I hold your opinion in this matter in high regard, Detlef, and so I need to confirm what I think you are saying.
You seem quite satisfied that the elongation was broken at some time. You seem to be advising me to accept the fact that the rencong's damage is irreparable and I should leave things be.
However, I am feeling a nagging conviction that it cannot be accurate to say that the handle is now a puntung handle. It was almost certainly made as a meucangge handle. Surely, a puntung handle and a meucangge handle cannot be identical in all respects barring the elongation! Such a belief would infer that if someone should expertly remove a rencong's elongation, then no expert, however experienced, would be able to distinguish between puntung and meucangge.
This leads me to ask you whether you think I could rather try to attach a home-crafted elongation in horn to the handle, to make it the meucangge that it was originally designed to be. Of course, such a replacement must not be intended to deceive!
I am in any case planning to home-craft a scabbard as well, as I cannot bear to see my rencong all naked!
Your further advice will be greatly appreciated.
Regards, Johan
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