A Scandinavian with a parang from Borneo

I have to admit I have wanted one of those since seeing Ray Mears use a similar style. Looks like a nice mix of big knife/hatchet/machete.
 
Interesting, at about 1:20 you can see on video how the blade is differentially quenched.
 
B.B.M said:
Really? after the review i was really interested in one, but figured they would be crazy high.
Click to expand...

Valiant sells all types of blades from the other hemisphere, but they may cost more than $60. I've been posting a number of vids from "Junglecrafty" (Malaysia) here, and he had a post with a contact to get parangs. He has his own website with more info than his YouTube channel. Atlanta Cutlery also has a parang, but they call it a "Southeast Asian Guerrilla Machete".
 
J.Wiseman (SAS survival guide) is also a big proponent of parangs, so there have been quite a few made under his recommandation.
When it come to light chopping tools, parangs have quite the best shape (along with khukries, but I'm not a big fan of recurves), much better than bowie and all other "small sword" styles.
 
I like parangs better than khukris, but still really like double-sided billhooks when it comes to small choppers. :)
 
Hi there everyone.

My name is Keong and I am bandel4 (on youtube as well as other forums).

I started www.sepuh-crafts.com because I am in love with traditional style parangs from Borneo. I am based in Kuala Lumpur but my work does get me to Borneo (Sarawak) quite often.
The reason behind Sepuh Crafts is to help share with the world some of the old, sometimes forgotten blades (and the makers) of Borneo. In the past, I have come to realize that Parang has earned both good and bad reputation all over.

Thanks to individuals like Ray Mears, the Candong style parang became famous. The Candong style parang, similar to the one I sent to Fredde is a popular Iban parang. They are used more on hunting trips and great for heavier chopping (when bones and wood are involved).

But there are also Candong style parang sold everywhere else. While some are great and good, some are cheap knock off that most likely leaves the user disappointed or injured.

Sepuh Crafts will try its best to source Parangs from traditional, cottage industry style makers. Not factories that churns out parangs by the hundreds in a day. I encourage the makers to keep doing what they are doing, hoping that their livelihood and skills will not wither away. At the same time, I also encourage them to consider adopting 'new' methods like type of steel, cordage used and of course the 'pin'.

Because of the localities of the makers, it takes time to get them completed. Most bladesmith makes only the blade and leaves the handle and sheath to another craftsman to complete. Makers can be quite remote, with the most recent maker I met (an Iban smith) lives in a longhouse deep inside the jungles of Batang Ai, Sarawak. The only way to contact him is to send word which takes time to reach him.

I price the parangs reasonably, enough to cover my expenses and help support my effort. I do not believe in over pricing them because if people cannot afford them, then there is no continuation for the local craftsman. Having said that, do note also that each parang is priced differently, depending on what is the final cost of the blade (different craftsman charges differently).
All parangs purchased from the craftsman are paid in cash (though in some cases they do ask for raw materials in equal value- it is hard for some of them to obtain certain items).

I would say that the craftsman that I deal with are very happy to do business with me because I pay them accordingly and not shortchanging them.

Well, I am very thankful that Fredde has agreed to accept the parang. I would say that he has helped boost income of some of the local craftsman in Borneo.

I will try to update www.sepuh-crafts.com as often as I could. My full time job does take a lot of my time.

I thank you all for your interest and most of all, I thank you for your support (even this thread shows great support for Broneo parangs!) to help promote local craftsmen of Borneo.

KEONG a.k.a Bandel4
 
More Ray Mears showing the utility of the straighter variant of the parang.

[youtube]EVaW9glEOhQ&feature[/youtube]
 
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