Condor Village Parang : catastrophic handle fail

The Condor Village Parang was modified by : -applying a flat grind to what was a polish line -grinding two flats on the handle -applying a section of grip tape on one side This produced a significantly higher : -cutting ability -chopping ability -reduced vibration/shock -increased comfort and security in hand However the handle fractured immediately during some impacts splitting wood. The inside of the handle showed it to be extremely dry and it cracked around one of the pins. This might have been partially mitigated by sanding the handle and soaking it in linseed oil.