Bali Keris #3

[Jean]

My personal thoughts about this kris, which may not be approved by all members and I apologize in advance:
. This is an old Bali/ Lombok blade indeed. Unfortunately somebody seems to have sanded the rusty areas, which have caused the colour to fade and the pamor to get blurred. If this blade was mine, I would take the risk to send it to a reliable craftsman for complete cleaning and warangan. From experience the polish would not be affected.
. From the pics the pamor pattern seems to be Ngulit Semangka as said by David.
. The greneng is rustic and the ganja is worn-out, I would remove it and carefully clean the face in contact with the blade as well as the bottom face of the blade and glue the ganja in place with Superglue to avoid skewing.
. The fitting of the blade into the sheath slot is acceptable but the 2 pieces are not originally matching IMO.
. I would add a ring (uwer) on the peksi between the hilt and the blade.
Regards

[S.Workman]

Originally Posted by Jean

My personal thoughts about this kris, which may not be approved by all members and I apologize in advance:
. This is an old Bali/ Lombok blade indeed. Unfortunately somebody seems to have sanded the rusty areas, which have caused the colour to fade and the pamor to get blurred. If this blade was mine, I would take the risk to send it to a reliable craftsman for complete cleaning and warangan. From experience the polish would not be affected.
. From the pics the pamor pattern seems to be Ngulit Semangka as said by David.
. The greneng is rustic and the ganja is worn-out, I would remove it and carefully clean the face in contact with the blade as well as the bottom face of the blade and glue the ganja in place with Superglue to avoid skewing.
. The fitting of the blade into the sheath slot is acceptable but the 2 pieces are not originally matching IMO.
. I would add a ring (uwer) on the peksi between the hilt and the blade.
Regards

Thanks for writing Jean. While I am no expert, I think that the fading along the edges of the blade, if thats what you are referring to, were caused by the slight "catch" as the blade enters the sheath. It is a bit tight, which may possibly be more evidence that it's not original? Or that the wood has shrunk a bit, who knows. As far as sending the piece away, I don't think that I can afford it. Shipping alone with reliable tracking is in the hundreds of dollars range. I won't use USPS for this because their tracking isn't really, and UPS is very pricey.
My other two keris I worked on myself, and I guess I did OK, but I am not a professional restorer of anything. In the case of those two, it was do or die, since both were actually in trouble. I may just sit this one out.

[Gustav]

Dear Mr. Workman,

perhaps this methode might be of interest in this case:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18176

(especially #10),

I surely would ask Alan for his oppinion on it.

[S.Workman]

Originally Posted by Gustav

Dear Mr. Workman,

perhaps this methode might be of interest in this case:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18176

(especially #10),

I surely would ask Alan for his oppinion on it.

Thanks for the input Gustav. I have used the Alan method before with great results, but that was on a keris that had been neglected for a long while and had lots of rust. As the rust came off, so did the patina, so I had to start from scratch. Again, while no expert I was pretty happy with the results. It's posted on here someplace. This keris I don't think is in too much trouble. At least, it doesn't have active rust. Perhaps like a physician I should first do no harm, as advised above.
Alan does certainly have lots of sage advice! I couldn't have fixed up my other two keris without him (and the other helpful folks on this forum).

[Gustav]

Originally Posted by S.Workman

Thanks for the input Gustav. I have used the Alan method before with great results, but that was on a keris that had been neglected for a long while and had lots of rust. As the rust came off, so did the patina, so I had to start from scratch. Again, while no expert I was pretty happy with the results. It's posted on here someplace. This keris I don't think is in too much trouble. At least, it doesn't have active rust. Perhaps like a physician I should first do no harm, as advised above.
Alan does certainly have lots of sage advice! I couldn't have fixed up my other two keris without him (and the other helpful folks on this forum).

I ment use of Cold Blue at places, preserving the old stain.

[S.Workman]

Originally Posted by Gustav

I ment use of Cold Blue at places, preserving the old stain.

Oh, I thought Alan said that would permanently stain the nickel portion of the pamor. Use with care I think is the motto. I have some that I use for rebluing guns, it will even blue a nail or a finger ring. I would use it on a dinged-up shotgun, not on a keris, but that's just me.

[GIO]

When I clean and etch a blade I always remove the ganja to eliminate the rust. I then cover all parts in contact between blade and tang with a rust converter to avoid future problems.
In the self-explicating drawing you can find the method I use to remove and re-fit the ganja. If possible I avoid using glue of any sort.
Be very careful and delicate to avoid any damage, especially when you place the blade in the vice: it must be very firm, so place two pieces of wood on both sides of the blade and close with strength the vice.
Good work !