The Flying Keris

[A. G. Maisey]

Jean, as I mentioned in my lengthy post above, I have used WD40 for a very long time.

If WD40 became publicly available in Australia in , say, 1965, it is certain that I have treated more than 2000 blades with WD40. I began treating all sorts of blades, keris included, with penetrating oil sometime between 1953 and 1960, as soon as WD40 became available I began to use that. Between 1953 and 1960 I would have treated perhaps a couple of hundred blades.

My keris collection began in 1953 with a gift of a collection from my grandfather, I still have some of those keris and other edged weapons, and they would have been treated several times with WD40 during the time I have had them.

I have never experienced any problem at all that is related to the inability of fragrant oils to penetrate WD40 or the penetrating oil I used to use. In fact several times prior to 1966 I used clove oil on my keris. I did this because at that time I was unaware of the oils used in Jawa for keris, but I had heard that Japanese blades were anointed with clove oil, so I jumped onto the clove oil cart.

I have not used clove oil on a blade in more than 50 years, however, some of blades that I anointed with clove oil more than 50 years ago still retain a very faint smell of clove oil that underlies the later applications of sandalwood and kenongo.

I do not know why your use of WD40 did not produce satisfactory results, and if you have no confidence in WD40 for whatever reason, it is best that you do not use it, but WD40 most certainly does work for me.



Pusaka, I greatly appreciate your detailed listing of the protective qualities of some natural oils, however, in the case of the oils that are traditionally used on keris in Jawa, this information is not really relevant. The oils that we use in Jawa are selected for social and cultural reasons, not really for efficacy as protectant barriers against corrosion. Of course whatever oil is used on a blade, there will be some protective effect, but in in Jawa, that effect is a side effect, not a primary objective.

Once a keris moves outside its Javanese, or other natural environment, it has been freed from the parameters that would apply in its place of origin, most particularly so where that keris is in the custody of a person whose objectives in having possession of the keris differ from the objectives of a person from the originating culture of the keris.

In other words once it has ceased to be a part of its originating culture and is being cared for by a person who does not understand that culture, any oil that gives some sort of protection is better than no oil at all.

As I just mentioned, I used clove oil myself many years ago, I used to buy it from a pharmacist. I do not find the smell particularly objectionable, but it used to go hard on the blades, even though I used it, I did not like it much for blade use.

Rose oil is an oil that is considered to be suitable for use on keris, it is not favoured by many people, but it is used.

Ylang ylang oil is definitely not used in Jawa as a traditional keris oil.

What happened with ylang ylang is this:- ylang ylang oil is produced from the same tree that provides kenanga (kenongo) oil, but kenanga oil is produced from the immature flower, ylang ylang is produced from the mature flower.

When minyak (oil) kenongo is used in keris oil, only a very small quantity is used, in the oil that I prepare that quantity is about 5%, its effect is to give a very sharp edge to the smell, and to reduce the sometimes overpowering sweetness of the minyak cendana (cendono - sandalwood).

Now, when keris interested people who live in countries other than Indonesia found out that minyak kenongo was a component of many traditional keris oils, they tried to buy it , but they found that they could not, however, a few of these people did the research and found that minyak kenongo came from the same flower as ylang ylang oil (the cananga odorata blossom). Because they had never smelt raw minyak kenongo they assumed that ylang ylang oil and minyak kenongo were the same. This was an incorrect assumption. Ylang ylang oil is vastly different to minyak kenongo.

In respect of wintergreen oil.
This oil is produced from a group of plants that are native to the Americas, it is most definitely not a component of any keris oil that follows a traditional Javanese combination of oils.
The traditional oils used in Jawa that use coconut oil as a base invariably go rancid and congeal on the blade, unless regularly replaced --- a requirement which is obviously quite beneficial for the people who sell ready to use keris oil.

[Bill M]

Fascinating! Not boring.

[Jean]

[QUOTE=A. G. Maisey]
I do not know why your use of WD40 did not produce satisfactory results, and if you have no confidence in WD40 for whatever reason, it is best that you do not use it, but WD40 most certainly does work for me.

Sorry Alan, I did not say that at all, on the contrary!
I just remember one case when I tried to apply a scented oil after treating the blade with WD 40 spray (and letting it to dry and wiping the excess with a cloth as usual) and the oil would not stick to the surface as if the WD40 had produced an impervious barrier. This was probably due to the scented oil composition and anyway I don't use them anymore.
Regards

[A. G. Maisey]

Please forgive my misunderstanding Jean.

