Congrats, Michael & Ron: Very nice examples!
Without having had a chance to handle these, my first guess would be that the (laquered?/shellac?) twine on Michael's hilt got added to keep the developing crack from becoming larger (for an original design idea it distracts too much from the nice carving IMHO) while the twine at the base of Ron's hilt may just help to keep the guard from wiggling...
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My guess is that the green stuff is from some kind of a beetle.
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That looks more like a late, non-traditional addition to me. Is there any precedence for the use of beetle wings in Visayan culture?
Regards,
Kai