Pattern-welded (twist core) Budiak

migueldiaz · 16th November 2010, 10:42 PM

Hello, Lee. As an aside, I've always liked looking at the pics you take, as they show subtle details. Do you use artificial lighting, or are the pics taken on an overcast day? Hope you can give us a tip or two

Thanks in advance.

Gavin Nugent · 17th November 2010, 12:39 AM

Great post Lee,

The step by step process you followed is quite interesting and the image is great, that new camera really is a good one!

Unlike the Moro Spear I presented that has a long brass/bronze collar to support the tang and head, I found it very informative to know how thin the silver collar was on this piece, nothing more than decoration and a cylinder shaft to contain the resin when initially made...

It just goes to show, a little time and thought, some good specialist help with the silver and a cleaning of the steel brings with it rewards very satisfying. This approach can be applied to any weapon in these pages that wants or needs to be enhanced, repaired or restored.

The new wood shaft should prove interesting too. Do you have resources to have a full length new one made? I know I would be happy to provide details of width and taper. From there you could aquire what you need to cast and complete the butt cap and then have a complete representative example of a wonderful weapon.

Great work.

Gav

Battara · 17th November 2010, 02:56 AM

Greetings Folks!

Lee asked me if I would comment on my end of the silver work. Here is a quick synopsis of what I did:

Well, when I got it, as Lee said, I thought it would be thicker stuff. However, it found it to be almost literally paper thin (no kidding!). This in itself presented a problem in trying to braze sections together - they would melt!

The area that was torn in half was not only too thin, but the metal was warped and stretched. No way to pull it all together without melting, and if I were by some miracle able to, the sleeve would bend over. Instead we decided to cut the parts and I soft soldered them together, covering over the area with the original intact ring.

One of the rings was also in this kind of shape. In this case, however, I had to make an entirely new one from scratch. The silver I used was a little thicker so that I could braze it properly as well as use a dapping block and mandrels to give the ring some semblance of curvature on the sides. I also incised lines on the outside of the ring to match the others.

Another thing I had to do was to reshape the top and bottom of the piece - they were dented and misshapen. This includes reshaping the bottom ring. Lots of hammering and re-hammering on different mandrels.

Finally I took off all the dirt and corrosion. I gave it several levels of buffing and polishing to get rid of all the 100 years of oxidation. This brought it back to life the way it was meant to be.

There you have it. More work than I was expecting, but well worth it. Very pleased to do it.

Lee · 20th November 2010, 09:48 PM

Rick - Indeed, thank you for pointing this out, I do see the similarity in the dominant central mid-rib on that spear in the photograph kindly posted by Migueldiaz, although I suspect the base may be round. (I also find it interesting to note the spears carried by the adjacent man to the right and also the second from the left have the assisting wire or cord as a backup for securing the blade to the shaft.) (I did the MEK work in the garage with the main door open and the container mouth covered with aluminum foil or a cap.)

These old pictures do show us that a number of different spear styles were in use concurrently. Looking at the spear first presented in this thread with the tang now exposed, there is considerable old brown rust patina on the tang. There was no evidence of active red rust or rusty flakes in the socket, the tarry material had done its job very well. Similarly, the other spear I presented had a good coat of old rust on its bare tang while the blade had remained reasonably bright - so indeed it was not a new spearhead in 1907. I am beginning to wonder just how old some of these spearheads are. There obviously was significant trade throughout the region and older spearheads continuing in use beside new ones.

Migueldiaz - thank you for your kind comment on the photos. Most of the credit has to go to the new Canon camera I bought this summer to replace my old once respectable 2.4 megapixel unit that now lags behind the average phone in image quality. I have been shooting these outside on overcast days. As it snowed here a few nights ago, that is not going to work much longer this year, so I will have to try to set up some indoor lighting, please wish me luck.

Gavin - thank you also for your kind comments. While the silver ferrule sleeve is most attractive, even in dim light from across the room, it is pretty obvious that it was not providing much structural support. I do not know if it made a difference that the socket went deeper than the tang, but clearly the shaft had failed just beyond the tang. The wire on Emanuel's example makes a lot more sense. Perhaps this spear's mounting was adequate and was just abused, causing the failure. I am still looking around for potential pole material; for now the silver sleeve is underlain by a seamless copper tube and a temporary dowel provides a socket for the tang. Would oak have been used for these poles or was another wood favored?

Battara · 20th November 2010, 11:15 PM

Most likely narra wood wood would have been use, perhaps the outside of the narra tree. Problem is that it is no longer exported since it is becoming endangered. I would suggest walnut (looking like the outside of the narra tree) or dark stained padauk wood. Walnut would be easier and cheaper. Or you could just stain wood in walnut stain. My question would be did it have a bottom to it or not? If so, what kind?

Gavin Nugent · 20th November 2010, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee

Would oak have been used for these poles or was another wood favored?

Lee, whilst I am not versed in the correct timbers used in native surrounds, something sits in the memory banks that this was discussed some time back and Lew from memory or a thread that Lew took part in mentioned the timbers strong enough for the purpose and I think maybe where to get them from too.

Edit; There ya go Battara got in first.

Gav

migueldiaz · 26th November 2010, 01:50 AM

Lee, thank you, too.

Attached are some more pics of various Philippine swords, some of which are Moro. Thanks.

migueldiaz · 26th November 2010, 08:05 AM

Here's some more pics, from Museo Naval in Spain ...

