Repairing the hilt on a visayan sword

Ian · 10th March 2005, 11:36 PM

Thought I would post these pictures of a repair I did recently on a Visayan hilt because the original construction of the hilt was a little different from what I have seen previously.

The hilt was very loose and pulled off with little effort. What came from the cavity in the hilt was a mixture of rusty dust and small fragments of fibrous material. Adhering to the rectangular tang were further remnants of fabric of some type which bound two thin pieces of metal to either side of the tang. These thin strips seem to have been metal "shims" and the whole attachment of the hilt to the tang appears to have been largely a press fit over a padded and expanded tang. There may have been an adhesive in the mix originally, but when I removed the hilt the wooden cavity was devoid of any residual pitch or other adhesive.

The first two pictures show the hilt disassembled. It is a large deity hilt that is associated with the island of Panay in the central Philippines (Visayas). There is a large octagonal ferrule and a small cross guard.

Closer inspection (second picture) shows notches in the top of the guard into which the metal "shims" may have fitted originally.

Ian · 10th March 2005, 11:46 PM

Well, I tried to repeat the original arrangment of the hilt. An old, well worn, cotton shirt was sacrificed for the fabric (my wife was more than happy to select the sacrificial garment from my "work" clothes). The thin metal strips were wrapped with the material and Super Glue held the arrangement in place. I was not entirely comfortable with a simple press fit, so used a little water soluble glue in the cavity to add some adhesion.

Here are pictures of the wrapping of the tang.

Ian · 10th March 2005, 11:56 PM

The fixing of the hilt is very stable and it all came together nicely.

I also etched the blade (before putting on the handle) and found a very active pattern along the edge with a line of demarcation between the sharpened edge and the rest of the blade.

This has turned out a very nice Visayan sword, probably made in the early 20th C.

Ian.

Ferguson · 11th March 2005, 01:12 AM

Excellent description of the work! That is a beautiful sword. Thanks Ian.

Steve

zelbone · 11th March 2005, 03:32 AM

Great job on that binangon, Ian! Looks like a good solid fighting piece with a very nice blade. The repair looks great. There's only one thing I would have also done while you had the sword apart and that would have been to clean the ferrule. What material is the ferrule? It looks like it is heavily oxidized iron. When I have one of these swords apart with an iron ferrule, I usually soak the ferrule in a cup of straight vinegar for several hours or overnight to loosen the oxidation. Then with an old toothbrush, brass brush, or steel wool, I just brush off the rust. This leaves the ferrule in a raw metal state which is how it originally looked like. It just gives a nice contrast with the darker wood/carabao horn deity hilt. Here's a couple of tenegre hilts that originally had rusty/oxidized ferrules that I soaked in vinegar and cleaned off during restoration. This gives you an idea of what the ferrule looked like originally.

Ian · 11th March 2005, 05:51 AM

Thanks Zel. I will remember to do that next time. Actually my plan was to polish it back to bright. When I rubbed the ferrule with oil and 0000 steel wool, to remove some surface rust, I kinda liked the dark dull patina -- seemed to go with the dark wood.

Knowing now that these ferrules were usually kept polished and bright, I will certainly do that next time. Thanks for the tip about the vinegar!

Ian.

Conogre · 11th March 2005, 03:26 PM

Thank you for posting this Ian, as your timing is impeccable...while a friend was handling a couple of mine the other day, one of the blades narrowly missed a 125 gal. aquarium showing me that it's time to do the same, immediately if not sooner.
One last question....I thought I had picked up the difference between a binangon and a tenegre, but I obviously didn't....can someone PLEASE fill me in on the difference?
I've spent hours going through searches and only find examples and not what differentiates one from the other.
Mike

Federico · 12th March 2005, 02:18 AM

Very nice find and repair. If you ever have to do a repair again, I got a big ol tub of pitch if you would like to use some. Ive liked the removability of pitch (little heat it pops off). One of the things my dad told me about filler, such as cloth strips, fiber, etc... Was when he and his father would search for new bolo, they would always check how well the blade was secured. According to him, alot of the blades did not use enough pitch/glue to secure the blade, and hence the filler (also for fit).

Conogre, difference between Binangon and Tenegre. Zel correct me if Im wrong, since Im not good with this myself, but the binangon are the pieces with more kampilanesque blades, and tengres are the pieces with the clipped point bowie like blades.

Ian · 12th March 2005, 07:56 PM

Thanks for the offer Federico. I've often wondered where I could find small quantities of pitch for these jobs. I'll be back in touch when I next have a hilt to reattach.

Lot of good helpful advice. Thanks to all for your comments.

Ian.

ariel · 29th March 2005, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Federico

Very nice find and repair. If you ever have to do a repair again, I got a big ol tub of pitch if you would like to use some. Ive liked the removability of pitch (little heat it pops off). One of the things my dad told me about filler, such as cloth strips, fiber, etc... Was when he and his father would search for new bolo, they would always check how well the blade was secured. According to him, alot of the blades did not use enough pitch/glue to secure the blade, and hence the filler (also for fit).

Conogre, difference between Binangon and Tenegre. Zel correct me if Im wrong, since Im not good with this myself, but the binangon are the pieces with more kampilanesque blades, and tengres are the pieces with the clipped point bowie like blades.

