Artisanal blacksmiths in Malaysia build up strong following with traditional skills, modern techniques
BIDOR, Perak: In the storeroom of Kwong Yuan Loong smithy, stacks of blades were wrapped in newspaper, the smell of machine oil still fresh later on workers applied a coating to prevent the high-carbon steel from rusting.
The sounds of hammering reached through even with the metal shutters rolled down, as Chin Pivot Yon, 79, saturday down to recount the history of the smithy founded past his father in the late 1920s.
"Back so, the workshop was just a shop in the Chinese village. And nosotros were forging our cut implements in that location until nosotros moved out in 2000."
"The reason was considering of the noise. The identify became a new village, and people were living next door, and so the hammering got very loud," said Chin, himself suffering from partial deafness later over 50 years at the forge.
If the brand "Kwong Yuan Loong" does not band any bells, the moniker "Bidor parang" might, along with the crossed swords logo and toponym "Bidor" etched on their duku candung and golok knives (variants of the parang).
Parang candung, a blade design originally from Sarawak, is popular both locally and overseas equally an outdoor implement, and more than so the Bidor-made parangs, as an affordable and reliable cutting tool.
For people who utilize parangs, either in the agriculture industry or the outdoors, Bidor in Perak is synonymous with parang making. And it is not uncommon for walk-ins to plow up at Kwong Yuan Loong to specifically purchase their parangs.
Nonetheless, the smithy, at present operating equally a factory, makes more than just parangs.
"Actually we make agronomics cut tools, like blades for borer rubber trees, others for harvesting bunches of oil palm fruit, and also durian knives," said Chin.
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Across Malaysia, countless traditional blacksmiths toil to make inexpensive tools and agronomical implements for their local communities.
Kwong Yuan Loong used to be one such smithy starting out, and while it all the same keeps a focus on traditional blacksmithing, it has also incorporated new technologies and production methods to continue in stride with the times.
The potent demand, both from local and international clients, is a testament to the quality of its products.
Meanwhile, the industry has also witnessed the emergence of new blacksmiths who accept pride in producing loftier-end, artisanal knives with new techniques and materials. One such maker is Faris Zulkifli's Fursan Blades in Kampung Melayu Subang, Selangor.
Of these 20-odd modern artisans across Malaysia, a few accept too garnered an international following amid collectors and outdoor enthusiasts.
BIKING FROM PERAK TO PAHANG
Initially, Kwong Yuan Loong did well-nigh of its business organisation in Pahang, although orders would also come in from other states.
"There's a lot of agriculture going on in Pahang, and so I would ride a motorbike there from Bidor ... we did non have a car, so I'd acquit about 50 rubber tapping knives at one go.
"One hardware shop would accept v to 10 knives or and then. After you sold to a few shops, you lot'd take already finished your load, so nosotros slowly built up from there," said Mentum.
Chin said the smithy's blades simply carried the crossed swords trademark back in his male parent'southward time.
"People wouldn't know where to purchase parang, so when I took over, I knew that if we wanted to market our production better, we must put the 'Bidor' name likewise," Chin recalled.
As the knives became more popular, some were also exported overseas.
"A lot of users overseas were happy with the knife, co-ordinate to the feedback, but they didn't know where it's from, then our exporter asked us to add the 'Malaysia' etching. Now our most famous knife is the duku candong, and when the users come to Malaysia, they know where to go," he added.
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Apparently mitt-forged knives were a big hit with Western visitors, and some came over to test the factory's blades' reliability and strength.
"Some tests even involved dropping the blades from a peak to encounter whether they would suspension, and the visitors also came to see us manus-forging the blades," he added.
The factory works mainly with an outdoors shop in Penang to market place their parangs overseas.
"It started from in that location, and we get orders from both the Penang shop and individuals, but I can't accept on likewise many orders otherwise our social club volume would exist swamped," Foo Yoong Ming, who is Chin's son-in-law, said.
Among traditional parang makers, recycled leaf spring plates salvaged from vehicles were previously the preferred raw cloth which they could melt down and utilise. Country Rover leaf springs were traditionallyconsidered "the all-time".
