Bandit, Interest in ethnic Southeast Asian knives is slowly growing among collectors and users. There is certainly nothing wrong with a auto leaf spring, thats what the finest Nepalese Kukuris are hammered from( Mercedes, Ill accept Rolls -Royce or toyota)! People DON'T WANT a perfect, machine made blade. There are no import restrictions to the USA. The wooden handles and sheaths tend to split often. This is a result in the radical change in humidity and temperatures. A friend brought back a 3' Garuda Bird from Bali. It sat in his bathtub in shallow water for a week "aclimating." Naturally you won't use any endangered or rare tree species, but identify the wood. A pamphlet giving the materials, describing your work in elephant rescue and conservation should accompany any blades. Your tubular container wouldn't happen to be bamboo? I once read a text on it's myriad uses and qualities, including scales as precise as a digital unit!