I always allow the WD40 to dry at the very least overnight, then I apply more fragrant oil than is necessary with a varnish brush, I allow that fragrant oil to dry off over a couple of days, normally just stand it point down in the workshop, then I pat the blade down with a lint free cloth, work over the blade with an old tooth brush, and put it into a plastic sleeve.

Seems to last for as long as I wish it to.

[Pusaka]

Imperfect translation but found this:

"Coconut oil by the fermentation process will be broken down into acidic granules and other acids, prevention is to mix a little with Gandapura oil, the comparison: 100 cc of coconut oil can be used 10-15 cc of gandapura oil.
Besides sandalwood, kanthil, jasmine (jasmin) / kenanga can be used.

For the Yogya palace the ratio is 1: 1, meaning that 100 cc of coconut oil uses 100 cc of sandalwood oil.

For the solo method, comparison is 25 krengsengan oil: 10 parts of cananga oil: 3 parts of gandapura oil.

Weapon oil can also be used, but many keris esoteri experts say the use of mineral oil will greatly reduce the esoteri of the kris themselves, if not forced to use this type of oil is avoided. "

[Bill M]

I use Evapo-Rust for most items. It gently removes rust and cleans deeply. It is a water base, so I follow it up with a soak in WD 40 to removes any residual water.

Also electrolysis does a good job.

Important to soak the article completely for an even cleaning.

Still experimenting with staining solutions. Advice. I can get commercial only chemicals of any kind through a chemistry professor. So also advise. I am extremely careful with toxic chemicals.

[A. G. Maisey]

Your post #78 was interesting Pusaka, it is regrettable that David needed to remove the link to the original, but a link like that does break the rules.

However I used the link before it was removed, and I found that it linked to an arts & crafts shop in Jogja that I know quite well, it has been in operation for years. It is very nicely set up for tourists from outside Central Jawa. The info they have on the page you linked to is interesting and would possibly act as a nice little primer for a new comer to the keris.

I read the original text in Bahasa Indonesia, and your translation is near enough, at least it demonstrates that in spite of my statement in my post # 70 that wintergreen oil is :-

"--- most definitely not a component of any keris oil that follows a traditional Javanese combination of oils.---"

it can in fact be found in some mixtures of keris oil.

My statement was incorrect, I did not know that minyak gondopuro was wintergreen oil.

Minyak gondopuro is a common oil, but even so, it is not now an oil that I have heard of as a component of keris oils --- and I have heard of a lot of different mixtures, oils used on Karaton Surakarta tosanaji, and otherwise. Perhaps it should be used, if it prevents coconut oil going rancid.

The idea stated that unnatural oils can interfere with the "esoteri" qualities of a keris is not unusual. The word "esoteri" is a corruption of the relatively recent loan word from English to BI of "esoteric". In BI "esoteric" means exactly the same as it does in English, that is:-

" restricted to or intended for an enlightened or initiated minority",

and just as in English it is sometimes colloquially used to mean something that is associated with the hidden world.

When we read something like this, I believe most people would form the opinion that in the context of the keris, substances other than "natural" substances should not come into contact with a keris, and in the case of oil, mineral oil, being an "unnatural" oil, should not be used on a keris.

I have encountered this idea numerous times in Jawa, usually amongst the fringe dwellers of the Keris World, but respected authorities have also put forward this point of view. The people to whom I owe most of my knowledge did not subscribe to this point of view, and neither do I. Personally, I feel that such a point of view demonstrates a very poor understanding of the spiritual qualities of some keris.

However, that said, we must acknowledge that any spiritual or mystical qualities that a keris might perhaps possess are due entirely to the interaction between that keris and a human being, and if the human being is not at peace in his mind because he has not used the correct oil on his keris, then that interaction is subject to interference. The spiritual qualities that a keris might possess cannot exist in the absence of human input, if that human input is of a disturbed nature, then the reaction from the keris will be perceived to be similarly disrupted.

There are a number of keris belief systems, just as there are a number of religions, the beliefs of one person need not necessarily be the beliefs of another, we usually choose a belief system that we find agreeable to our own pre-existing ideas.

If this can be accepted, I suggest that those who find the idea of anointing a keris with other than a "natural" oil to be something that verges on Mortal Sin, then those people should immediately cease the use of any oil that might be able to be considered "unnatural".

We cannot be too careful with these matters of "esoteri".