Bali keris comments plz

JeffS · 29th July 2025, 08:57 PM

This just arrived. I am looking forward to cleaning up the blade, there appears to be interesting pamor. To me it feels old based on the worn greneng and other general erosion. The gandar is pegged together, not sure if I have seen that before, missing pendok.

JeffS · 29th July 2025, 08:59 PM

Some of the pamor is visible here.

A. G. Maisey · 30th July 2025, 02:29 AM

Jeff, this keris never had a pendok, it had veneer(Bali:-penabeng) glued to the front of the gandar (Bali:- penyejer). This veneer might have been a single strip of figured veneer, or it might have been made up of smaller pieces of pretty wood, as in the attached photo.

The use of pegs to keep the gandar together is, to the best of my knowledge, unknown in Bali, but it is sometimes encountered in Jawa, Sumatera, & Malay/Bugis scabbards. In this particular scabbard it is my opinion that this is a repair to the scabbard that was done in Peninsular Malaysia or Singapore.

The hilt looks nice and of a traditional interpretation, I am inclined to place it later than 1900.

I'm not going to take any sort of guess at blade age, there are conflicting indicators & I would need to handle the blade to form any sort of defensible opinion.

JeffS · Yesterday, 10:31 PM

Thank you Alan. I purchased it for the hilt (needed for another Bali keris in my collection), but will clean this up hoping to have a rough, but honest old village keris with attractive pamor. I may circle back after it is cleaned up to see if I can learn a bit more, but understood this is not a particularly interesting keris for this board. A veneer would be easier to replace than a pendok if it turns out to be worth the effort.

SidJ · Today, 01:26 AM

Not sure how you will clean it but if you do a vinegar soak it will remove the old pamor and leave it shiny bright. Then you may want to restain it. If you want to pick away at it you'll be there till Christmas I reckon. Would be interested in how you will do it.

SidJ · Today, 01:34 AM

With the licence of ignorance, to me the blade easily looks like it could be from the 19th century. I looks decent to me and pleasing to my eye.

29th July 2025, 08:57 PM	#1
JeffS Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 433	Bali keris comments plz This just arrived. I am looking forward to cleaning up the blade, there appears to be interesting pamor. To me it feels old based on the worn greneng and other general erosion. The gandar is pegged together, not sure if I have seen that before, missing pendok. Attached Images

29th July 2025, 08:59 PM	#2
JeffS Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 433	Some of the pamor is visible here. Attached Images

30th July 2025, 02:29 AM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,047	Jeff, this keris never had a pendok, it had veneer(Bali:-penabeng) glued to the front of the gandar (Bali:- penyejer). This veneer might have been a single strip of figured veneer, or it might have been made up of smaller pieces of pretty wood, as in the attached photo. The use of pegs to keep the gandar together is, to the best of my knowledge, unknown in Bali, but it is sometimes encountered in Jawa, Sumatera, & Malay/Bugis scabbards. In this particular scabbard it is my opinion that this is a repair to the scabbard that was done in Peninsular Malaysia or Singapore. The hilt looks nice and of a traditional interpretation, I am inclined to place it later than 1900. I'm not going to take any sort of guess at blade age, there are conflicting indicators & I would need to handle the blade to form any sort of defensible opinion. Attached Images

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Yesterday, 10:31 PM	#4
JeffS Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 433	Thank you Alan. I purchased it for the hilt (needed for another Bali keris in my collection), but will clean this up hoping to have a rough, but honest old village keris with attractive pamor. I may circle back after it is cleaned up to see if I can learn a bit more, but understood this is not a particularly interesting keris for this board. A veneer would be easier to replace than a pendok if it turns out to be worth the effort.

Today, 01:26 AM	#5
SidJ Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Posts: 222	Not sure how you will clean it but if you do a vinegar soak it will remove the old pamor and leave it shiny bright. Then you may want to restain it. If you want to pick away at it you'll be there till Christmas I reckon. Would be interested in how you will do it.

Today, 01:34 AM	#6
SidJ Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Posts: 222	With the licence of ignorance, to me the blade easily looks like it could be from the 19th century. I looks decent to me and pleasing to my eye.