Nowadays though, the factory uses imported steel plates which are mill-produced, which are of much college quality than recycled vehicle parts.
PART OF THE NEW Wave
Meanwhile, over in the new workshop of Fursan Blades in Kampung Melayu Subang, Faris watched carefully as a piece of steel slowly heated up and glowed from a dull ruddy to a bright color inside his cylindrical forge.
One time it turned cherry ruby or and so, he deftly carried out the now-malleable steel slice, soft enough that he could hammer into his desired crude shape for a pocketknife.
It takes Faris a few rounds of heating and hammering for his steel piece to have the desired flatness.
Forging carbon steel, a very basic tool steel, yields knives with a "raw" and "traditional" look that appeals to fans of such.
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These days, however, there is more need from users for the modernistic "super steel" type of knives made of pulverization steel and high-finish stainless steel, which do not require forging and are less-prone to error.
He makes by and large outdoor and everyday deport knives.
For these knives, Faris usually employs the stock removal method, where he uses plates of steel sourced from a steel mill. After outlining the blade's contour and form on the steel plate, he takes the steel bar to a belt grinder and grinds away the excess metal until he attains his desired shape and profile.
"You grind the bevels and other details, so you ship it for heat handling to become the desired hardness then you end it with polishing and and then on," he explained.
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Faris, whose interest in blade drove him to become a professional chef, started Fursan Blades about seven years dorsum.
Starting with bit metallic at first, Faris fabricated many mistakes before learning how to make blades properly from other pocketknife makers who were working with higher-end steels.
A normal day at work for Faris means making himself a cup of coffee so planning out the 24-hour interval'southward tasks, from cut out the profiles for perhaps 10 knives at a time.
"I'll exist grinding the plates down all the fashion for three to four hours with these two machines, and if any of the knives are fix for their heat treatment, I'll send them out."
"I'll have more than than twenty orders easily at whatever time that I need to complete, and about 40 to 50 pieces which I finish in a month," he said.
Faris besides does special custom orders such every bit swords for display, as well as kitchen knives as a nod to his culinary by.
"For customised kitchen knives with supreme steel and good grinds, I make them by cartoon on my previous kitchen experience."
For Faris, it'southward important to know how to use a tool like a pocketknife or parang before making the proper tool for it.
"Right at present, I'm also a student farrier (a blacksmith who works with horses) and I'd like to learn how to make the tools to alter the horse's shoes and how to practice it."
"Yous have to train and sympathise the process before you lot attempt to make your own," he added.
THE NEED TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE
Both blacksmiths agreed that there is a demand to keep their knife making skills and processes up-to-date.
Kwong Yuan Loong's Mentum, who has handed the factory'due south management to his son-in-law over a decade back, felt that the factory would demand to meliorate on its artisanal bract making with modernistic technology.
"Take quenching the blade after heat-treating information technology, you can't simply go by your middle, y'all also need instruments to read the temperature," he said.
Too transitioning from recycled or chip steel, Foo's son, Er Xian, 24, explained that the factory had likewise gone on to use gas-powered forges instead of charcoal due to difficulties in sourcing the material. While the workers yet apply the finishing touches by hand, in that location are also power hammers to help with forging.
Foo, 54, told CNA that blacksmithing was something of a dusk industry.
"But at the same time, people are too looking for artisan work, then I endeavor to maintain manus-forging, merely I'm likewise looking at increasing my mechanism and output," he said.
All the same, Chin notwithstanding wanted the younger generation to learn paw-forging from experience. "Because it's not something you can get from books."
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For Faris, what set modern knife makers apart from the traditional smiths was the clear documentation and scientific style of making blades.
Makers who employ the modern approach volition be able to tell the customer upfront what steel they are using, the metallurgical composition of the steel and how long the knife'due south sharpness is estimated to last.
"But since 2012, 2013, a lot of traditional knife makers have also been upgrading themselves, from modernising their forges to using better steels. I'd similar to think that we somewhat inspired them to take hold of up with the modern knife industry."
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-knives-bidor-kwong-yuan-loong-parang-fursan-blades-242086
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