[russel]

The second Rencong to fall into my custodianship arrived the other day. I picked it up cheaply as it was incorrectly listed. My heart raced as I opened the parcel. Joy soon turned to sorrow, expletives and tears when I saw that the Meucannge Hulu had snapped in transit!

I was/am devastated. Other than the absence of a sheath (sarung?) the piece was in near perfect condition (by my humble standards). The seller had packed it as if he was moving it across the room instead of the planet! He was a lovely guy though, equally upset by his oversight, and gave me a partial refund. He also offered me first dibs on anything he finds in the future which is nice.

I would appreciate any general thoughts and comments about this rencong: age, quality, origin &c. I am still very much a novice collector, and I am hungry for knowledge.

How would you go about repairing the break? As you can see from the photos, the break is very clean and can hardly be seen when placed together. Another collector has suggested CA (superglue), but I am somewhat hesitant to do anything without more advice.

As I would like the repair to be functional as well as aesthetic, perhaps I should incorporate a retaining pin of some kind to add strength (I have seen a similar repair online). If so, what pin material? Brass, stainless, wood, water buffalo horn? What glue/resin? Any advice on techniques/pitfalls? I am no craftsman, but I have friends to help me.

Importantly, can someone tell me if the macro image of the break is showing the natural broken surface of the horn? It looks very "shiny" to me, I was wondering if I am seeing the residue of an old repair.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts, this is a great community.

Cheers, Russel.