Philippines Blacksmith - Making Bolos
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- I had a bolo made by a blacksmith in Mambajao, Camiguin Island, Philippines. The shop is a beehive of activity, and the workers are busy continuously. The shop does a lot of local business, but even tourists stop by to get knives as souvenirs.
Thank you for sharing this video you know that is my uncle the legend made the bolos this video is my uncle is alive couple of months pass away so continue blogging about camiguin island what is in there and what is you did not see that last time and came back now in 2020 there new normal new place new buildings so keep it up let's get connected and grow together see you around keep safe and god bless you my sister big love mambajao camiguin island philippines god bless you my beautiful friend
Wow! So sorry your uncle died. I hope it wasn't Gayramon, but whoever it was, it's still a loss for your family. Be at peace.
One of my uncles (dad’s brother) was stationed in Clark AB back in the late 80’s. When the volcano nearby erupted and they were all shipped out back home, he brought back with him one of those beautiful short cutting swords that was given to him by one of the natives that live around the forests. He told me it has helped him a lot clearing out weeds and branches in the bush whenever they go for their annual jungle survival training conducted by the same native tribes called the Aetas. I just forgot what he called it. It’s got a pointy tip and tapers from about 2 1/2 inches near the tip to about an inch and a half to the hilt and has got a buffalo horn handle.
Cool footage of a local blacksmith. Still can't beat real hand forged steel. The blade shape looked like a Parang, very nice for bush craft =)
You're right. The bolos do look similar to a parang. I think every household in the Philippines has at least a few of these knives. Thanks for watching. Be well.
The high carbon steel from truck leaf springs will hold an edge like no other. A light application of mineral oil on the blade while in storage and it should last well into the next ice age. Throughout the entire video , I was paying close attention to see if each artisan had the anatomically correct number of fingers on each hand. As noted, all fingers were accounted for sir...Thanks for sharing......
Well, the next ice age may not be that far off. My information says it might be less than 50 years. Right. They all had all of their fingers.
lol
Ang pangit ng handle,kahoy sa mt province at ifugao kau punta ang gaganda ng mga itak at ang titibay pa
Pwede naman i carburize ang bakal kapag mababa ang carbon pero magastos lang sa uling😆
I admire the hell out of that guys tong work. That’s some impressive skill and strength. No one ever talks about that. I’m finding it more important the more I practice.
They have a talented team there, for sure.
Talk about coordinated teamwork.... amazing! Thanks for sharing! :) Wow!
I'm happy you liked it. Be well.
Great video those are nice I would love to have a few of them
A few people have asked me to buy some for them, and I'd do it, but the shipping is too expensive.
I was stationed in Cubi Point for a year. The guy I worked with gave me a Bolo knife when I got reassigned. He told me the spacific name for the blade style but I can't remember. I carried that knife for 26 years. When my son was sent to Bagdad he was carrying that knife, he's had it for 13 years now. My grandson's are all saying they want grampaws war sword, I tried to tell them the only thing thag knife cut was jungle and weeds, they were actually disappointed.
That's a funny story about your grandkids. I looked up Cubi Point. An engineering marvel.
Haha that’s a good story. Thank you for sharing, and for your family’s service.
Abby Babby thank you for your service and your sons. It’s funny how people imagine knives in combat. 99% of the time they are used for utility purposes.
If its from a phil marine its a ginunting but if its from a phil army personnel it might be a kampilan
Your english is very bad.
Ellos son verdaderos maestros de la forja tradicional, es admirable que usando herramientas muy básicas y elementales logren tan buenas piezas. Saludos desde Colombia.
Es verdad. Gracias por comentar.
This was fantastic! nothing better than having a skill. What beautiful work! Bless, Sheila
The blacksmiths are skilled, but also disciplined, and they work seamlessly as a team. It really is something special to witness. I was privileged to be able to video the operation.
American Expat In The Philippines Yes indeed! That's exactly what I noticed right away. working seamlessly and you have to have real skill, and discipline in a situation like that. I love seeing things like this, it's the real deal. I remember when everyone worked with pride in what they did, and everyone had skills, no matter who you were. Of course that was many, many years ago. It's the greatest loss this country has ever had, in my opinion. If it's not a "buy junk, then toss it out" then people wouldn't know what to do with it. The reason it's so sad to me is, our children, and theirs, may never know what it is to even be able to learn things like this. Bless, Sheila
Great video. I have never stopped to take the time to watch these guys work in our area. Maybe I should stop by sometime as this seemed like a very interesting thing to watch. It is amazing how they can craft things here.
Among other things, I want to preserve (even if it's only on video) the traditional Filipino crafts. As The Philippines modernizes these ways of doing things will be lost. Not right away, but over time it'll gradually disappear.
American Expat In The Philippines You are right in that. I have seen it happen over the last few years at the house. All farming is going automated now. Planters are coming in along with harvesters. What used to be done by hand is now done by machine. Good you are able to document this for the future to see how things were done.
