....but is this ivory?

[Green]

Jean,

That's a good idea about getting a bit of powder from the pesi hole. I'll get one of the hilt makers here to try and do that next month when I visit him... and see how it goes...

[Green]

One further Q though,

Do resin or bakelite or other plastic type non ivory materials give cracks and hair line fractures like in the pics below?

[Gustav]

Another possibility:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ight=fish+bone

[David]

Originally Posted by Green

One further Q though,

Do resin or bakelite or other plastic type non ivory materials give cracks and hair line fractures like in the pics below?

I think it is less likely that this hilt is resin and perhaps more likely it is bone or maybe new ivory that has been artificially aged. It could still be old ivory, but i don't really see the point of all that added black stuff added to "age" the piece if it was really old. The black is definitely not natural aging IMO.
It shouldn't be too difficult to dissolve the glue that holds the mendak to the hilt. It would be what i would do if this were mine and then you could get a good look at the bottom of the hilt and maybe make a better determination.

[Jean]

Originally Posted by David

I
It shouldn't be too difficult to dissolve the glue that holds the mendak to the hilt. It would be what i would do if this were mine and then you could get a good look at the bottom of the hilt and maybe make a better determination.

Hi David,
Which solvent would you use for dissolving epoxy glue or Superglue? I recently experienced that white spiririt does not dissolve nor even softens the traditional resin used for gluing hilts, it needs heating to about 100 °C.
Regards

[Green]

i finally managed to take off the mendak from the hilt. not me exactly but this is how it happened. I brought the keris to a few keris and scabbard and hilt makers here and many were of the opinion that it is either ivory or antler but all said to confirm it i had to take off the mendak/pendokok.but nobody wanted to try to take it off....until yesterday when i met one master carver here.

i explained that the mendak is glued to the hilt, he took one look and said sure it can be taken off and proceeded to use brute force without even by your leave and i was worried sick that he would tear off the delicate silver mendak but walla! he did it without any damage to the mendak... the glue was so dry and old that a strong force did manage to pry it off. but i wouldn't reccommend this method to anyone and i probably won't show any more keris with glued mendak to him

here are the photo of the end of the hilt and he confirmed that it is indeed ivory. an old ivory. So i'm pretty pleased....

but if any of you have a dissenting opinion i'd be happy to hear it.