(Baonghean.vn) - "The blade must be made from the steel of a car's fender to maintain its sharpness for a long time...". That's the experience of Mr. Le Van Ky (Quan Minh hamlet, Nghia Tan commune, Nghia Dan district, Nghe An province), one of the very few people specializing in forging rubber tapping knives.
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| Having worked as a blacksmith for nearly 20 years, Le Van Ky said that although it's called blacksmithing, making rubber tapping knives is different. Not just any type of steel can be used for the blade; it "must be steel from the suspension system of a car, especially the IFA model," because this type of steel is ductile and durable... |
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| To obtain the IFA car's wheel arches, Mr. Ky has to buy them from auto repair garages and scrap metal dealers. Then, he painstakingly crafts these wheel arches into blades, a process that requires the craftsman to use the strength of his hands. |
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| The next step is to use a grinding machine to grind the blade to the correct shape for the latex tapping knife. |
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| Next comes sharpening. This step requires a truly skilled craftsman to recognize when the knife has reached the desired sharpness through each grinding pass. |
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| After completing the blade, the next step is making the handle. To create sturdy handles, the wood selection is meticulous, ensuring it's free from insect infestation. Therefore, the wood most commonly chosen for handles is mahogany. According to Mr. Ky, this type of wood is both lightweight and fits snugly when the handle is attached. |
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| The process of attaching the handle also requires skill; a small hole is drilled at the end of the handle, but the blade's tail end must be heated in a charcoal furnace for a certain period of time before attachment... |
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| Next, you must quickly place the end of the handle in the designated position so that the heat of the steel is sufficient to burn the wood and cut it just right. |
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| There are two types of rubber tapping knives: push knives and pull knives. |
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| According to Mr. Le Van Ky, on average, he replaces 3-4 knife blades per day, at a price of 80,000 VND per blade, and sells 1-2 new knives at 200,000 VND each. Calculated monthly, he earns over 10 million VND. |
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| According to local rubber tappers, the reason why Mr. Ky's tapping knives are so popular is because they are made from steel from car wheel hubs, so they stay sharp longer during use, the blade is precise, ensuring that it doesn't cut into the tree trunk, resulting in more latex being tapped, saving labor, and bringing high economic efficiency. |
Dang Nguyen