The one Ian referred to (just ended on e-bay)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6519537548
has a totally different, upswept, point..
Does it have its own name?

LabanTayo · 29th March 2005, 11:17 PM

ian,
by the way, very nice job on the restoration.
very nice binangon, even though it is a tourist piece.

10th March 2005, 11:36 PM	#1
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,203	Repairing the hilt on a visayan sword Thought I would post these pictures of a repair I did recently on a Visayan hilt because the original construction of the hilt was a little different from what I have seen previously. The hilt was very loose and pulled off with little effort. What came from the cavity in the hilt was a mixture of rusty dust and small fragments of fibrous material. Adhering to the rectangular tang were further remnants of fabric of some type which bound two thin pieces of metal to either side of the tang. These thin strips seem to have been metal "shims" and the whole attachment of the hilt to the tang appears to have been largely a press fit over a padded and expanded tang. There may have been an adhesive in the mix originally, but when I removed the hilt the wooden cavity was devoid of any residual pitch or other adhesive. The first two pictures show the hilt disassembled. It is a large deity hilt that is associated with the island of Panay in the central Philippines (Visayas). There is a large octagonal ferrule and a small cross guard. Closer inspection (second picture) shows notches in the top of the guard into which the metal "shims" may have fitted originally. Attached Images

10th March 2005, 11:46 PM	#2
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,203	Part 2 -- The Repair Well, I tried to repeat the original arrangment of the hilt. An old, well worn, cotton shirt was sacrificed for the fabric (my wife was more than happy to select the sacrificial garment from my "work" clothes). The thin metal strips were wrapped with the material and Super Glue held the arrangement in place. I was not entirely comfortable with a simple press fit, so used a little water soluble glue in the cavity to add some adhesion. Here are pictures of the wrapping of the tang. Attached Images Last edited by Ian; 11th March 2005 at 12:01 AM.

10th March 2005, 11:56 PM	#3
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,203	Part 3 -- The Outcome The fixing of the hilt is very stable and it all came together nicely. I also etched the blade (before putting on the handle) and found a very active pattern along the edge with a line of demarcation between the sharpened edge and the rest of the blade. This has turned out a very nice Visayan sword, probably made in the early 20th C. Ian. Attached Images

11th March 2005, 03:32 AM	#5
zelbone Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: VISAYAS and MINDANAO Posts: 169	Great job on that binangon, Ian! Looks like a good solid fighting piece with a very nice blade. The repair looks great. There's only one thing I would have also done while you had the sword apart and that would have been to clean the ferrule. What material is the ferrule? It looks like it is heavily oxidized iron. When I have one of these swords apart with an iron ferrule, I usually soak the ferrule in a cup of straight vinegar for several hours or overnight to loosen the oxidation. Then with an old toothbrush, brass brush, or steel wool, I just brush off the rust. This leaves the ferrule in a raw metal state which is how it originally looked like. It just gives a nice contrast with the darker wood/carabao horn deity hilt. Here's a couple of tenegre hilts that originally had rusty/oxidized ferrules that I soaked in vinegar and cleaned off during restoration. This gives you an idea of what the ferrule looked like originally. Attached Images

11th March 2005, 01:12 AM	#4
Ferguson Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kernersville, NC, USA Posts: 793	Excellent description of the work! That is a beautiful sword. Thanks Ian. Steve

11th March 2005, 05:51 AM	#6
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,203	Thanks Zel. I will remember to do that next time. Actually my plan was to polish it back to bright. When I rubbed the ferrule with oil and 0000 steel wool, to remove some surface rust, I kinda liked the dark dull patina -- seemed to go with the dark wood. Knowing now that these ferrules were usually kept polished and bright, I will certainly do that next time. Thanks for the tip about the vinegar! Ian.

11th March 2005, 03:26 PM	#7
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	Thank you for posting this Ian, as your timing is impeccable...while a friend was handling a couple of mine the other day, one of the blades narrowly missed a 125 gal. aquarium showing me that it's time to do the same, immediately if not sooner. One last question....I thought I had picked up the difference between a binangon and a tenegre, but I obviously didn't....can someone PLEASE fill me in on the difference? I've spent hours going through searches and only find examples and not what differentiates one from the other. Mike

12th March 2005, 02:18 AM	#8
Federico Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA Posts: 312	Very nice find and repair. If you ever have to do a repair again, I got a big ol tub of pitch if you would like to use some. Ive liked the removability of pitch (little heat it pops off). One of the things my dad told me about filler, such as cloth strips, fiber, etc... Was when he and his father would search for new bolo, they would always check how well the blade was secured. According to him, alot of the blades did not use enough pitch/glue to secure the blade, and hence the filler (also for fit). Conogre, difference between Binangon and Tenegre. Zel correct me if Im wrong, since Im not good with this myself, but the binangon are the pieces with more kampilanesque blades, and tengres are the pieces with the clipped point bowie like blades.

12th March 2005, 07:56 PM	#9
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,203	Thanks for the offer Federico. I've often wondered where I could find small quantities of pitch for these jobs. I'll be back in touch when I next have a hilt to reattach. Lot of good helpful advice. Thanks to all for your comments. Ian.

29th March 2005, 11:17 PM	#11
LabanTayo Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kansas City Posts: 177	ian, by the way, very nice job on the restoration. very nice binangon, even though it is a tourist piece.