keris for comment..

zartane · 12th October 2007, 01:41 PM

BluErf, where can i find this swasa pegs?? are there any particular product?? and yes, i did polish the swasa accents, and yes, one of them came off.. i should have read your post before doing so.. at least i did not use the super glue (i was planning to use super glue tomorow, luckily your comment was on time!!)

Therefore I thank you very much for your kind advice!!

Battara · 12th October 2007, 05:53 PM

Actually, swassa has to be made from scratch - it is a mixture of gold and copper for the most part, but must be played with and mixed specifically to match the color of the original swassa. It is expensive, but a friend and I have made it in the past.

A. G. Maisey · 12th October 2007, 11:39 PM

I reckon that if was going to use an adhesive to put those pieces of metal back in place, I'd be using either damar or shellac. Button shellac would be the easiest to obtain, and to use. Just heat the piece of shellac over a candle, smear a little bit onto the wood, then have two candles burning at the same time, heat the shellac on the wood over one candle, and the metal fitting over the other, and press the metal into place.To make sure the metal went fully into its correct position, you heat the metal over the candle when it is on the wood, and then press it into place. The excess of squeezed out shellac can normally just be scraped off with a thumbnail, or a little piece of pointed wood, the candle soot can be wiped off with turps.

BluErf · 13th October 2007, 03:13 AM

The swasa pegs were used in the past to nail the accent pieces to the hilt. They're made by the goldsmith commissioned to put the accent on the hilt. As such, they're not made for sale. I suppose it could always be commissioned now.

Anyhow, no one has used swasa pegs to secure the accents on tajong hilts in recent years, as far as we know. Swasa pegs are thin like needle, and hammered into the hilt. How the goldsmith did it is a bit of a mystery, as you could imagine, the needle-thin peg would bend quite easily if hammered slightly off-centre.

zartane · 13th October 2007, 12:54 PM

what does a peice of button shellac looks like? can i get it from any hardware store?

A. G. Maisey · 13th October 2007, 02:46 PM

Zartane, I live in Australia, and in this country you cannot buy button shellac from an ordinary hardware store.

However, it is available from cabinet makers supply stores.It is shellac, but instead of being in flake form, it comes in a button form. The buttons are about 1.25 to 1.5 inches across, and about three sixteenths of an inch thick.

I've just done a quick google on button shellac, and there are many entries for button shellac. If you are unable to buy locally, it is certainly available over the net.

Battara · 14th October 2007, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BluErf

Swasa pegs are thin like needle, and hammered into the hilt. How the goldsmith did it is a bit of a mystery, as you could imagine, the needle-thin peg would bend quite easily if hammered slightly off-centre.

Actually BluErf, swaasa is very hard compared to gold or even silver. I have made swaasa nails before and they are very tough. I think it is the copper content.

zartane · 14th October 2007, 03:13 PM

thanks for all the replies.. how old do you guys think this keris is??

BluErf · 15th October 2007, 05:29 PM

Yes, swasa is very hard because of the copper content, but the swasa pegs we've seen in tajong hilts are very thin. Considering that it has to be hammered into hard wood like kemuning or kenaung is still quite a feat.

I think this tajong is a early 20th century example judging from the form. I think there should have been an earlier thread on the evolution of the tajong hilt through the ages...

12th October 2007, 01:41 PM	#1
zartane Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 38	BluErf, where can i find this swasa pegs?? are there any particular product?? and yes, i did polish the swasa accents, and yes, one of them came off.. i should have read your post before doing so.. at least i did not use the super glue (i was planning to use super glue tomorow, luckily your comment was on time!!) Therefore I thank you very much for your kind advice!!

12th October 2007, 05:53 PM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,345	Actually, swassa has to be made from scratch - it is a mixture of gold and copper for the most part, but must be played with and mixed specifically to match the color of the original swassa. It is expensive, but a friend and I have made it in the past.

12th October 2007, 11:39 PM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,085	I reckon that if was going to use an adhesive to put those pieces of metal back in place, I'd be using either damar or shellac. Button shellac would be the easiest to obtain, and to use. Just heat the piece of shellac over a candle, smear a little bit onto the wood, then have two candles burning at the same time, heat the shellac on the wood over one candle, and the metal fitting over the other, and press the metal into place.To make sure the metal went fully into its correct position, you heat the metal over the candle when it is on the wood, and then press it into place. The excess of squeezed out shellac can normally just be scraped off with a thumbnail, or a little piece of pointed wood, the candle soot can be wiped off with turps.

13th October 2007, 03:13 AM	#4
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	The swasa pegs were used in the past to nail the accent pieces to the hilt. They're made by the goldsmith commissioned to put the accent on the hilt. As such, they're not made for sale. I suppose it could always be commissioned now. Anyhow, no one has used swasa pegs to secure the accents on tajong hilts in recent years, as far as we know. Swasa pegs are thin like needle, and hammered into the hilt. How the goldsmith did it is a bit of a mystery, as you could imagine, the needle-thin peg would bend quite easily if hammered slightly off-centre.

13th October 2007, 12:54 PM	#5
zartane Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 38	what does a peice of button shellac looks like? can i get it from any hardware store?

13th October 2007, 02:46 PM	#6
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,085	Zartane, I live in Australia, and in this country you cannot buy button shellac from an ordinary hardware store. However, it is available from cabinet makers supply stores.It is shellac, but instead of being in flake form, it comes in a button form. The buttons are about 1.25 to 1.5 inches across, and about three sixteenths of an inch thick. I've just done a quick google on button shellac, and there are many entries for button shellac. If you are unable to buy locally, it is certainly available over the net.

14th October 2007, 03:13 PM	#8
zartane Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 38	thanks for all the replies.. how old do you guys think this keris is??

15th October 2007, 05:29 PM	#9
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	Yes, swasa is very hard because of the copper content, but the swasa pegs we've seen in tajong hilts are very thin. Considering that it has to be hammered into hard wood like kemuning or kenaung is still quite a feat. I think this tajong is a early 20th century example judging from the form. I think there should have been an earlier thread on the evolution of the tajong hilt through the ages...