Any sources on non-moro Philippine forging?

[xasterix]

Originally Posted by ShazamsLaw

I'm not sure if this was brought up before but, seems to be a narrative around that the best or working Filipino blades are only of moro origin....

That the use of cast iron along with the forging skills of Visayans/Luzon produced brittle and low quality swords in comparison their "cultured" neighbors.

I'm not exactly familiar with the quality of these historical Filipino blades but understanding whether these claims are false or not is a controversy that I hope can be resolved.

I think the keywords you should watch out for here is "I'm not exactly familiar with the quality of these historical Filipino blades..."

Let's use Occam's razor. Why are there so many Luzon and Visayan vintage and antique items still in circulation? Because they withstood the test of time. Is that an indicator of quality? In my opinion, yes. The swords on e-bay weren't exactly kept in a locker to age by themselves- all of them underwent actual use. In the 1800s-1900s, display swords were not fashionable in our country, for the simple reason that people can't afford them. If you had a sword made during those times, you were expected to use them- and use them they did, mostly for community and regional conflicts, even full-scale world war.

I invite you to take a look at modern-day ethnographic Filipino weapons at https://web.facebook.com/Filipino-Tr...9561170798116/
After you've scrolled for a while, let me know if you think those blades are 'low quality'.