In this page , we would like to share with you some my parang videos made by our dealers as well as customers. Sometimes , if not , all the time, it is much easier to have a better look at the product by watching a video, compared to photos.We also appreciate feedback and issues related to my parang, and sometimes it would be better to convey in video / youtube form . Keep the my parang videos coming!
If you have any other videos that shows my parang products, let us know in the comment section below, and we will add it in here.
– Video from Alpha Bushcraft in the UK ( * Note that the Sheath has now been upgraded to the nylon version )
– Video from Blade HQ in the US
– Video from the popular “WeAllJuggleknives” channel on youtube
– Video from a customer of ours comparing the Gerber Gator Machete and the My Parang Duku Panjang
A review done by equip 2 endure
A review done by Red Eagle Trapping
And here are some made by Outdoor Dynamics / MY Parang
10″ Duku Chandong
12″ Duku Chandong
12″ Duku Chandong Heavy
Golok 125
Golok 135
Parang Machete
Parang Bulan
Parang Tangkin
That is what is out there at the moment, If you have made one yourself or have come across any other videos which shows my parang products, let us know in the comment section below.
Here is another small update for our customers in the USA. You can nowbuy My Parang products in the US .This means that you do not have to buy direct from Malaysia anymore and the big plus is that you don’t have to wait 2 weeks for your order to arrive.
We will add more as we build our dealer base there.
Here is a small update for our UK based customers. We have selected a respectable distributor for MY Parang products in the UK and Ireland. They have placed two large orders recently and we are very happy with the progress and market they cover in the UK. From now on , UK customers will not have to purchase all the way from Malaysia , wait weeks for the product to arrive plus the unnecessary extra cost of UK local taxes and duties , but can purchase directly from the UK based shops listed below. Buying parangs in the UK can’t be any simpler!
This means that from now on, we will not be taking anymore individual orders to the UK. If you are a shop owner and intend to sell in the UK , drop us an email, we will put you in touch with our distributor there. Alternatively, you can contact our distributor in the UK directly listed below ( MORA Distribution Ltd. )
MY Parang Distributor in the UK and Ireland :-
Mora Distribution Ltd
Unit 6 ,Prospect Business Park,
Alresford, Hampshire,
SO24 9UH
United Kingdom
+44 (0) 1962 736335
E-mail : info@moraofsweden.co.uk
MY Parang Retailers:
1) Hennie Haynes
Units 4-6 Windmill Industrial Estate,
Wimborne Road,
BARRY, CF63 3DH,
United Kingdom
Tel: – 033 0300 0400 Direct link to MY Parang product page
2) Moonraker Accessories
Rectory Cottage,
West Knoyle,
Warminster, Wiltshire,
BA12 6AF ,
United Kingdom
Tel/Fax : +44 01747 830418
Email: info@moonrakerknives.co.uk Direct link to MY Parang product page
3) Greenman Bushcraft
37 Beehive Lane
Chelmsford ,Essex,
CM2 9TQ,
United Kingdom
(this address is not a shop – Visitation by appointment)
Tel: 01245 201 002 Direct link to MY Parang product page
4) Springfields of Burton Ltd
76 Station Street,
Burton-upon-Trent,
Staffordshire,
DE14 1BT,
United Kingdom
Tel: 01283 530707
email: hello@springfields.co.uk Direct link to MY Parang product page
5) The Bushcraft Store
BDU Imports Ltd & The Bushcraft Store®,
Culver Nurseries, Cattlegate Road,
Enfield, Middlesex, EN2 9DS.
United Kingdom
Tel: 020 8367 3420
email: sales@thebushcraftstore.co.uk Direct link to MY Parang product page
I’m sure many of you have heard of the Bidor Blacksmith by now. There has been many blog writings on them and their blades are sold worldwide. From a small family shack, they are now one of the leading parang / agricultural tools in Malaysia. Their expertise lies in their heat treatment – their blades are easily sharpened and able to hold an edge for a long time.
Recently on our last trip, we took some pictures of the workshop and this post will be pretty picture heavy .
Here, they earn their living from making agricultural tools – from sickles to kitchen knives , and most things in between. Hence to live of this , their setup is pretty much bigger and is a stark contrast with the traditional makers. Here you can see half a dozen power hammers and tons of steel stock.
This post on the Bidor Blacksmith will be less wordy and will be mostly pictures. Pictures are worth a thousand words, therefore I won’t bore you much with lengthy explanations.
Signboards showing you the way to the factory
The factory main entrance
Some of the various agricultural tools you can find made there.
Late 2013, they purchased two gas forges, as you can see in the picture below. Apparently they have been having trouble sourcing for the right type of coal, and the gas forge is a very much welcome upgrade. Gas is much easier to obtain and more consistent in supply . They however, do not use it to heat treat their products. This is because the gas forge heats up the whole blade, and not only the cutting edge. This is true, since you only need to harden the edge only.
Brand new gas forge next to the charcoal forge
Their stockpile of charcoal. Ah Pin once told me if I can source this particular type of charcoal, he’d buy any amount I can supply him.
