Parang Impressions
All the talk of big working blades inspired me to find out what the fuss is for.
The goal was/is to forge my own personal item. This is all well and good but with zero experience in big blades (as stated) I needed a bench mark.
Along comes a parang based thread .Woody lets on he has some needing good homes and being a stones throw away, it would be rude not to have a look see.
Now its been a couple of weeks since the initial purchase, but this is my prized Parang!!
This is the lightest of the 3 variants available by some margin. It is 425g without scabbard . The next blade up felt (and looked) around twice the mass although I have no way of knowing the third not much difference to the second although with a different profile. The heavier blades looks far more proficient in chopping. I should imagine you could leave the hatchet/small axe at home if you took one of these out (although dont quote me on this as I have not tried them)
The larger tools looked nice with brass ferules but I have a hatchet knife combo that serves me well for fire duties so the larger examples stayed put. The reason the lightest parang was chosen is down to its intended use. General cutting of elder shrubs, bramble, ivy, shafts of hazel for light staves.
It came to pass, the blade has to be used.
The brambles seem to have run away with it lately
Some stems are ½+ thick in places as you can see they are cut with a satisfying ching from the blade.
The smaller stuff is sliced very finely by the blade tip .so top marks as the intended use is accomplished swiftly.
Now the pigs cote is emerging from the mess within minutes
Elder up to an inch thick .sliced nice and cleanly.
Hazel again around ¾ inch taken with no problem once I had confidence in the thin blade
This is as far as Id go whilst slashing the blade will deviate from the intended course whilst in the wood if used without conviction and Im thinking on these thicker branches it can come out at an unexpected trajectory .Eeeek!.. bystanders beware.
Anything larger and Id use the thicker part of the blade nearer the handle, with a light and fast chopping action. This section is nice and sharp on my example so made nice work of a fallen willow limb.
A hatchet would have been through in far less strokes as Id have put more weight behind it, but the Light Parang is about the speed of the blade and slashing thin flexible materials so Im not going to mark it down on that front.
After this messing about the convex edge of the blade had not changed one tiny bit .it is hard .so a light touch up is all you need once in a blue moon Im guessing.
The colour of the spine is a dark straw/brown on my example fading to a deep yellow straw by the time the polishing/grinding marks from sharpening wash them out, giving an indication of the temper within.
There has been no splitting/batoning of wood with this blade as Id have to have words with myself if I did .
It has been a very nice introduction into the techniques of using such a tool and given me insight to the principles to make my own in a similar style. (Id keep the tip thin like this one, although be slightly thicker mid way and at the handle so I can abuse the blade by splitting kindling with it)
The scabbard is rudimentary but functional and each one is bespoke to the blade it houses (I know as I looked at all of them
)
As recommended the two halves of the bonded scabbard shall be bound to reduce the chance of the blade making an unwanted appearance (some nice goat hide is on the way to wrap it in)
The handle is attached by some form of epoxy/resin and the tang is inserted atleast 3 inches in (I checked with a magnet) so is held fast.
This brings me on to my only 3 semi negative points
First, this lighter version has a nice looking, but hard nylon braid at the point where my thumb and finger move around on the handle this is not a problem for my light use but if working for a few hours Id have to man up and deal with it.
Second, (this is really tenuous) is that the tools are all ever so slightly different, so picky folk (like me) need to spend a while looking at them all .then looking at them all again .just to make sure then get in trouble with SWMBO for talking so long J.
Thirdly I have not got to try the two heavyweights out L ..
All in all I doubt I need to make one myself now oh well what to do next ..
Mojo
All the talk of big working blades inspired me to find out what the fuss is for.
The goal was/is to forge my own personal item. This is all well and good but with zero experience in big blades (as stated) I needed a bench mark.
Along comes a parang based thread .Woody lets on he has some needing good homes and being a stones throw away, it would be rude not to have a look see.
Now its been a couple of weeks since the initial purchase, but this is my prized Parang!!
This is the lightest of the 3 variants available by some margin. It is 425g without scabbard . The next blade up felt (and looked) around twice the mass although I have no way of knowing the third not much difference to the second although with a different profile. The heavier blades looks far more proficient in chopping. I should imagine you could leave the hatchet/small axe at home if you took one of these out (although dont quote me on this as I have not tried them)
The larger tools looked nice with brass ferules but I have a hatchet knife combo that serves me well for fire duties so the larger examples stayed put. The reason the lightest parang was chosen is down to its intended use. General cutting of elder shrubs, bramble, ivy, shafts of hazel for light staves.
It came to pass, the blade has to be used.
The brambles seem to have run away with it lately
Some stems are ½+ thick in places as you can see they are cut with a satisfying ching from the blade.
The smaller stuff is sliced very finely by the blade tip .so top marks as the intended use is accomplished swiftly.
Now the pigs cote is emerging from the mess within minutes
Elder up to an inch thick .sliced nice and cleanly.
Hazel again around ¾ inch taken with no problem once I had confidence in the thin blade
This is as far as Id go whilst slashing the blade will deviate from the intended course whilst in the wood if used without conviction and Im thinking on these thicker branches it can come out at an unexpected trajectory .Eeeek!.. bystanders beware.
Anything larger and Id use the thicker part of the blade nearer the handle, with a light and fast chopping action. This section is nice and sharp on my example so made nice work of a fallen willow limb.
A hatchet would have been through in far less strokes as Id have put more weight behind it, but the Light Parang is about the speed of the blade and slashing thin flexible materials so Im not going to mark it down on that front.
After this messing about the convex edge of the blade had not changed one tiny bit .it is hard .so a light touch up is all you need once in a blue moon Im guessing.
The colour of the spine is a dark straw/brown on my example fading to a deep yellow straw by the time the polishing/grinding marks from sharpening wash them out, giving an indication of the temper within.
There has been no splitting/batoning of wood with this blade as Id have to have words with myself if I did .
It has been a very nice introduction into the techniques of using such a tool and given me insight to the principles to make my own in a similar style. (Id keep the tip thin like this one, although be slightly thicker mid way and at the handle so I can abuse the blade by splitting kindling with it)
The scabbard is rudimentary but functional and each one is bespoke to the blade it houses (I know as I looked at all of them
)As recommended the two halves of the bonded scabbard shall be bound to reduce the chance of the blade making an unwanted appearance (some nice goat hide is on the way to wrap it in)
The handle is attached by some form of epoxy/resin and the tang is inserted atleast 3 inches in (I checked with a magnet) so is held fast.
This brings me on to my only 3 semi negative points
First, this lighter version has a nice looking, but hard nylon braid at the point where my thumb and finger move around on the handle this is not a problem for my light use but if working for a few hours Id have to man up and deal with it.
Second, (this is really tenuous) is that the tools are all ever so slightly different, so picky folk (like me) need to spend a while looking at them all .then looking at them all again .just to make sure
then get in trouble with SWMBO for talking so long J.Thirdly I have not got to try the two heavyweights out L ..
All in all I doubt I need to make one myself now oh well what to do next ..
Mojo
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