It's that time of the year in the Tropics again...

A. G. Maisey · 12th December 2009, 05:00 AM

Reading what you gentlemen have written is of interest to me. I've often been in Indonesia during the wet, and I've seen perfectly stained blades accumulate light rust almost overnight. The mildew is simply unbelieveable. If you leave a pair of leather shoes for a week without brushing them, they become totally covered in green fungus. Of course, the mildew also grows on wood.

Fortunately I do not live in this sort of climate all the time, but where I do live poses its own special problems. I live in a marine environment, less than 25 meters to a salt water lake, with prevailing south winds blowing across that lake straight onto my house.

This type of situation will also easily generate rust and mildew, even though not nearly as badly as the Wet in Solo.

I store blades in plastic sleeves after oiling with WD40 that has been allowed to dry on the blade, followed by a mix of sandal wood oil, kenanga oil, and medicinal parafin. The smell from this oil on all blades in a small room creates a scented atmosphere. However, better protection could probably be provided by a good gun oil.

Wood is regulary cleaned and protected with a good quality wax.

A .22 calibre bristle brush on a rifle cleaning rod is ideal for brushing out the inside of scabbards; you can then use a long thin copper tube that has been pinched at the end to create a very small exit hole to blow out the dust.

Scabbards are stored in cloth covers (singep), and then placed into either wooden chests or cardboard boxes. In my house I have only one keris on open display, but I do have a number of tombak out in the open.

Following the above I do not ever have any problems with rust or mildew, but for pieces that are undergoing restoration and are out in my workshop without protection, rust and mildew are quite common occurrences.

12th December 2009, 05:00 AM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,019	Reading what you gentlemen have written is of interest to me. I've often been in Indonesia during the wet, and I've seen perfectly stained blades accumulate light rust almost overnight. The mildew is simply unbelieveable. If you leave a pair of leather shoes for a week without brushing them, they become totally covered in green fungus. Of course, the mildew also grows on wood. Fortunately I do not live in this sort of climate all the time, but where I do live poses its own special problems. I live in a marine environment, less than 25 meters to a salt water lake, with prevailing south winds blowing across that lake straight onto my house. This type of situation will also easily generate rust and mildew, even though not nearly as badly as the Wet in Solo. I store blades in plastic sleeves after oiling with WD40 that has been allowed to dry on the blade, followed by a mix of sandal wood oil, kenanga oil, and medicinal parafin. The smell from this oil on all blades in a small room creates a scented atmosphere. However, better protection could probably be provided by a good gun oil. Wood is regulary cleaned and protected with a good quality wax. A .22 calibre bristle brush on a rifle cleaning rod is ideal for brushing out the inside of scabbards; you can then use a long thin copper tube that has been pinched at the end to create a very small exit hole to blow out the dust. Scabbards are stored in cloth covers (singep), and then placed into either wooden chests or cardboard boxes. In my house I have only one keris on open display, but I do have a number of tombak out in the open. Following the above I do not ever have any problems with rust or mildew, but for pieces that are undergoing restoration and are out in my workshop without protection, rust and mildew are quite common occurrences.