Splitting rattan and making fine bindings and lashings

[BOD]

Someone asked recently so maybe others are interested too.

Splitting

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbH7tJVuFQA

Smoothing and making the strip even.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64sU_7jozzY

 

[Buckshot]

Brings back memories Ash
I have a similar video of a woman doing the smae splitting technique whilst talking/ joking and even looking at the rest of the group
Impressive stuff

Mark

 

[falling rain]

Amazing skill, those folks make it look so easy. I'd have sliced through the whole shebang on the first stroke ............. Nice bit of tinder from the shavings too.
Out of interest Bod and Buckshot, do you know how they sharpen their knives? All the techniques look like the tools are absolute razor!

 

[BOD]

...Out of interest Bod and Buckshot, do you know how they sharpen their knives? All the techniques look like the tools are absolute razor!...

Not sure if Mark has photos of sharpening so..

Pretty much like we do. They get the final edge on a flat river rock like basalt.

They are pretty quick about it like Finnish knifesmiths.

The photos show an Iban bladesmith sharpening his wife's knife in Brunei. The first man was a Kenyah from Kalimantan. The Iban knife is made at a different angle to the Kenyah and other interior tribes and does not seem to be carried in the jungle all the time while the Interior people do.

Here is an Iban knife with a monkey femur handle

 

[falling rain]

Excellent stuff. Thanks for that. It's fascinating to see. I think we sometimes forget that these folks live bushcraft and it's not just a hobby.

I noticed the traditional 'Alpine menthol cigarettes and bic lighter' in the background there

 

[jojo]

Are these knives forged by the people themselves or do they trade for, or purchase, the blades?

 

[BOD]

They forge the blades themselves.

In the past the inland people would smelt the ore. Nowadays our modern society produces so much junk especially the timber industry that they have lots of steel to use. A favourite is truck springs.

The smith shown unfortunately has smoked too many Alpines and has emphysema and has now retired at 80/81 years of age. He made some great blades in the past.

 

[jojo]

Another couple questions. Is the blade of the knife with the bone handle a traditional design shape? On the second video clip, the guy is using a knife that I can't quite make out, but does not look that traditional to me? No critisism meant, I am just interested Obviously, practice makes perfect! Amazing skills.

 

[Colin.W]

They forge the blades themselves.

In the past the inland people would smelt the ore. Nowadays our modern society produces so much junk especially the timber industry that they have lots of steel to use. A favourite is truck springs.

.

I remember when I was in the Phillipines there was still so much left over hardware from WW2 people were using metal from the jeeps, trucks,tanks etc and some were still running the engines to power generators, saws and winches

 

[Cyclingrelf]

How accurate is the width of the rattan? It looks pretty impressive!

The stuff I use for re-seating chairs is cut to 1/10 of a millimetre, but all machined.