Borneo parang naibur--a mix of old and new

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by Ian

In a recent discussion of a Borneo mandau, mention was made of fine rattan on the hilt being more indicative of older manufacture than coarser rattan wrappings.

There is a kind of truth in this, but in mine opinion this is not an age indicator for the 100%.
Ofcourse the fine rattan work often is found on older hilts, and the plaited rattan on the more recent hilts is less intricate and coarser.

Indeed, on the more recent hilts, almost never is seen such intricate fine rattanwork. But I have seen very old hilts with coarse rattanwork on the hilts. So the other way around this works not as an indicator imho.

Kind regards,
Maurice