Maurice · 28th November 2010, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by migueldiaz

Attached are some more pics of various Philippine swords, some of which are Moro. Thanks.

The spear in the middle seem to have a similarity with the captain Chimmo budiak.
They both seem to have the same decoration band of swags carved at the wooden shaft, right below the brass socket.

Maurice

17th November 2010, 12:39 AM	#2
Gavin Nugent Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,818	Great post Great post Lee, The step by step process you followed is quite interesting and the image is great, that new camera really is a good one! Unlike the Moro Spear I presented that has a long brass/bronze collar to support the tang and head, I found it very informative to know how thin the silver collar was on this piece, nothing more than decoration and a cylinder shaft to contain the resin when initially made... It just goes to show, a little time and thought, some good specialist help with the silver and a cleaning of the steel brings with it rewards very satisfying. This approach can be applied to any weapon in these pages that wants or needs to be enhanced, repaired or restored. The new wood shaft should prove interesting too. Do you have resources to have a full length new one made? I know I would be happy to provide details of width and taper. From there you could aquire what you need to cast and complete the butt cap and then have a complete representative example of a wonderful weapon. Great work. Gav

20th November 2010, 09:48 PM	#4
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 932	Follow-ups Rick - Indeed, thank you for pointing this out, I do see the similarity in the dominant central mid-rib on that spear in the photograph kindly posted by Migueldiaz, although I suspect the base may be round. (I also find it interesting to note the spears carried by the adjacent man to the right and also the second from the left have the assisting wire or cord as a backup for securing the blade to the shaft.) (I did the MEK work in the garage with the main door open and the container mouth covered with aluminum foil or a cap.) These old pictures do show us that a number of different spear styles were in use concurrently. Looking at the spear first presented in this thread with the tang now exposed, there is considerable old brown rust patina on the tang. There was no evidence of active red rust or rusty flakes in the socket, the tarry material had done its job very well. Similarly, the other spear I presented had a good coat of old rust on its bare tang while the blade had remained reasonably bright - so indeed it was not a new spearhead in 1907. I am beginning to wonder just how old some of these spearheads are. There obviously was significant trade throughout the region and older spearheads continuing in use beside new ones. Migueldiaz - thank you for your kind comment on the photos. Most of the credit has to go to the new Canon camera I bought this summer to replace my old once respectable 2.4 megapixel unit that now lags behind the average phone in image quality. I have been shooting these outside on overcast days. As it snowed here a few nights ago, that is not going to work much longer this year, so I will have to try to set up some indoor lighting, please wish me luck. Gavin - thank you also for your kind comments. While the silver ferrule sleeve is most attractive, even in dim light from across the room, it is pretty obvious that it was not providing much structural support. I do not know if it made a difference that the socket went deeper than the tang, but clearly the shaft had failed just beyond the tang. The wire on Emanuel's example makes a lot more sense. Perhaps this spear's mounting was adequate and was just abused, causing the failure. I am still looking around for potential pole material; for now the silver sleeve is underlain by a seamless copper tube and a temporary dowel provides a socket for the tang. Would oak have been used for these poles or was another wood favored?

26th November 2010, 01:50 AM	#7
migueldiaz Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Manila, Phils. Posts: 1,042	Lee, thank you, too. Attached are some more pics of various Philippine swords, some of which are Moro. Thanks. Attached Images

26th November 2010, 08:05 AM	#8
migueldiaz Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Manila, Phils. Posts: 1,042	Here's some more pics, from Museo Naval in Spain ... Attached Images

16th November 2010, 10:42 PM	#1
migueldiaz Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Manila, Phils. Posts: 1,042	Hello, Lee. As an aside, I've always liked looking at the pics you take, as they show subtle details. Do you use artificial lighting, or are the pics taken on an overcast day? Hope you can give us a tip or two Thanks in advance.

17th November 2010, 02:56 AM	#3
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	Greetings Folks! Lee asked me if I would comment on my end of the silver work. Here is a quick synopsis of what I did: Well, when I got it, as Lee said, I thought it would be thicker stuff. However, it found it to be almost literally paper thin (no kidding!). This in itself presented a problem in trying to braze sections together - they would melt! The area that was torn in half was not only too thin, but the metal was warped and stretched. No way to pull it all together without melting, and if I were by some miracle able to, the sleeve would bend over. Instead we decided to cut the parts and I soft soldered them together, covering over the area with the original intact ring. One of the rings was also in this kind of shape. In this case, however, I had to make an entirely new one from scratch. The silver I used was a little thicker so that I could braze it properly as well as use a dapping block and mandrels to give the ring some semblance of curvature on the sides. I also incised lines on the outside of the ring to match the others. Another thing I had to do was to reshape the top and bottom of the piece - they were dented and misshapen. This includes reshaping the bottom ring. Lots of hammering and re-hammering on different mandrels. Finally I took off all the dirt and corrosion. I gave it several levels of buffing and polishing to get rid of all the 100 years of oxidation. This brought it back to life the way it was meant to be. There you have it. More work than I was expecting, but well worth it. Very pleased to do it.

20th November 2010, 11:15 PM	#5
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	Most likely narra wood wood would have been use, perhaps the outside of the narra tree. Problem is that it is no longer exported since it is becoming endangered. I would suggest walnut (looking like the outside of the narra tree) or dark stained padauk wood. Walnut would be easier and cheaper. Or you could just stain wood in walnut stain. My question would be did it have a bottom to it or not? If so, what kind?