Finally, add your finishing touches. For this barong. I first did a single layer wrap with hemp. For added grip, I added a second layer of braided hemp in short sections. I would have done it the way the do this in Sulu, but I can't figure it out and is way too complicated. I could have asked my father, but it's been a long time for him do something like this. The next photo shows me laquering the hemp grip. Traditionally, you would use pitch, but since I decided to use modern methods from the beginning, I mixed up some clear laquer (believe it or not its the Testors model airplane stuff you get at hobby store) mixed with some black pigment (I used this India ink I had laying around in an old calligraphy set...HEY IT WORKED
!) The laquer also helps bind the fibers of the hemp together and seals it. Finally, the last step was to stain the wood putty in the punto. I chose a dark stain...I forgot what color it was...I think rosewood. Looks real enough to me. The last photo is the completed barong. I wish I took a better pic of it. See...it wasn't that hard to do.