Bangkung and kris

[kai]

Hello Detlef,

The kris is very very interesting. I personally would lean toward that it is a 19th Moro kris

I'd agree that this a Moro kris - Sulu, early 19th c. Nice old-style hilt; note that the lower asang-asang was once (traditionally) attached with braided twine - in status examples this was often done with silver wire.

When I am you I would clean the blade and etch it to see what is hidden under the corrosion.

I don't think there is hidden twistcore here (you never know for sure unless you try though). A careful examination with a good magnifying glass should reveal some hints before doing anything that may irreversibly affect the blade.

If I were you, Carlos, I'd be very careful with cleaning up this blade and start out slowly with merely cleaning off any grime and loose rust (checking the blade closely in between). Possibly followed with very fine steel wool to remove any remaining active rust. The blade looks healthy; however, if any pitting shows up during cleaning, any extensive cleaning and etching may make it look worse and it may be preferable to keep the stable patina. As much as I'd love to see it's laminations I'd respectfully suggest not to overdo things.

BTW, is the hilt horn? Quite common with this hilt type but from the pics and the wear on both sides it might be wood as well?

Regards,
Kai