Unknown sword! Possibly Sumatran Battak with Pamor?

kronckew · 11th October 2013, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

Could be, but I would find it a bit unsettling to see almost the exact same blade offered in the same dress .

...

i know a gentleman in Australia who sells a range of new malaysian/indonesian/phillipene bladed weapons (in mono-steel and laminated/pamour) by current smiths to patterns similar to these, tho usually with more traditional and decorative dress. he also rescues old blades, reconditions them and dresses them in new fittings very much like these if needed. he iws struggling 'Valiant'ly with the current batch of anti-sword laws in australia that has dried up many of his sources.

Rick · 11th October 2013, 04:12 PM

^ I remember that guy; I haven't seen his stuff on the web for some time, but then I don't get out much .
Good to hear he's still in business .

Amuk Murugul · 11th October 2013, 07:01 PM

Hullo everybody!

Actually, at this stage, the edged-weapons ownership laws are not as bad as they first seem. Just needs more thought to work within them. Bottom line is, one has to be philosophical and be prepared to 'lose a shipment' if it has been deemed 'unlawful'. No pain, no gain!

I think 1D is fine. I just feel that his original market is not as 'brisk'.

The sword displayed in this post reminds me of climber/trekker S, from central java, who sells his stuff on E-prey and also via Germany.

Best,

Sajen · 11th October 2013, 08:24 PM

Back to the sword in question. My best guess: an old/antique javanese sword blade in newly made fittings. The oil you smell will be keris oil.

Regards,

Detlef

Henk · 11th October 2013, 09:39 PM

It is a pedang in a new dress. Not too bad.

William.m · 12th October 2013, 09:35 PM

Thank you to everybody who contributed to the thread!

The scented oil is really quite nice and I have found some on ebay, which I will buy as it is much nicer than choji oil.

A. G. Maisey · 13th October 2013, 11:57 AM

I don't have much to add to what has already been said, except that I can possibly be a little more definite about what I say.

This is a Javanese pedang blade, close examination will show that it predates 1850, the dress will be found to be from Javanese sandalwood (unscented). The style of dress is popular in Central Jawa, especially Solo.

It is important to understand that for the Javanese people, the spiritual value of any item of tosan aji is contained in the blade, not in the dress. For a collector of tosan aji the items of dress, hilt, scabbard etc., can certainly have a value when they are old or antique, most particularly when they are also of good quality, but very often the old Javanese weapons actually used in war lack their scabbards, and the hilts are frequently very utilitarian. So, what has happened is that old blades were frequently re-dressed in plain good quality wooden dress, or as often happened when pedang were still sometimes worn as items of dress in parades & etc., they were re-dressed in gold or silver.

Then there is the fact that many families have inherited weapons that they wish to keep and as a mark of respect they will re-dress the blade in a simple style to replace old and damaged original dress.

The hilt and scabbard that have been fitted to this blade appear to be of quite nice quality, whether the quality is as good as it appears to be will depend very largely upon two things:- firstly, is the scabbard carved from an unjointed piece of wood, that is, is there no join along the edges of the scabbard, and secondly, does the fit and finish give evidence of careful craftsmanship.

As Detlef has advised, the oil will be keris oil. I strongly recommend that the oil that originates in Indonesia not be used, as this has a coconut oil base that is not particularly wonderful for long term storage. It is far better to make your own oil using sandalwood or some other fragrance, such as jasmine and a base of medicinal paraffin. If oil is used, it will eventually stain the scabbard, so it is best not to store the oiled blade in the scabbard but to wrap it in plastic after oiling and store it out of the scabbard.

This is actually a pretty nice pedang.

11th October 2013, 04:12 PM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,365	^ I remember that guy; I haven't seen his stuff on the web for some time, but then I don't get out much . Good to hear he's still in business .

11th October 2013, 07:01 PM	#3
Amuk Murugul Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kaboejoetan Galoenggoeng Mélben Posts: 473	Hullo everybody! Actually, at this stage, the edged-weapons ownership laws are not as bad as they first seem. Just needs more thought to work within them. Bottom line is, one has to be philosophical and be prepared to 'lose a shipment' if it has been deemed 'unlawful'. No pain, no gain! I think 1D is fine. I just feel that his original market is not as 'brisk'. The sword displayed in this post reminds me of climber/trekker S, from central java, who sells his stuff on E-prey and also via Germany. Best,

11th October 2013, 08:24 PM	#4
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 9,336	Back to the sword in question. My best guess: an old/antique javanese sword blade in newly made fittings. The oil you smell will be keris oil. Regards, Detlef

11th October 2013, 09:39 PM	#5
Henk Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,209	It is a pedang in a new dress. Not too bad.

12th October 2013, 09:35 PM	#6
William.m Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: England Posts: 104	Thank you to everybody who contributed to the thread! The scented oil is really quite nice and I have found some on ebay, which I will buy as it is much nicer than choji oil.

13th October 2013, 11:57 AM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,056	I don't have much to add to what has already been said, except that I can possibly be a little more definite about what I say. This is a Javanese pedang blade, close examination will show that it predates 1850, the dress will be found to be from Javanese sandalwood (unscented). The style of dress is popular in Central Jawa, especially Solo. It is important to understand that for the Javanese people, the spiritual value of any item of tosan aji is contained in the blade, not in the dress. For a collector of tosan aji the items of dress, hilt, scabbard etc., can certainly have a value when they are old or antique, most particularly when they are also of good quality, but very often the old Javanese weapons actually used in war lack their scabbards, and the hilts are frequently very utilitarian. So, what has happened is that old blades were frequently re-dressed in plain good quality wooden dress, or as often happened when pedang were still sometimes worn as items of dress in parades & etc., they were re-dressed in gold or silver. Then there is the fact that many families have inherited weapons that they wish to keep and as a mark of respect they will re-dress the blade in a simple style to replace old and damaged original dress. The hilt and scabbard that have been fitted to this blade appear to be of quite nice quality, whether the quality is as good as it appears to be will depend very largely upon two things:- firstly, is the scabbard carved from an unjointed piece of wood, that is, is there no join along the edges of the scabbard, and secondly, does the fit and finish give evidence of careful craftsmanship. As Detlef has advised, the oil will be keris oil. I strongly recommend that the oil that originates in Indonesia not be used, as this has a coconut oil base that is not particularly wonderful for long term storage. It is far better to make your own oil using sandalwood or some other fragrance, such as jasmine and a base of medicinal paraffin. If oil is used, it will eventually stain the scabbard, so it is best not to store the oiled blade in the scabbard but to wrap it in plastic after oiling and store it out of the scabbard. This is actually a pretty nice pedang.