Thailand and many S/E Asian country use Damar composite and mentioned above. The the resin source and detailed recipe might be different as they are heavily relied on local availability. :)

Some variants for smaller knives are natural lacquer (insect origin) or other thermoplastic. Modern smiths may use scavenged polystyrene or polyethylene from junk yard as they used thermoplastic process for ages.

http://www.bloggang.com/data/p/prach...1263568215.jpg

Since some years I use a homemade mix of Damar and a kind of tar what I melt out of easyband ( mastic product to fix the roof)
its looks very much like the putty like they use to fix mandau handles and the resin cap. It glues very fast and strong and is always reversible ( just heat the blade) (To make the resin cap like a Dayak do is step two, however)

Arjan

Sure :), along with gondorukem which I have try and find not suitable. More soon.

@ mandaukudi: If I may suggest, hot water method first before other heat sources ;) :)

gutta percha
 

Gutta percha was the wonder substance of the Victorian age used to make stuff from removeable shirt collars to revolver grips. So good, so usefull, they rendered the tree from which it came, of the same name, functionally extinct. "It is illogical to render extinct a species you find so usefull" to paraphrase a certain Vulcan.