Moro Kampilan. Opinion needed

philkid · 24th March 2005, 06:26 AM

thanks for the info. I too was curious about the metal on the hilt. How can you know it is silver? I'm just new at this. I have been collecting and selling for only a year.

Conogre · 24th March 2005, 07:32 AM

That's a beautiful old sword, congratulations!
Instead of rusting and prodoucing a reddish iron oxide, silver usually just gets very "black" right from the beginning.....on Muslim weaponry, silver was often a sign of wealth,high rank or personal importance, being a "clean" holy metal, where gold was often considered sinful.
Those holes along the bottom of the silver on the pommel would have held tufts of hair, usually from a horse but occasionally of human origin.
The kampilans are one of the weapons found both in the Philippines and in Indonesia, most famous to the general public for its use by the "Sea Dayaks" or pirates.
Mike

tom hyle · 24th March 2005, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conogre

.....on Muslim weaponry, silver was often a sign of wealth,high rank or personal importance, being a "clean" holy metal, where gold was often considered sinful.

Mike

I didn't know that; thanks. In truth I very little care whether metal is silver or how pure; I'm unfascinated by silver, but AFAIK there are some sort of tests that jewellers know; maybe someone can tell you. Black oxide is a pretty decent cue though. Nickel alloys rust (I like to use that word for all metals; I don't know why) grey or green (depending how much copper they contain), and aluminum, while having a slightly different sheen, also rusts dull light grey.

ariel · 24th March 2005, 03:26 PM

The pic of the tip looks as if a motorized implement had been used for cleaning.
Horror, horror.....

Conogre · 24th March 2005, 03:37 PM

Since you're fairly new to collecting, Ariel's comment was also possibly in way of a subtle warning...many beautiful antiques are all but destroyed by using a Dremmel, sander or such to remove rust, which can mar a blade almost beyond repair.
Many use a liberal application and soaking with WD40 or a similar good rust inhibitor, followed by removal with a cloth or other non-abrasive material until you have considerable experience.
Mike

Bill · 24th March 2005, 03:57 PM

Nice old Kampilan, also nice restoration project. The white metal seems quite odd, your pics look like mine so its hard to see detail. While it has "Moro" design on the white metal, it doesn't look typical. It also seems to be cut from thin sheet metal but it is hard to tell. Is it holding the hilt together or covering up damage? Plenty of advise in the old forums on restoration, Good luck with a nice old sword.

philkid · 24th March 2005, 04:43 PM

What do you think the age is on this item? Thanks for the info about restoration although I did not restore it. Left it as it is. The metal doesn't hold the hilt together and I don't see it covering up any damage. What do you think the metal was for? Is it for decoration? Thanks

24th March 2005, 06:26 AM	#1
philkid Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Philippines Posts: 52	hahaha. thanks for the info. I too was curious about the metal on the hilt. How can you know it is silver? I'm just new at this. I have been collecting and selling for only a year.

24th March 2005, 07:32 AM	#2
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	That's a beautiful old sword, congratulations! Instead of rusting and prodoucing a reddish iron oxide, silver usually just gets very "black" right from the beginning.....on Muslim weaponry, silver was often a sign of wealth,high rank or personal importance, being a "clean" holy metal, where gold was often considered sinful. Those holes along the bottom of the silver on the pommel would have held tufts of hair, usually from a horse but occasionally of human origin. The kampilans are one of the weapons found both in the Philippines and in Indonesia, most famous to the general public for its use by the "Sea Dayaks" or pirates. Mike

24th March 2005, 03:26 PM	#4
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	The pic of the tip looks as if a motorized implement had been used for cleaning. Horror, horror.....

24th March 2005, 03:37 PM	#5
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	Since you're fairly new to collecting, Ariel's comment was also possibly in way of a subtle warning...many beautiful antiques are all but destroyed by using a Dremmel, sander or such to remove rust, which can mar a blade almost beyond repair. Many use a liberal application and soaking with WD40 or a similar good rust inhibitor, followed by removal with a cloth or other non-abrasive material until you have considerable experience. Mike

24th March 2005, 03:57 PM	#6
Bill Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chicago area Posts: 327	Nice old Kampilan, also nice restoration project. The white metal seems quite odd, your pics look like mine so its hard to see detail. While it has "Moro" design on the white metal, it doesn't look typical. It also seems to be cut from thin sheet metal but it is hard to tell. Is it holding the hilt together or covering up damage? Plenty of advise in the old forums on restoration, Good luck with a nice old sword.

24th March 2005, 04:43 PM	#7
philkid Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Philippines Posts: 52	What do you think the age is on this item? Thanks for the info about restoration although I did not restore it. Left it as it is. The metal doesn't hold the hilt together and I don't see it covering up any damage. What do you think the metal was for? Is it for decoration? Thanks