Rehandling the aged handforged blade

[Howard Wallace]

The kamis back in the hills say their blades will last a lifetime, but the customer may come back after only 15 or 20 years for a new handle. HI has upped the ante with its handles that go all the way through and are pinned at the back, which are more durable.

But even here in the states I see evidence of the old kamis' wisdom. Aged blades with destroyed handles keep finding me. I took care of a couple this weekend and thought you might enjoy seeing them.

This first was said to be an old Tlingit blade. The sheath and the handle were both broken when I got it. It looks similar to knives from the Phillipines. Who knows where it came from or where it has been.





The new handle is a burnt out root I picked up several years ago when hiking in the Cascades. It fit the hand and I couldn't leave it laying by the side of the trail. I finished the hollowing of the inside nature had started, and drilled a couple of indents to help the epoxy hold.


The blue is an epoxy paste I used to secure the blade in it's new handle.

The handforged blade is unusual in that it is just ground on one side.

 

[Howard Wallace]

This one I think someone ground from an old mower blade. When I got it the handle was trashed and the old bolts that were used to secure it were rusted. I had to break off the useless handle and use a cuttoff wheel to get rid of the rusted bolts. I put on a Bois D'arc handle. That is a wood that will last a lifetime as a fencepost. It's pinned with pieces of brazing rod. I liked the burn't look I got when i was sanding it, so I took a torch to the handle and scorched it. New but looks old, and will last a lifetime now. Still has it's old handmade sheath, which was well crafted.

 

[ndoghouse]

That is a sweet knife Howard! I like everything about it! Well done sir! That root just happen to be the right shape and I love the hmong blade shape.

 

[J W Bensinger]

Yep, that's Filipino alright. Looks like a talibong blade and sheath.
They're chisel ground dating back to when the blade was a strip of high carbon welded into a soft body to conserve materials-easier to do a one-sided forge weld than san mai. The spring steel ones are ground that way out of habit, IMO

 

[Shavru]

hmm lost the second set of photos? I can't see them.

Howard, you have been doing some really interesting re-handle jobs lately. Some really unique materials that enhance the blades story.

 

[Howard Wallace]

I made sure the second post had an explicit attachment. Hopefully that solves the picture problem.

I'm not surprised the old kendoka can see where I am going with these tools. When I was but a teen an old sensei lent me his hakama to wear. He explained how to fold and wear it, and that he had worn it through the years. I could feel the weight, the gravitas, or perhaps the ki, that had infused into the garment. That was perhaps my first experience of the "spirit" of an object. The concept comes up frequently on the HI forum, due to the nature of the HI products.

Now it is a joy to find one of these wanderers, perhaps born in the Philippines, and far traveled along the coast of North America. To sit with it, to feel its spirit. To make it whole again, in a manner so it would feel equally comfortable addressing the spirit world in a Wiccan ceremony or gutting a salmon.

 

[blue lander]

Sheath on that first one almost looks Moro, like you'd see on a Barong. Did the Moro make talibongs?

 

[Shavru]

Now it is a joy to find one of these wanderers, perhaps born in the Philippines, and far traveled along the coast of North America. To sit with it, to feel its spirit. To make it whole again, in a manner so it would feel equally comfortable addressing the spirit world in a Wiccan ceremony or gutting a salmon.

From the ones you have shared above and in the past, I would say that in my nowhere near humble opinion you listen well to the blades, but have a unique eye for the combinations. I find that objects like the root you used in the first one sort of bring themselves to your attention when you are open to seeing them, then maybe years later their purpose becomes obvious. I am enjoying seeing how you interpret what you find. Your vision is "similar" enough to mine that I understand it, but uniquely yours so it makes it fun to see. I look forward to seeing more as the various pieces make their way to you.