How to Fire Harden Your Eskrima Sticks
By Marc J. Lawrence

     Fire hardening is the method of removing moisture from wood by slowly and lightly charring it over a fire. It is the earliest method of increasing the durability or longevity of wood tools and weapons.
     Fire hardening is not used so much to actually "harden the wood" as to dry, cauterize surface fibers and resins in the wood. My grandfather used to do it to tool handles. I still do this to my sticks to stop flowering of the ends.

     To make a point, like a spear, arrow, or an edge like sword, shape the wood with a rasp and then use a pumice stone to finish it smooth. Then wet the surface to raise the broken wood fibers known as whiskers by wood workers, singe them off. Then smooth it lightly again with your pumice going against the grain to get the ends of the whiskers. Dry the shaped portion over the fire slowly until lightly charred to harden. This can be done with propane torch or even over BBQ if that is what you have. The drier the wood of course the harder the point or edge.
     To make a strong wood blade, use as hard a wood as possible. Remember rattan is a palm, not a grass like bamboo. This type of material is strong on the outside and soft on the inside. It is pithy and requires a lot of drying. It can be made very strong. Remember to shellac or varnish to seal the wood.

Marc J. Lawrence is Filipino Martial Arts practitioner and a member of the Doce Pares Los Angeles Academy in California, USA.