The plastic handles everyone seems to hate. Waxy, Slippery , obnoxious colours , but hey, it’s practical and easily seen on the jungle floor!
One of the tools they make – a betel nut cutter. You don’t see them much anymore.
The steel stock they use come directly from the steel mill, and not from the recyclers. Recycled steel ( ie. leaf springs ) differ in composition and will result differently after the heat treat.
Here is a stockpile of scrap steel which they used back then. There are various files , chainsaw bar guides, recycled leaf springs etc , which are not used anymore.
Here workers pound the hot and soft steel into a shape .
Some of the blacksmith’s tools hanging . Some are made by themselves.
Some of the semi finished products left to cool on the factory floor
A worker rough grinds the worked steel into its final shape
A Parang blank ready to be sent for heat treatAh Ming firing up the forge to heat treat some blades. Note that he uses the charcoal forge and not the gas.Heat treat done in Oil .
Heat Treat done with water
Mr. Pin showing how it’s done – hardening a parang blade in water.
I asked Ah Ming when he was demonstrating the heat treatment if there was any difference in using water or oil. He said no, but he mentioned that the oil is much messier , as it leaves a greasy surface on the blades.
After treat, the blades are left at the side of the forge to temper.
A worker sharpens the blanks – in this case a rubber tapping knife .
Here Mr. Pin showing the ability of his hand – hardened blades. Chopping steel pins with ease.
The packing center. Where orders are packed and kept for customers.
The picture below shows the old address of the Bidor Blacksmith. Beware, as there are fakes make now days which uses this old address. When I spoke to Ah Ming, he mentioned that he knows about the fakes. He said they started when customers requested for Bidor made parangs , but the shops and their suppliers were too lazy to get them from Bidor itself, so they asked their blacksmiths to copy to name and stamp it into their products. Really , anything can happen in Malaysia!
edit 5/11/2014 : We have added a good video by the cool guys at ” Bush Channel ” on you tube.
Finally after months of planning and searching for a suitable place, the myparang workshop is finally on its way and near completion. The hardest part was looking for a suitable spot to house the myparang workshop and this is one true case of what you can get when you are patient . We secured a shoplot nearby which is very accessible and central.
The previous owner was a Spa, but it did not get completed and we took whatever was left , over. There was lots to be done, lots of cleaning up since the previous owners left quite a mess. No to mention they left a pile of sand right in the front entrance. After clearing up the mess, the next thing to be done was painting the walls and floor as well as installing the electrical fittings. This shop lot had such a high ceiling, that we decided to have the lights about 8 feet above the lower floor instead of having it up where the ceiling was. By having it much lower, you save on lighting and it would be much easier to change a bulb should one go off. Below is a picture of how it looks after the paint job. I must say it looks much better after cleaning up and some bright colors. By coincidence, the colors we chose resembles the local power company colors and many people thought we were a branch office.
After the main lights and fan were installed we did a lighting check and it looks all good! It was bright as day when we tested the lights at night, no no matter what , our staff will have a bright and safe environment to work in .
After the electrical fittings, we re supposed to take delivery of the metalwork, but there was a slight delay and we received our tools first. Can’t complain much as it helped to receive them first so we could place them around the workshop to see which location suits best. After much moving around, we decided to place most on the power tools together on one table and leave one worktable clear for finishing purposes.
Finally after a few days of delay, we received our work tables and lockers. The work tables came without the table tops, which we will install ourselves using 1″ ply. The lockers are meant to keep tools and parts which are not needed immediately. You just can’t be too safe , sometimes small items tend to grow their own feet and “walk off” . By now we were having some delay already in the myparang workshop setup.
In the following days we also received our order of carton boxes for packaging the parangs. They consisted of two carton sizes, one inner carton and a bigger outer carton which can fit 20 inner cartons. This will be easier to send overseas to our international dealers. All the cartons were piled upstairs for storage. Finally we had all the tables fixed and positioned , plus had all the machines bolted on. We figured out it would be best to bolt all the machines in the myparang workshop so they cant be moved around , you know sometimes staff think they know better….. Plus bolted means they are more sturdy and will not topple or fall off. The main worktable looks pretty cluttered with the Bench Vise, Belt Sander and Drill Press , but there is enough space around each tool to work comfortable and safely . We left one table completely free for options later on. We might move some tools over, but that will come later. Even if we need to, we might add in another worktable.
Also at the far back, under the stairs is our Kydex workshop. That section is pretty much complete , with everything set up. Since then, we’ve already made a few sheaths in the new workshop and I must say it is much better working there as the space is bigger the the previous workshop. We also looooveeee the air compressor, it helps so much in getting the sheath inner clean from dust and whatnot
So thats it folks. The parang workshop is currently 90% complete and we’re already working on the parts for the parang. I have not taken any new photos since the ones above, but it has started to look much busier. Keeping a workshop clean and neat will be a daunting task, but it will be done. A messy and dirty workshop will invite accidents. Today we just added a vacuum cleaner or if you prefer the more technical name ” a dust collection system” and it’s going to help a lot keeping the place clean.
All right folks! That’s the myparang workshop setup so far, once we’re in operation, we’ll update on more exciting stuff!
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