OT - A Malay Legacy..

samosaurus · #1

Good Day and Greetings from Malaysia..

This is an OT's OT thread, so, here it goes - I'd love to share with my <img src="spyder.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>-bros out there about the traditional art of "keris-making". Well, for starters, the "keris" is a traditional Malay dagger used in official ceremonies as well as hand-to-hand combat in the olden days.. Fashioned from a blend of steel and iron ore, the keris is well-known in my region for its intricate blade, hilt and wooden (sometimes silver and gold) scabbard. This edged weapon is used mainly by the Malay warrior and their noblemen as well as rulers.. It has a half-millennia history which can be traced back to the Sultanate days of the old Malaya.. Well, there are some similarities on the Peninsular Malay keris if compared to their Indonesian and Southern Philippine cousins.. I'd recently attended a workshop on forging the blade.. Well, just observed and would like to share some pictures which have captured my imagination.. Enjoy the pix..

Sam

<IMG SRC = http://img66.photobucket.com/albums/v20 ... eris_4.jpg>

forging of the keris

<IMG SRC = http://img66.photobucket.com/albums/v20 ... eris_5.jpg>

shaping the "luk" or curve

<IMG SRC = http://img66.photobucket.com/albums/v20 ... eris_2.jpg>

Master craftsman Abu Bakar Md Amin at work..

<IMG SRC = http://img66.photobucket.com/albums/v20 ... day2_7.jpg>

Some of Abu Bakar's masterpiece..

<IMG SRC = http://img66.photobucket.com/albums/v20 ... eris_8.jpg>

An awesome quartet..

<IMG SRC = http://img66.photobucket.com/albums/v20 ... eris_6.jpg>

A close up of the "pamur" or forging lines..

have knives will travel...

silverback · #2

Nice pics - do you have one of the whole blade?
I like to see different approaches to knifemaking.
The intricate work on the hilt is beautyful and the sheaths have an interesting shape!

Thanks!

Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week. -George Bernard Shaw

samosaurus · #3

Hi Silverback! Nah.. I was just an observer.. didn't own any of Pak Bakar's keris.. I have plenty of photos though.. <img src="tongue.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

Sam

have knives will travel...

voxnaes · #4

Hi Samo,
What about the cool blades you posted pictures of way back when. I can´t remember the name of the but I reaslly loved the design. They were quite large FB´s and made in Malaysia too, IIRC.
Take care,
Vox.

jaids · #5

Nice pics Samo. These days it is rare to see any kind of hand made blade that is of such aesthetic value.

jaids

<img src="spyder.gif" width=45 height=45 align=middle border=0>

#6

Awesome Sam!!!

Joyce @ Spyderco

donutsrule · #7

Very nice!

samosaurus · #8

Hey Vox, yeah, that was waay back then, I remember! They are called "parang".. Utility blades used for agriculture.. Yeah, will post a shot when I get closer look at some new ones.. <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

Sam

have knives will travel...

voxnaes · #9

Year, your right -that was the name!! I REALLY liked tose big boys <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0><img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>LOL!
Take care, old chap
J/Vox

UK KEN · #10

Sam

What are the chances of getting hold of a real working Parang?

Regards Ken

Do not condemn the judgement of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong.

thombrogan · #11

Bargain Blades,

Valiantco sells handmade parangs made from spring steel and damascus.

UK KEN · #12

thombrogan

Thanks for the info. How do I get hold of him?

Ken

Do not condemn the judgement of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong.

thombrogan · #13

Kenneth Bargain Blades, Esquire the Second,

Emu dispatched with the information.

Samo,

Thanks for sharing the wonderful pictures. Those are some beautiful blades and examples of woodcraft and metalwork.

UK KEN · #14

Thom

Emu arrived! What a site! Where's my credit card?

Many thanks. Ken

Do not condemn the judgement of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong.

thombrogan · #15

Well, I don't have it.

Parangs, pamurs, and klewangs away!

Alberghini · #16

Samo
Exist Parang in Stainless Steel?

SpyderNut · #17

Hey Samo, awesome pics!<img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle border=0>

Peace,

Michael

samosaurus · #18

hmmmm.. I musta missed out on this one.. Well, most parangs are made from high-carbon steel. Scrap metal to be precise, e.g. : Truck leaf spring, railroad tracks, flattened bearings.. Stainless steel? Nah.. Unless its made by someone who knows how to use premium steel and heat treats them.. Which is non-existant here in my part of the world..

Oh yeah, Ken@BargainBlades : The British Army did issue their version of the parang to their servicemen in Malaya.. Yeah, that's what my country was called when it was a jewel in the British Empire's crown till 1957. Anyway, here's a story : The Parang has been used extensively in the jungles of Malaya during the insurgency (1947-1963) where British troops along with their counterpart from the Royal Malay Regiment had fought communist bandits in Peninsular Malaya. In Borneo, before part of it became "Malaysia" in 1963, the British-made Parang saw some heavy action at the Kalimantan border wars called "Konfrontasi" where Indonesia under its then President Sukarno had declared war on Malaysia... Well, if I'm not mistaken, there is an article on the parang in either Knife Illustrated or Blade magazine.. will update you on this one..

Sam

have knives will travel...

Edited by - samosaurus on 6/30/2004 2:17:06 AM

sharp · #19

cool pic´s!!! keep it sharp !!