2000 grit sandpaper followed by some green polish compound. I then cleaned all the gunk and residue off with rubbing alcohol. I covered the blade with some warm lemon juice and let it sit for 30 minutes. I see some faint patterns appearing but nothing really stands out. I think I might need a stronger acid
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Not necessarily new, it could even be without a handle.
 
For reference I got my barong off eBay for $50. To find a deal like that you'll have to keep an eye on eBay for a long time and be willing to buy a seriously damaged hilt/scabbard.

Incidentally, has HI ever made a barong? The blade would be child's play for a kami, and a plain "fighter" hilt would be trivial to pull off.
 
Didn't IMA or the sister company at one time offer some? Maybe I'm not remembering right (big surprise) but seems like I saw some with no handles.

I don't know where my buddy got this one he sent me, no clue.
 
my visayan barong from traditionalfilipinoweapons (dot com) in conneticut,
a sturdy forged 5160/D2 blend razor.

barong 002 web.jpg

they also have other types
 
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ACC sells one from Windlass for $20, but it's made from "400 series" stainless steel. So who knows what it really is. Actually I might buy one, for $20 it'd be a fun toy.

Bawanna said:
Didn't IMA or the sister company at one time offer some? Maybe I'm not remembering right (big surprise) but seems like I saw some with no handles.

I don't know where my buddy got this one he sent me, no clue.
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So I did some cleaning and preliminary etching, and a line is appearing by the edge. I don't know if it's a hardening line or a lamination, but I'm guessing it's a lamination line where they sandwiched hardened steel between softer layers. I haven't got any lines to appear elsewhere on the blade, but I need to do more cleaning/polishing/etching obviously.
 
J W Bensinger said:
I have been wondering at the "5160/D2 blend" for a while-I'm not thinkin' D2 forge welds well...I wonder what it actually is.
They do make neat stuff though.
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at a guess, i suspect they are referring to a mono-steel with the chemical composition of a blend of the two. they don't show any lamination markings. they are hand forged tho. that's hard enough to do.
 
Barely's worth mentioning, but I saw this modern version of a Philippine talibon on Amazon for 24 bucks so I grabbed it. It's made in China supposedly out of a 440 series steel. It says it's hand forged but it's clearly machine made. It's actually not too bad... the blade's thicker and stiffer than a machete, I guess about 1/8th inch thick. The balance is forward so it should be able to hit with some force. There's some gimping by the hilt, which is full tang. It's butt is hanging out sorta like an IBBB. Primary bevel is slightly hollow ground and it's decently sharp. I'll put it through what I call my KLVUK test (baton a few knotty pieces of firewood, then hack through a few pieces of firewood). 440 isn't great for edge holding, but it might just be tough enough to take a beating without chipping or rolling.
 
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