Binding Rattan
 

Charles asked for instructions for binding rattan, so I took few photos and send him. He tried it on a newly made barong scabbard and this is what came out:

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/09/000309.jpg

Not bad for a novice restorer (or may be the cookbook is good). Charles suggested to post the binding instructions on the forum so all could benefit, and here they are:

Tools: Good scissors, long (not sharp) needle, sharp knife (I use a medical scalpel)
1) Immerse the rattan in room temperature water for about 20 min. until it is soft and flexible

2) The rattan has two sides: the front side which is shining and the back side which is rough

3) Start the binding from the back side of the scabbard, always going from the narrow part of it toward its wider part.

4) Start with the rattan rough side up; fold it 90 degrees so the front side is up now (see photo 1):

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/01/000301.jpg

5) Continue binding until you get the required width of binding

6) Push the long needle below the last three-four bindings (Photo 2):

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/02/000302.jpg

7) Push the end of the rattan fiber below the last three bindings (Photo 3)

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/03/000303.jpg

8) Pull out the needle and tight the rattan fibers (Photo 4)

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/04/000304.jpg

9) Fold the rattan upward and push it below the last binding (Photo 5)

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/05/000305.jpg

Binding Rattan ( Cont.)
 

10) Fold the rattan back down and with the aid of the needle push it below the bindings (Photo6)

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/06/000306.jpg

11) Tighten the rattan, and with a sharp pointed scalpel cut the excess fibers (Photo 7)

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/07/000307.jpg

12) The finished band (Photo 8)

http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos/extra/08/000308.jpg


Hope it helps

thx artzi!

so how do you attain the 'antique look' on the rattan?

Rattan
 

After binding, drying cleaning and light polish with very fine sandpaper I apply to it any one of the many brands of commercial wood stain.

Thanks alot Artzi! ;) I always liked your instructional threads, such as the one where you restored that killic hilt, and this one.

Thank you Artzi. That's an excellent tutorial.

Now if I could learn to braid the thin rattan around the scabbard or the hilt of a sundang, I would be a happy man. :D

Steve Ferguson

Thanks Artzi, this will be very helpful indeed! :)
Of course i'd also love to fogure out those fancy braided wraps as well. :)

Thank you very much, Mr. Yarom :)

I am, indeed, thankful to Artzi for this new skill. Now the problem becomes one of finding good rattan materials, preferably the thinner the strips the better. Any suggestions of where to purchase would be appreciated.

...and NO, I am not making baskets on commission as some jokesters have suggested! :p

Charles,
I've ordered from Royalwood Ltd. at Royalwood

They sell rattan for chair caning down to 1.25 mm width. I've always gotten good service from them.

Steve

Edit: You can also find it at http://www.franksupply.com/handcaning.html
and www.caneandreed.com but I've never bought from them.

Same for me. I can imagine that it is done in the same way. Waving with the needle through the horizontal wraps. would like to see some instruction in the same way for scabbard repair.

Basket weaving isn't much of a help :rolleyes:

At your service neighbor. :)

Steve

Did anyone happen to download the demonstration photos from Artzi? Would be a great resource to add back to this thread. It is not archived in the Wayback Machine...

Jeff,

Artzi's post was made to this forum, not the old UBB forum. If he had uploaded the pics here they would still be available. Perhaps he linked them from his server. Hopefully Charles or someone else who posted on that thread still has the pics. If nobody has them, perhaps you could write to Artzi and see if he still has them and would like to share them again.

Ian

Thank you for this information! Would it be possible to make a video of the process?