Chinese Billhook

[philaw]

I mentioned this ages ago, but didn't have a digital camera at the time. I'm sure someone will be curious to see it.

It's from a blacksmith in a small town in the south of china, and seems to be the standard tool used by farmers there. I've never seen a proper billhook, but it's probably the best word for it.They'd be used for harvesting, a bit like a sickle, but it's got a lot of weight to it and it's been to work in my folks' garden chopping down buddleia and woody bushes.

When I asked the blacksmith if he could make a knife for me (you would've done the same!), the conversation went a bit like this: "I'm too busy." "Oh, so business is good?" "Is it heckas like! I work my backside off all day and only make £60 a month." Him and his wife took turns with massive hammers whacking the metal when it was red hot. I couldn't imagine doing that all day. He sharpened mine for me with a big grinder that sent showers of sparks everywhere, and probably did the heat-treat no favours. It was two years ago, so I'm not sure, but I think I paid 30RMB for it. 15RMB=£1!

 

[mr dazzler]

Nice forging How secure is the fixing of the blade to the bam boo handle, looks a little fragile to me? Do the local's use bamboo long handle's? Did he use leaf spring to make it, does it take and keep a sharp edge

 

[philaw]

The handle I made myself by trimming a piece of bamboo and battering it into the socket. It's held up fine so far, but the locals would use a piece of hardwood, and I'd do the same before putting it through any great abuse. Something like this would be carried on the waist in a simple wooden sheath that's just two pieces of wood for it to slot between. I dont really know anything about blacksmithing, but the steel used was in little cylindrical bars, so it could have been bought specially or have been scrap. I remember thinking that it looked like the reinforcement stuff used in concrete buildings. The edge is not amazing, but I've made only limited attempts to sharpen it. The profile is very thick at the spine and thin at the edge, so it's weight alone does damage. I don't think it could compare at all with something like a leuku, edge-holding wise.

 

[Matt.S]

Could've been rebar, lots of rebar in China. (Anyone else seen scrapiron prices recently?) Rebar is the steel equivalent of a very nasty leftover stew; it's made to a performance spec rather than a materials spec so any old rubbish gets chucked into the pot. So long as it doesn't deform more than it should at a given pressure it gets accepted. Rebar therefore is usually hardenable to SOME extent... though to what extent exactly is anyone's guess, without a certain amount of experimentation. The situation does change a little for very large/high tech rebar. May I ask what sort of size the bars were?

 

[philaw]

It was over two years ago now, but I'd say they were roughly big enough to make something like a leuku, and you'd need two to make somehing this size. Can't say any better than that, sorry.

 

[firecrest]

Homer simpson slippers...and is that a toe sticking out?

 

[Matt Weir]

Homer simpson slippers...and is that a toe sticking out?

Blimey, how is it the women always see the bigger picture

 

[philaw]

It's the slipper's stuffing, not my toe!