Over cleaning the keris blade?

David · 1st July 2015, 09:56 PM

The surface of a keris is a somewhat region custom Green. Bali keris traditionally have a smooth polished finish.This tradition was actually inherited from early Javanese keris and if you look at really old Jawa pieces collected early on (1600s or so) that reside in some European museums you will find a similar smooth surface to many of them.
I have also found many Malay keris with fairly smooth surfaces since they do not usually get regular warangan treatments.
I am not sure what you mean about the finish of a keris when new. AFAIK a new keris will have a fairy smooth finish and it roughens over time through warangan treatments. Many new keris (especially Javanese style) are treated this way to create a rough finish because that is the socially acceptable look.
I have not come across too many keris where the finish has been made smooth when it is supposed to be rough. Perhaps you could post some examples. The accepted way to clean a keris with acidy liquids such as fruit juices or coconut water only tends to roughen the surface more, not smooth it.
Again, posting examples from you might help us understand what you are looking at better.

1st July 2015, 09:56 PM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,218	The surface of a keris is a somewhat region custom Green. Bali keris traditionally have a smooth polished finish.This tradition was actually inherited from early Javanese keris and if you look at really old Jawa pieces collected early on (1600s or so) that reside in some European museums you will find a similar smooth surface to many of them. I have also found many Malay keris with fairly smooth surfaces since they do not usually get regular warangan treatments. I am not sure what you mean about the finish of a keris when new. AFAIK a new keris will have a fairy smooth finish and it roughens over time through warangan treatments. Many new keris (especially Javanese style) are treated this way to create a rough finish because that is the socially acceptable look. I have not come across too many keris where the finish has been made smooth when it is supposed to be rough. Perhaps you could post some examples. The accepted way to clean a keris with acidy liquids such as fruit juices or coconut water only tends to roughen the surface more, not smooth it. Again, posting examples from you might help us understand what you are looking at better.