I bought a bolo from northern phils ilocos. The handle is made from carabaos horn. Very durable..
nice video. i'd like to buy one of those when i go to camiguin in the future.
old american jeep leaf spring bolos will last lifetimes.I have one from my father in law and my youngest kid wants it.it has a buffalo horn handle
That's pretty cool.
I love how there is no waste there. Everything gets reused.
That seems to be true. There's very little waste here.
ok thank you. let me know.
Nicely made video and interesting to look at
Thanks. The video almost made itself. All I did was point the camera now and then.
Love these kinds of videos
Me, too. It'd be hard to do a follow up on it, though. I may still try. I'm going to see if I can find someone that makes kriss swords.
Thanks so much for super-interesting video. I have watched it several times already.
Have a Philippino daughter in law in Los Angeles,I will ask her if she can get me one
of this bolos when she make a trip to her country. Will love to have one in my hands.
Thanks. I had one guy tell me some airline refused to let a bolo on the plane, even in checked luggage. I don't think that's official policy, but there you have it.
@@AmericanExpatInThePhilippines Those bolos may be bought and shipped internationally.. My brother-in-law and I bought Muslim knives (kris and kampilan) from a Muslim store in a mall next to the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao City.. We brought those along as we went back home in Los Angeles, CA, checked them in as we boarded our flight via Philippine Air Lines.. We also bought potteries, spear, and blow gun from an antique store in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; the store took care of the shipping and mailing..
I love this style of making parang or bolo
It's interesting, for sure.
Nice Iv got one that was made in Bataan 100% the old way I asked that It did not come into contact with one piece of machinery or polished not even a buffer so all the workmanship is visible it took the guy 3 days to make
Excellent. What kind of handle did they put on? One of these days I'll get one with a horn handle.
American Expat In The Philippines Im not sure lol but its light in weight and light in colour looks like some kind of palm wood or maybe even from the thicker type of bamboo ... I did buy a horn handle one too hand made partly by machinery but left it there
One of the most interesting videos Ive seen in a long time. I really dig how they all work together in a rythm,swinging those hammers. What would it cost to buy and ship one to a fat guy in Louisiana?
Thanks, BC. I thought about you a few times when I was making the video. Right, these guys work as a team, no screwing around. Well, as far as buying one, none of them cost a lot, maybe $15 for the most expensive ones. I don't know how much shipping would be. I'll look into it today. Which one might you like? The long, slender ones are the fighting knives, the one I showed at the end of my video is the most common type. It's a general purpose bolo.
+American Expat In The Philippines the bolo since I'm not a fighter. Would it be much trouble? Do you have PayPal account?
BCtruck, rebuild, repair,repurpose My PayPal account is a mess. Since I moved, and I no longer have the e-mail account I originally signed in with I can't really use it anymore. I might have to delete that account, and start another account. I don't think it'll be too much trouble to send you a bolo, but I have to find out about the shipping. Maybe I can send it through LBC because Philippines mail is slow, and unreliable. Also, I'm thinking I might put up another bolo video on John Strabismus so I can maybe attract some subscribers and viewers to my expat channel.
+American Expat In The Philippines what is LBC?
BCtruck, rebuild, repair,repurpose It's kinda like a Filipino UPS. They mostly focus on shipping balikbayan boxes from the US to the Philippines, but they also ship within the Philippines like UPS does in the US. I need to find out if they ship small packages to US addresses. If they do, then that's the best way because LBC is reliable, and efficient.
Pd po mag tanong mga sir pano poba makagawa ng matibay na subo sa itak
our neighbor town carigara leyte was also a wellknown quality makers of bulo and knife.
That was really interesting. I have never seen so many people work so well together. Most black smiths around here are just 1 person working the metal. Do they charge a good amount? It looks like quality work too.
Labor is cheap in the Philippines. Most of the bolos that can be seen in my video cost 250 pesos. That's about $5.50.
Wow. It would be a lot more here.
I would have to buy me the backyard-made bolos, My chinese-made bolo's so thin that when I struck it on a somewhat hard shrub, it deformed.
I have 1868 bolo blade use by the Christian ilocanu had ironwood handle with ebony scabbard ,even I still using very good steel I don't know what steel is this ,but is so strong and by the way she have 9kills ,
It sounds like you have an important historical artifact. I'd get it assessed by an historian if I was you. If they think it's an important piece I'd maybe loan it to a college museum. I wouldn't sell it, though, unless I was desperate.
@@AmericanExpatInThePhilippines yes its was my she have old photos from late 1870s from real owner age 78 from those photos until it pass from my grandfather and me ,but the price its worth 60,000pesos because its all complete all those photos from the sword to her original carabao belt and also full tang if only I can show you the photos,but my grandfather don't want to sell it because its has lots of memory and also he is skrimador ,
Awesome video,thanks for sharing.
You're welcome. It was interesting being there. I spent 2 days at that shop taking videos.
What type of oxygen blower do you guys use
Pwede bang gawing bolo Ang ginto?
How much does one of these sharp knives cost if I ask to be shipped to Mexico?
The shipping would make it too expensive.
