An interesting disaster

A. G. Maisey · 11th September 2015, 09:51 AM

Ian, I cannot comment on this weapon you have purchased, but I can comment on this type of work.

Many different artifacts are made in the same way in Jawa and Bali, including keris and sword hilts.

The hilt is fabricated, then it is embossed or chased and finally it is filled with jabung, probably what we'd call 'cutlers wax' in English:- natural resin + bees wax + terra cotta dust is the most common mix. Stuff that has been in a hilt for a long time does look a bit like stone.

The only solid metal hilts I've seen in Jawa and Bali are souvenir pieces that have been cast.

Shakethetrees · 11th September 2015, 10:06 AM

I've run across this before.

What this is is a cast brass or bronze blade, with no post pour forging.

Some of the hard shell outer mold sloughed off during the pour and was included at the break point. Since this is not a metal to metal bond, it was destined to break at this point.

I've seen this frequently in decorative castings. If you look at the break there is usually some tarnished or oxidized parent metal adjacent to the inclusion. Next to this is a bright bit of the parent metal, which over time and with wear and tear, careless handling, etc. the crack that forms at the point of the inclusion grows and ages, until something catastrophic happens.

This can usually be repaired, depending on surface issues and how the break is positioned with respect to the overall form.

11th September 2015, 09:51 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Ian, I cannot comment on this weapon you have purchased, but I can comment on this type of work. Many different artifacts are made in the same way in Jawa and Bali, including keris and sword hilts. The hilt is fabricated, then it is embossed or chased and finally it is filled with jabung, probably what we'd call 'cutlers wax' in English:- natural resin + bees wax + terra cotta dust is the most common mix. Stuff that has been in a hilt for a long time does look a bit like stone. The only solid metal hilts I've seen in Jawa and Bali are souvenir pieces that have been cast.

11th September 2015, 10:06 AM	#2
Shakethetrees Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Louisiana Posts: 363	I've run across this before. What this is is a cast brass or bronze blade, with no post pour forging. Some of the hard shell outer mold sloughed off during the pour and was included at the break point. Since this is not a metal to metal bond, it was destined to break at this point. I've seen this frequently in decorative castings. If you look at the break there is usually some tarnished or oxidized parent metal adjacent to the inclusion. Next to this is a bright bit of the parent metal, which over time and with wear and tear, careless handling, etc. the crack that forms at the point of the inclusion grows and ages, until something catastrophic happens. This can usually be repaired, depending on surface issues and how the break is positioned with respect to the overall form.