Sulphur staining a keris Bugis

GIO · 8th February 2021, 10:56 AM

I tried this method with one of the very first kerises of my collection, more or less 35 years ago. I started with a Bali Keris with an almost undiscernible pamor and an uniform light grey colour. After one week treatment and a terrible smell all around, I found that the iron was corroded, while the nickel of the pamor was left intact and in relief, in great contrast with the blackish iron.
The result was good and there was no need to make further treatments to the blade, except rinsing and oiling. I have somewhere the pics taken before and after, shall publish them soon.

GIO · 8th February 2021, 06:44 PM

Here are the pics as promised. Please do not comment on the quality....

GIO · 8th February 2021, 06:47 PM

The "hilt" in the second pic is not a keris hilt.

Mickey the Finn · 15th February 2021, 04:33 PM

jagabuwana, your photos show precisely the same results which I get when I take a Mora knife or industrial planer blade, wrap in plastic film, and then pour in enough lemon juice to wet the blade. When I submerge rusty hex-head cap screws in lemon juice, the result is the same. In all cases, the stench after unwrapping or removing the lid is horrendous in a ripe cheese sort of way. Everything turns black, but when I clean away the sludge from the blades, the black colour lacks staying power. If it wasn't for this last bit, I might have concluded that the sulfur could be dispensed with, and lemon juice alone might work well enough to achieve a stain of sorts. I've been informed that sulfur can be bought at home improvement/hardware/gardening supply stores. I may have to buy some and try this alchemy to see whether sulfur is indeed the crucial ingredient which gives the black the staying power to endure even toothbrush scrubbing. If not, I may have to set about establishing myself as an amateur hobbyist mineral collector to get my hands on some arsenic as found in nature.

A. G. Maisey · 15th February 2021, 08:22 PM

Mickey, there has been more than little discussion in the pages of this Forum about blade staining. My own experience is that any mildly acid substance will clean a ferric material, and usually leave some sort of stain.

The effect of laboratory quality white arsenic, when correctly applied is probably as good as can be achieved. The result from native arsenic varies considerably from excellent to totally useless.

For a quick stain on a previously stained blade, white household vinegar works pretty well, or least it lets you see the pamor pattern and to a degree, read the iron.

The method that Jaga used is mentioned in an old colonial era book, I tried it a few times more than 60 years ago, and each time I used it the result was not too bad. I have never used it on a new, previously unstained blade, but I suspect it would not prove to be as satisfactory on a previously unstained blade as it is on a blade that already has traces of arsenic from previous stainings adhering to it.

8th February 2021, 06:44 PM	#2
GIO Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 313	Here are the pics as promised. Please do not comment on the quality.... Attached Images

8th February 2021, 10:56 AM	#1
GIO Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 313	I tried this method with one of the very first kerises of my collection, more or less 35 years ago. I started with a Bali Keris with an almost undiscernible pamor and an uniform light grey colour. After one week treatment and a terrible smell all around, I found that the iron was corroded, while the nickel of the pamor was left intact and in relief, in great contrast with the blackish iron. The result was good and there was no need to make further treatments to the blade, except rinsing and oiling. I have somewhere the pics taken before and after, shall publish them soon.

8th February 2021, 06:47 PM	#3
GIO Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 313	The "hilt" in the second pic is not a keris hilt.

15th February 2021, 04:33 PM	#4
Mickey the Finn Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Posts: 90	jagabuwana, your photos show precisely the same results which I get when I take a Mora knife or industrial planer blade, wrap in plastic film, and then pour in enough lemon juice to wet the blade. When I submerge rusty hex-head cap screws in lemon juice, the result is the same. In all cases, the stench after unwrapping or removing the lid is horrendous in a ripe cheese sort of way. Everything turns black, but when I clean away the sludge from the blades, the black colour lacks staying power. If it wasn't for this last bit, I might have concluded that the sulfur could be dispensed with, and lemon juice alone might work well enough to achieve a stain of sorts. I've been informed that sulfur can be bought at home improvement/hardware/gardening supply stores. I may have to buy some and try this alchemy to see whether sulfur is indeed the crucial ingredient which gives the black the staying power to endure even toothbrush scrubbing. If not, I may have to set about establishing myself as an amateur hobbyist mineral collector to get my hands on some arsenic as found in nature.

15th February 2021, 08:22 PM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,746	Mickey, there has been more than little discussion in the pages of this Forum about blade staining. My own experience is that any mildly acid substance will clean a ferric material, and usually leave some sort of stain. The effect of laboratory quality white arsenic, when correctly applied is probably as good as can be achieved. The result from native arsenic varies considerably from excellent to totally useless. For a quick stain on a previously stained blade, white household vinegar works pretty well, or least it lets you see the pamor pattern and to a degree, read the iron. The method that Jaga used is mentioned in an old colonial era book, I tried it a few times more than 60 years ago, and each time I used it the result was not too bad. I have never used it on a new, previously unstained blade, but I suspect it would not prove to be as satisfactory on a previously unstained blade as it is on a blade that already has traces of arsenic from previous stainings adhering to it.