Calasiao Pangasinan bolos are best in my opinion. Dull Tang with Carabao Horn in Bowie shape. Look for Victorino shop near the Calasiao Market. Other good ones are from Barrio Balisong in Talisay, Batangas. They use Railroad Steel.
Interesting. I'll look for that.
@@AmericanExpatInThePhilippines if you happen to visit Eastern Visayas, go to Carigara, Leyte. They have a town there with dozens of blacksmiths making farm tools and some old blades (for martial purpose). Some of their blades/swords are "Tinamban", and "Sansibar". They do things using old methods too, and they have a unique way of making very ornate handles.
Well that was awesome to watch John.
Thanks, John. I know you're a good welder, so I think that might make it more interesting to you.
Going to atempt to build a forge wood fired.
They look pretty streight forward.
John Solar 283 ™ I think you can do it easily. From what I know, and that isn't much, the key is a good bellows.
Yes Sir thats the key.
Very cool video! I love this kind of stuff. Did you notice if anyone was wearing earplugs? Just wondering!
None of them. I looked. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Where is the exact location
Thank you! Very informative!
Thanks, Kevin. I hoped you would enjoy this video.
Were those spoon gouges/chisels next to the whetstones, steak knives, and axe heads?
I think those were tools people here use to remove coconut from the shell.
are these guys in panay?
I just watched this again. Your gonna have to work hard to make a better video than this. The subject is fascinating to me but you even did an awesome job editing it.
Thanks. You're right that it'll be hard to top. That's always true, though.
GREAT ViDEO PO!
~ PHiLiPPiNE SCENES
Thanks. I only wish I could find similar things to make videos about.
WE WiLL MESSAGE YOU A FEW SUGGESTiONS PO!
MARAMiNG SALAMAT PO! ~ PHiLiPPiNE SCENES
Thanks. I'm always open to new ideas.
That's very cool. Do they make balisong (butterfly knives) too?
I showed the things they make for stock, but they'll make anything you want if they know what it is, or if you have a picture.
The Province of Batangas in the Philippines are well-known for their butterfly knives (balisong). Look it up. They may have stores which can ship out items.
Do you make folding knife blades? i need two for my old knife make.
Sorry. I don't make knife blades.
baka pwedi maka order janmagkano ang isa
350 boss
*kalayaan intensifies*
Good day' where this in philippines?
Mambajao, the capitol of Camiguin Island.
. ..hey John you have over100 subs already, and if you continue making unique vids like that.., I would bet you'll get 500 subs by next year EASY. Thank you for your hard work. I appreciate it kaayo ug sige bai/friend. Usapa na !!! (literally means eat it) equivalent meaning/expression for greatness, cool, ultimate, super, fantasmith etc.
Thank you, or I should say salamat po! I had some fun making that video. I'm going to make another video about this for John Strabismus. Maybe I can attract some more subscribers from that channel.
I would also be interested in a bolo. I am from Michigan. Thanks
I might be able to do it, but it won't be as simple as I first thought.
This is awesome! How much would these cost in us?
I'm not sure how much one would cost there, but they cost 250 pesos here. That's about $5.
American Expat In The Philippines
Is there any possible way that I can get some shipped over?
You arrange the shipping, and I'll supply the bolos. The shipping is the hard part. I've tried unsuccessfully to find an economical and inexpensive way to do this. You'll also be dealing with things like import duties, and maybe more government BS like that. I'll do it, though.
American Expat In The Philippines interesting, ill look into it! If not Ive always wanted to go to the Philippines. ;) hows the fishing over there for tourist?
Sorry to sink your boat.
what is the purpose of sticking it into the block of wood? is it just to test strength and sharpness?
No. That piece of wood becomes the handle.
hidden tang
American Expat In The Philippines I was impressed by that as I'm pretty sure if I tried that it would have split wide open .
the Lying Scotsman all the smoke you see is a good bit of the wood thats in the way of the tang burning away. Not only that, but, just like the metal, when the wood is heated up, it becomes more pliable so it's "bending" out of the way of the tang. Yeah, it can split but with the type of wood being used, it's unlikely.
How to order
The shipping is too expensive.
Saan yan bibili ako
Camiguin
i wonder, These men work their butts off. How much do they charge for them? In the states i bet they would need 300.00 for each one.. i
They charge about $8 US for the bolos. Labor is cheap in the Philippines.
They make around $5 a day.
How could I buy one of these? I live in Canada.
I've had a few people ask me that. I'd set up a little business selling them if I could find a way to send them quickly and reliably. UPS might be the answer, but I need to look into it further.
ok if you decide to set something up, please let me know
I THINK NO ZOMBIE WANT TO BE AT THIS PLACE WITH ALL THOSE MACHETES ALL AROUND
That's a good point. Zombies wouldn't stand a chance.
rick should make a deal with these black smiths to have better survival weapons 😂
i just found this video but zombies arent real
It's all the hammers they'd want to worry about ; )
Revelation 21 they are.
Well, not humanoid cannibalistic corpses but there are types of zombies existant in the natural world.
id so like to buy the cleaver
I guess none of the care about safety, none is wearing protective eyewear,