Yesterday we got a chance to visit Parang Lipis, where Founder Adham brought us through the entire process, from using blocks of scrap metal to a complete Parang. From a piece of steel taken off a vehicle's suspension spring and being forged into this versatile 12" blade.
Was really interesting to see whole process!
We used to see blacksmiths in movies and role playing games and it was really cool to see it firsthand, with the hammering part recalling memories of watching Tony Stark in the cave. My favorite part was to witness the Hardening, when the blacksmith would cool down the blade by dipping it in oil (or water) and this thick cloud of smoke would come off the blade.. Then the oil temporary re-ignited from the high temperature. So cool.
Plus, I can finally appreciate what an anvil is used for and how blacksmiths make use of their shape. Cartoons like Road Runner always comically used anvils as a symbol of "something heavy", so seeing in person how it was used was a fun little enlightening moment, making sense of my childhood laughter at watching Wild E Coyote try to use these things to catch roadrunner, or get slammed by them (or both 🤣).
Really interesting stuff! Gotta admire the craftsmanship and precision, underlying a thoughtful consideration of science and art, especially the passionate dedication of Adham in perfecting his craft, and the inspiring thoughts behind what made him get into manufacturing parang in the first place. Check it out!
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