For those of you who are staying in Taiwan, you can now buy MY Parang in Taiwan
MFT (Independence Design Co., Ltd.)
Email: ask@mft.tw
Website: www.mft.tw
Direct link to MY Parang products – https://mft.tw/collections/brands/my-parang
Facebook Pages: www.facebook.com/mft.tw/
Always buy local when possible and support your local retailers!
We would like to welcome our new distributor in Russia , Forest Home . If you want to look for an authentic parang, please contact them as per the details below. They have a wonderful shop selling outdoor equipment and edged tools
Forest-Home store
191023, Saint-Petersburg,
Aprkasin lane, 12.
Russia
e : info@forest-home.ru
w: www.forest-home.ru
t: 8 (812) 748-24-18
t: 8 (812) 642-72-26
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/forestandhome
Instagram: http://instagram.com/forestandhome
We would like to welcome our new distributor in Scandinavia , Black Swan Knives and Leather Of Sweden. If you want to look for an authentic parang, please contact them as per the details below.
T.B.S.K.& L. of Sweden
Handmade Knives & Leather
Von Platens Alle 29, 25657 Ramlösa,
Sweden
e: chris@theblackswanknives.com
t: +46729101082.
w: http://www.theblackswanknives.com
We are back at the Festival Kraf Johor 2016 ( Johor Craft Festival 2016 ) It is currently happening now ( 15th Dec – 25th Dec 2016 ) . So if you are nearby, please drop by our booth in the main tent ( its about 150meters long , you can’t miss it ) booth no LTS4 which is right at the end of the tent. There are another 6 parang makers , so yes, there is a lot of choice.
Besides Parangs, the usual handcraft galore is also available – wood furniture , basketry, woven mats and food covers, batik products, pottery and many more.
There is only one giant tent, which is about 150 meters long. All the exhibitors are placed under this tent , while the live demonstrations like batik and blacksmith challenge is held outside. Below are some pictures of the booths at the Johor Craft Festival 2016 .Please excuse the pictures, my camera does not work well indoor.
Besides just selling, there are also some live demonstrations of crafts like wood carving and batik printing.
Whenever you see the title ” Adiguru” that means that the person is a certified master craftsman / woman. This title is given by the Craft Development Corporation of Malaysia and there can be only one Adiguru in each craft category , ie Adiguru batik , Adiguru Ukiran Kayu ( wood carver ) etc. These Adiguru are the most highly skilled and experienced craftsmen in Malaysia. It is a very big honor to be granted the Adiguru title . To qualify as an Adiguru, besides being an expert in craft , they must also have a big impact on the society as well, like they train new students, participate in competitions and put effort to educate and elevate the craft. The picture of the batik stamp above was made by an Adiguru and you can see how fine and detailed his work is. The stamp is currently owned by the Craft Development Corporation Museum.
Today ( 17 Dec ) , there will also be a live blacksmithing competition. This is the first time such a competition is done . The competitors are required to forge their own blades using the material and equipment provided . Once it is complete, they will test their blades in a small circuit which consists of cutting rope, bamboo and 3×3 pine wood. The prizes are very generous. I will post more pictures of the competition as it goes along.
Below are some pictures of the setup.
Will update this page as the days go by. Keep tuned !
Update 22 Dec 2016
Today is the finals of the blacksmithing challenge and 3 guys are battling it out right this moment. Below are some of the competitors during the preliminary rounds.
Here are some pictures of the preliminary rounds.
That’s all for this short update, will try and squeeze one more update before the end of the Johor Craft Festival 2016
This year we were able to participate in the annual National Craft Day held by the Malaysian Craft Development Corporation. It is an annual event held right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur for a duration of two weeks. This Craft day is the biggest craft gathering or fair in Malaysia and is always a huge success.
MY Parang first attended last year’s craft fair ( 2015 ) and we made sure we attended this years event too. It is a fantastic opportunity to see all the crafts concentrated in one area . Not to forget, the craftsmen and women get to meet , discuss and exchange ideas. An event not only for buyers, but for the craft community as well. This year there were less exhibitors and we were able to get a spot in the main tent with all the other Parang , keris and other knife makers. Last year a few of us had to be placed in a separate tent due to the lack of space.
Besides sales, there was also live demonstrations of parang making, mat weaving , cooking , brass pots casting , live performances and we even had a visit from the Malaysian Queen as well.
Below are pictures from the event.
Our simple table for this year’s National Craft Day. We also had a screen showing all the youtube videos and reviews . We had some people stand for hours looking at the videos and many were amazed that our parangs have reached many parts of the world!
Besided selling MY Parang, we also had some exquisitely made skinning knives for sale. These blades can fetch up to rm 600.00 ( about USD 150.00 ) for a 6 incher.
Next to us was Pak Tam from Negeri Sembilan . He kept himself busy carving when the is time ( picture above ) . Below are more pictures of the tents and some of our neighbors during the national craft day. These are not all, but just a few. All in, there were about 30 parang makers who joined the National Craft Day .
And here are some pictures of the demonstration area . Here the blacksmiths make parang live in front of customers. Many people come to bring their blades to have them handled and sheaths made. Some even have a go at hammering the red hot steel.
This year we had a surprise visit from Her Majesty the Queen of Malaysia. We were caught off guard actually as no one expected her to drop by and visit. The best part of it, she purchased a 12″ MY Parang Duku Chandong from us!
We had a great but hectic time at the National Craft Day this year, but it was very well worth it. Hopefully the Craft Development Corporation will continue to support the craft industry by holding more of these kind of events. MY Parang would also like to say thank you to the Craft Development Corporation of Malaysia for this very well organized and established event and hope to participate again in the following years.
