The blade of this light parang, I forged from leaf spring of a bicycle-riksha.

Handle and sheath are made from the same chunk of Indian Padouk (narra wood) and the fittings are made from copper.

Center of the flower is the peened over tang.

Blade measures 310mm and overall 460mm

 

That is a really  good looking piece! And your Banana leaf backdrop is very effective. Congratulations!

that is real class

I don't usually comment on blades but some are so beautiful I do. I really like everything about it, it's elegantly simple and obviously for serious use, the sheath is outstanding and Ian is right the banana leaf is a perfect backdrop. Taking good pictures of steel isn't easy but you nailed it.

Well done all round.

Frosty The Lucky.

Simply beautiful. 

How did you get the patina on the copper fittings?

It's one of the prettiest knives that I've seen in a long time! It shows skill, artistry and dedication!  I'd be very proud of such a knife!

Lovely piece. Thanks for sharing it. 

I did a lot of work with padouk in my cabinetmaking days -- lovely wood to carve: just the right balance between hard and soft, takes good detail, smells nice as you carve it. The only issue I ever had with it was wishing it would keep the lovely reddish brown instead of darkening to a velvety chocolate. 

 

On 1/24/2016 at 4:30 AM, BIGGUNDOCTOR said:

Simply beautiful. 

How did you get the patina on the copper fittings?

I use Potassium Sulfide.If You polish the copper surface it will rub off to fast.

Give it a 240 grit scratch finish like jewelers use to do then the patina remains better.

 

7 hours ago, JHCC said:

Lovely piece. Thanks for sharing it. 

I did a lot of work with padouk in my cabinetmaking days -- lovely wood to carve: just the right balance between hard and soft, takes good detail, smells nice as you carve it. The only issue I ever had with it was wishing it would keep the lovely reddish brown instead of darkening to a velvety chocolate. 

JHCC I agree with You, it is a very nice wood to work with, like You said not too soft not too hard.That fact makes it one of the most durable natural materials .On folders with those thin scales, padouk dont shrink, warp, or crack.This makes it a material with more endurance than Giraffe bone.

With the color I have different experiences with Padouk.Some darken after, some darken a bit and some pieces do not.I guess it has much to do with the individual tree/piece of wood.

the Indian Padouk (Pterocarpus Indicus) seems to darken more than the Burma Padouk (Pterocarpus Macrocarpus)from which I have some personal knives in use, that are not darken at all.But they are all from the same hughe root chunk.

I finish it to grit 800 and then treat the wood with a very light touch of oil.If use too much, the oil will remain as blue-greyish ugly spots in the pores of the wood.

Most of the wood treatments making it darker already

It is like so often, the more You know the more questions You have

Thank You very much Gentlemen!

I appreciate it very much!

On 1/26/2016 at 10:23 PM, templehound said:

 

Ah, we were using pterocarpus soyauxii, African Padouk. We went to a lumber dealer in NJ for some planks and he gave us a few hundred 16' lengths of 2-3" widths of 8/4 for free -- we ended up making a LOT of Craftsman-style tables. Tung oil did a great job as a finish.

Very nice.  You have an excellent sense of form and can execute your vision masterfully.  I am a wood turner as well as a blade smith and now I need to find some padouk to play with!

Beautiful.

Jspool and Klorinth, Thank You, Guys!