There Will Be Piras

ThePepperSkull · 31st August 2011, 06:01 PM

I recenly acquired this Pira and wanted to post pictures to both share for the archives and I was wondering about its handle.

The blade is a very nice example of the earlier pira form... but I'm not too familiar with the type of hilt. I'm more used to the hilt with the longer, curving crest. Would this be indicative of something in particular? age/region of origin/purpose as a weapon or tool?

From the pictures I think the hilt has been coated in some sort of shellac? Perhaps tree sap? I can see some of it chipping at the edges of the handle... Either that or I'm crazy. We'll see when I actually recieve it and post pictures of my own.

In the meantime, here are photos provided from the auction page:

Rick · 31st August 2011, 11:23 PM

Any chance the 'crest' has been broken off and it has been recarved ?

KuKulzA28 · 1st September 2011, 01:48 AM

I wanted to bid on this, but I'm glad you got it!
Please, more pictures when you have it in your hands.

ThePepperSkull · 1st September 2011, 02:17 AM

@rick: I suspect this may be the case as well. The hilt looks like it ends prematurely. I'll post pics of the buttend once I recieve it.

@KuKulzA28: You know I wouldn't pass up the opportunity for a good pira!

Also, I've noticed that quite a bit of Piras (this one included) to be made of sandwich construction (steel in the centre, iron on either side). To me this seems to be the only method of construction in pira blades aside from monosteel in newer ones. Have there been any different examples? like patterned blades or twistcore, or did the Yakan produce exclusively sandwich construction blades?

mross · 7th September 2011, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

Any chance the 'crest' has been broken off and it has been recarved ?

I was just watching this one as I think the crest was broken and had been reworked as well. Nice blade, looked good in the photo's

kai · 8th September 2011, 12:42 AM

Congrats!

That certainly looks like a broken "crest" to me. The hilt seems to have shiny patina rather than laquer.

Quote:

Also, I've noticed that quite a bit of Piras (this one included) to be made of sandwich construction (steel in the centre, iron on either side). To me this seems to be the only method of construction in pira blades aside from monosteel in newer ones. Have there been any different examples? like patterned blades or twistcore, or did the Yakan produce exclusively sandwich construction blades?

Sandwich construction is the only traditional method for bladesmiths throughout the SEA archipelago aside from inserted edge (maybe more like a variant than a really different construction method at least as far as function is concerned) and very rare exceptions (like the odd keris without a steel core).

What is being used for the outer layers does vary though: Often it's "random" low-contrast pamor (usually of the mlumah type) - the inevitable result of forging out impurities; high-contrast pamor is for showing off and can be of the mlumah type as well as the miring type with Moro status pieces.So far, I haven't seen any pira (nor bangkung) with high-contrast pamor but I'm sure Michael will show us one with twist-core sooner or later...

Regards,
Kai

Rick · 10th September 2011, 12:13 AM

n/t

ThePepperSkull · 18th September 2011, 08:52 PM

Thanks for the visual reference, rick!

The pira came in yesterday. Will take pics when I have time, but quickly came to post a few notes:

- The blade is tapered. at the base it is 6.5mm thick, and tapers to less than 2mm thick near the tip. Seems a tad slim for a non-modern/old moro piece, but my frame of reference is mainly from Kris. Is this common for Pira of this shape? I have another pira of the "newer' blade shape that is thicker. Would thickness be any indication of age or quality? It definitely feels good in-hand and is not whippy. Very solid.

- Length of the blade is a whopping 20 inches (51cm)

- Upon closer inspection, the blade seems to be laminated in a low contrast pattern, as kai predicted. I was thinking about doing a light citric etch as someone seems to have polished it almost to a shine at one point.

- As Kai also said, it turns out the patina on the handle is shiny rather than there being some type of laquer on it.

- Length of the handle is 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) but was probably longer orginally due to the broken crest

- The patina at the butt end of the hilt is lighter and does seem to me to indicate that the crest was broken off and then smoothed out at one point. I will post pictures of this.

- There are filings at the base of the spine that we see in many philippine/moro blades. The familiar ||X| pattern is filed in.

- there are scratch marks on the wood from the shaping of the handle. This and the next bit are why I believe this to belong to someone who was not necessarily of status.

