(bellows huffing)
(tools scraping)
(steam hissing)
- [Camera man] Oh, oh, oh.
(steam hissing)
(thudding)
- [Thai man] He is very strong.
- Yeah. (chuckling)
- [Thai man] He do it like this all day.
- [Camera man] Now that piece of steel he's using
as an anvil is a part off a tractor.
And his second anvil or main anvil
is the head of a sledgehammer.
With this massive stump driven,
over a meter into the ground.
(tools clattering)
(bellows huffing) (Blacksmith speaking Thai)
(thudding)
(hammering)
(rustling)
(coal rustling)
(bellows huffing) (blacksmith speaking Thai)
(thudding)
(guide speaking Thai)
(blacksmith speaking Thai)
(hammering)
Good sweetie? - It's tiny, isn't it?
- [Camera man] It's very small, you like that one?
- It's not like, very, thicker.
- [Camera man] It's very light.
- It's very light.
This one is ready?
- [Guide] Yeah.
- Be careful.
[Camera man] check it out it's really sharp that one.
- Oh gosh, it's really sharp then.
Light though, it's very light.
- [Camera man] Good one.
(file scraping)
(metal carving)
(metal scraping)
(guide speaking Thai)
(file scraping)
(speaking Thai)
(laughing)
(stone scraping)
(metal scraping)
(Guide speaking Thai)
(metal file scraping)
- [Camera man] Beautiful.
- That's the little hair shaving sharp machete.
(file scraping)
Gonna be a beautiful one.
- [Guide] Yeah.
(metal ringing)
(tapping)
(thudding)
(tapping wood)
(scratching wood)
- [Camera man] It seems that only the bottom
meter or so of the bamboo stem is useful
for machete handles because--
- [Guide] About only, we can use only about,
50 centimeter. - 50 centimeters of it?
- Yeah. - Okay.
- Like that, like this...
- [Camera man] Because too far up the trunk the bamboo
starts to become hollow.
- [Guide] Yeah.
- But at the base of the tree,
it's almost completely solid.
(wooden tapping)
(birds chirping)
(wooden tapping)
(file scraping)
(bellows huffing)
(steam hissing)
(speaking Thai)
(tools clattering)
(bellows huffing)
(metallic tapping)
- [Guide] This one is like a, rubber.
- [Camera man] Glue. - Yeah, rubber,
like a, he pick from, a, the,
like a ant, ant nest.
I don't know how to say it (chuckles),
maybe you understand.
The red ant.
(steam hissing)
(sizzling)
- [Camera man] Beautiful.
Oh yeah, it's starting to look nice.
(chattering)
- [Guide] He do every day, only sometimes he take rest.
He doesn't have free day (chuckles).
(stone scraping)
- Oh, ow ow ow.
(chattering)
Here we, here we go.
Hair shaving sharp sir,
fantastic work sir.
Look how sharp that blade is, look at that!
Not a heavy chopping tool but definitely something
for delicate trail clearing work.
(water splashing)
- [Guide] He never go to a barber shop,
he always cut by himself, by a, the knife.
- [Camera man] So he cuts his own hair, with his machetes.
Saving himself, uh, hairdressing fees.
(chuckles) Beautiful sir.
- Yeah. - Fantastic work,
look at that.
Oh yeah.
Ooh, yeah that is razor sharp now.
Beautiful.
You got kuya in the photo?
- Fantastic bamboo handle to, look at that.
Beautiful, nice and light,
probably only, what, 250 maybe 300 grams?
Perfect ultra-light trail clearing machete.
That nice long handle gives you that extra reach,
(mumbles), beautiful.
Fantastic.
(blade slapping)
Beautiful.
(laughing)
(blade slapping)
- [Guide] Oh (chuckling)!
- Pabong village in Chiang Dao,
Chiang Mai province, Thailand.
Thanks for watching.
(bellows huffing)
(oriental music)