Repair/resto question

[Bob A]

Dismounting might be a bit problematic. The tang extends through a horn end cap and is peened over. (See picture)

Ebay has a lot of damar, in a wide variety of colors. India seems to supply "black" damar; I suspect it's just in a less refined state than the rest. I am led to believe it is synonymous with Benzoin, an incense of which I have a few ounces left over from the 1960s.

I also assume the melting point would be high enough to prevent problems; stuff seems pretty solid.

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes Bob, that peened tang would present a problem.

So patch. This jabung mix can be handled with bare hands, you make up the mix, heat it to fluid, then let it cool down until you can pick up a piece that is just warm enough to handle like putty. Roll a little bit, more than sufficient to fill the hole, between your fingers, push it into the hole, then heat up a little piece of steel, something like a nail, grip it with vice grips, and apply the hot steel to the jabung to melt it and let it penetrate the hole. When it is set, but not yet hard, use a bit of sharp wood to cut off the excess, clean up around the fill with mineral turpentine and a hard toothbrush.

[Bob A]

Thanks, Alan.

I'm assuming you're referring to the damar/wax/brick dust mixture as jabung? I'm ordering some damar, and I'll experiment with proportions once it gets here.

Sounds rather like fun, actually, and I certainly appreciate the details in your post. Life becomes much smoother when following the tracks of those gone before.

[mross]

I have used this to good effect;

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Birch-Bark-...72.m2749.l2649

[A. G. Maisey]

I like the sound of that Birch stuff.

Yes, Bob, in Jawa we call this mix jabung, it is pretty much the standard adhesive for all handles that are intended to stay put, The damar we use is called "damar selo" = "rock damar" and it needs to be melted in a pot over fire, it is very highly inflammable and the gas it gives off takes your breath away. It will stick to your skin if still liquid, and you can burnt severely by it, so when using it you stir the liquid jabung with a stick until it doesn't drip off, then you can handle it like putty with your bare hands. You need to work very quickly.

Of course, these days most people in Jawa use a modern adhesive like one of the super glues or one of the two part epoxy resins, and they colour these with iron filings as required.

In fact, it has been standard practice in Jawa to use two part epoxy resin between the blade and the gonjo of old keris, where this gap has opened up, since this adhesive appeared on the market there, more than 50 years ago. The reason for its use is to assist preservation:- if the gap between blade & gonjo is sealed it helps to prevent further deterioration.

[Bob A]

Yeah, the birch stuff is interesting. Apparently currently unavailable.

Thanks for the clarification, Alan. I'm sort of shocked that epoxy would be used; it seems to me that reversibility is compromised, but I am far from certain on that score.

Seems to be lots of variation regarding damar. The benzoin incense melts and enters a gaseous state pretty rapidly if I recall correctly; smells nice, but then we used a few crumbs on a charcoal cake, with the vapor being the objective of the exercise. I'm planning to get some black damar from India, we'll see how that works. I also ordered a couple sticks of black sealing wax. I'll probably make little batches of each suggested compound before trying a repair, just to see how each one turns out.

[A. G. Maisey]

Yeah Bob, most people are shocked to learn that people in places once considered the "Ends of the Earth" moved into the same practices as people in other places, a long time ago.

Thing is this:- for concerned Javanese, the important thing is to conserve their heritage, and modern methods and materials do that far better than the old ways. The climate there is terrible, the humidity during the wet season seeps into cameras and causes corrosion. Its not really hot, usually only low to mid thirties Celsius, but the humidity is sufficient to cause you to sweat if you even think about work.

Epoxy resins do a pretty much permanent job on wood, once you use epoxy on wood its there forever, you want to remove it, you need to remove a thin layer of the original material along with the epoxy, but on metal, especially ferric material, its easy to get off, Araldite softens and peels at +/-200C, it dissolves with acetone.

[mross]

Originally Posted by Bob A

Yeah, the birch stuff is interesting. Apparently currently unavailable.

Thanks for the clarification, Alan. I'm sort of shocked that epoxy would be used; it seems to me that reversibility is compromised, but I am far from certain on that score.

Seems to be lots of variation regarding damar. The benzoin incense melts and enters a gaseous state pretty rapidly if I recall correctly; smells nice, but then we used a few crumbs on a charcoal cake, with the vapor being the objective of the exercise. I'm planning to get some black damar from India, we'll see how that works. I also ordered a couple sticks of black sealing wax. I'll probably make little batches of each suggested compound before trying a repair, just to see how each one turns out.

Contact the seller if your interested. He makes the tar himself from sustainable locally sourced bark. I used it to stabilize a loose blade in a kora.

To answer one of the other question, no I would not use epoxy. It is not easily removed and can breakdown/ loosen up. The tar just need to have a heat gun applied and replaced.