- The brass punto (metal hilt collar/sleeve) is significantly less wide than the handle it is on. Is this indicative of any particular group's style of assembly? I know that the Pira have been attributed to the Yakan and Samal, but what are the differences between piras made by each group? This Punto style seems new to me, as most of the ones I see on other pira are silver and have the look similar to most Barung (i.e. longer slength in the punto, lined up well at the base with the wooden hilt, tapering out in 'rings' once it gets closer to the blade). Then again, it could be because of its owner. It does not seem to me like a status piece.

31st August 2011, 06:01 PM	#1
ThePepperSkull Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 338	There Will Be Piras I recenly acquired this Pira and wanted to post pictures to both share for the archives and I was wondering about its handle. The blade is a very nice example of the earlier pira form... but I'm not too familiar with the type of hilt. I'm more used to the hilt with the longer, curving crest. Would this be indicative of something in particular? age/region of origin/purpose as a weapon or tool? From the pictures I think the hilt has been coated in some sort of shellac? Perhaps tree sap? I can see some of it chipping at the edges of the handle... Either that or I'm crazy. We'll see when I actually recieve it and post pictures of my own. In the meantime, here are photos provided from the auction page: Attached Images Last edited by ThePepperSkull; 31st August 2011 at 06:19 PM.

1st September 2011, 01:48 AM	#3
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	I wanted to bid on this, but I'm glad you got it! Please, more pictures when you have it in your hands. Last edited by KuKulzA28; 1st September 2011 at 01:59 AM.

10th September 2011, 12:13 AM	#7
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	n/t Attached Images

31st August 2011, 11:23 PM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	Any chance the 'crest' has been broken off and it has been recarved ?

1st September 2011, 02:17 AM	#4
ThePepperSkull Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 338	@rick: I suspect this may be the case as well. The hilt looks like it ends prematurely. I'll post pics of the buttend once I recieve it. @KuKulzA28: You know I wouldn't pass up the opportunity for a good pira! Also, I've noticed that quite a bit of Piras (this one included) to be made of sandwich construction (steel in the centre, iron on either side). To me this seems to be the only method of construction in pira blades aside from monosteel in newer ones. Have there been any different examples? like patterned blades or twistcore, or did the Yakan produce exclusively sandwich construction blades?

18th September 2011, 08:52 PM	#8
ThePepperSkull Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 338	Thanks for the visual reference, rick! The pira came in yesterday. Will take pics when I have time, but quickly came to post a few notes: - The blade is tapered. at the base it is 6.5mm thick, and tapers to less than 2mm thick near the tip. Seems a tad slim for a non-modern/old moro piece, but my frame of reference is mainly from Kris. Is this common for Pira of this shape? I have another pira of the "newer' blade shape that is thicker. Would thickness be any indication of age or quality? It definitely feels good in-hand and is not whippy. Very solid. - Length of the blade is a whopping 20 inches (51cm) - Upon closer inspection, the blade seems to be laminated in a low contrast pattern, as kai predicted. I was thinking about doing a light citric etch as someone seems to have polished it almost to a shine at one point. - As Kai also said, it turns out the patina on the handle is shiny rather than there being some type of laquer on it. - Length of the handle is 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) but was probably longer orginally due to the broken crest - The patina at the butt end of the hilt is lighter and does seem to me to indicate that the crest was broken off and then smoothed out at one point. I will post pictures of this. - There are filings at the base of the spine that we see in many philippine/moro blades. The familiar \|\|X\| pattern is filed in. - there are scratch marks on the wood from the shaping of the handle. This and the next bit are why I believe this to belong to someone who was not necessarily of status. - The brass punto (metal hilt collar/sleeve) is significantly less wide than the handle it is on. Is this indicative of any particular group's style of assembly? I know that the Pira have been attributed to the Yakan and Samal, but what are the differences between piras made by each group? This Punto style seems new to me, as most of the ones I see on other pira are silver and have the look similar to most Barung (i.e. longer slength in the punto, lined up well at the base with the wooden hilt, tapering out in 'rings' once it gets closer to the blade). Then again, it could be because of its owner. It does not seem to me like a status piece.