Keris with swirls in pamor for comment.
 

Buoyed by the results of the first keris I have brought to show and tell for quite some time, I've decided to show you some more.

So here's the next Keris for ID and comments please. The description said middle Java C.1880, but I've found that some of these seem right while others are wrong so I'll leave it to you guys to tell me:

Boy, did you step in it mate . :)
Another quite interesting piece .

I think we might call that pamor puser .

Thanks Rick,
Pamor puser; Centre of the world? :)

Best
Gene

P.S. You can't see it in the pics I meant to show both sides. That swirl is right through the blade!

Very nice keris Gene! This one I would like to see indeed with a proper Stain!

Regards,

Detlef

Yes, please... :)

Hi Detlef,

I took a BIG chance on this one, it was comparatively very expensive and I nearly left it.
I swapped a nice sword for it, so I hope it's both old and unusual!
I want to learn and I find that hard lessons tend to stick in my mind the best ;)

Best
Gene

lol, I'm glad you like it. Any information greatfully recieved :shrug:

Best
Gene

Maybe not, Gene .
I think I see evidence of a slorok present .
That pamor may have been applied to each side .

...goes off to look up 'slorok'........ ;)

'Core', mate . :)

"Puser" has a few meanings:- navel, center, middle point, swirl; not not necessarily center of the earth.

Rick, it could go all the way through the blade. There are several ways to put the core into a blade, and two of those ways do not have the core running all the way through the blade, but only along its edges. Even if the core did go all the way through, it would still be possible to put a hole through the middle of the blade, and insert a rolled up piece of pamor before you welded the core in.

In keris terminology one of the meanings of "slorok" is the core of the blade, but it is also the separate front part of some types of pendok, or the thin contrasting backing foil for the front panel of other kinds of pendok. Some people even call the singap a slorok. Essentially a slorok is something that slides, so it can be a sliding panel, or a drawer --- like we keep socks in --- or any kind of sliding cover. A singap is the cloth bag we store keris in.

:o Thanks Rick.

The hilt is Surakarta/Central Java while the sheath is Yogyakarta. The blade, I'm not smart with that one :o At the first sight it is quite interesting, but looking at how the ricikan (details) were done :shrug: Nice wood grain on the sheath. Pendok (metal oversheath) is lower end, sorry.

Ah, that was just the first reference I found on google. I'm very much still learning :)

Hello Chandra,
Do you think that this blade is Javanese? I would call the pamor Kul Buntet Tambal? :confused:
Regards

A very nice and interesting keris. However, I'm somewhat puzzled about the strange looking pitting along the blade -- vice marks? I don't hope so ...

Hi Greybeard,
Glad you like it.
Not vice marks, just old corrosion by the looks of it.

Best
Gene

Hello Jean, yes I think so, but I'm not well trained to differentiate which part of Java; my wild guess is Jogja (I don't know how it differ from Mataram :o) just because I remember that it should look rather slender and pointy-please correct me if I'm wrong, and I don't know if the pamor appearance is valid for the region. I'm trying to speak about style and not origin-and not that tangguh thing to which the more I learn the more I don't care. Why do you ask that? Do you think otherwise (not a Javanese blade)?

Normally I only care about simple pamor (like wos wutah or ngulit semangka), but since you already start it, I would call this lintang kemukus tambal, kul buntet (snail) lintang kemukus (comet) tambal (to patch)-maybe not, or simply dwi warna (two colors/pamor), tri warna (three colors) etc. Also not well trained in the subject so I'm sorry if I name the wrong pamor :D.

I look at the blade again, I think the sorsoran is rather awkward, some major details are: the upper part of the ganja (guard/cross section) where it meets the blade is rather not well defined (rather concave?, should be undulated and giving a perpendicular feels with the bottom), the greneng, decorations on the back appear to be worn out naturally, but the front details at the elephant trunk area appear to be not, maybe that makes me to think before that the details are somehow less elegant. (I'm sorry Gene if you read this post but you know this is just opinion and I could be wrong of course :))

I hope now I look smart with my lengthy post :p

Hi Tunggulametung,

I can see a shadow of the shape of an earlier pendok so I don't think this one is the original.

Best
Gene

That's normal ;) but if you ever think about replacing it again a decent or well crafted pendok (used/new) should cost a little while it is not made of or contain precious metal. The hilt is not appropriate for the sheath, but again also quite affordable. But if I were you for the time being I will keep it just the way it is, especially if this is a recent acquisition and see if you still like it another Christmas or two, then it might need some makeover. Oh, and keep the hilt and the hilt cup away from this forum crowd if you ever change it;), it seems a nice one (low grade silver? & refined carving? hardwood?).

Hi Gene

I'm glad that these are just old corrosion pits. Vice marks (as well as file/grinding marks) are very nasty on an otherwise fine old keris blade. Congratulations on this piece!

Best regards,

Heinz

As has been pointed out, there are certain "problems" with this keris. The hilt and sheath do not match regionally. Does the blade fit tightly in the sheath with no spacing between blade and opening? If the sheath appears made for the blade than perhaps the hilt was added later for sale purposes. If that is the case you might want to look for a nice Jogya style planar hilt and replace this one. :shrug:
This is certainly not a master keris. Everyone seems to feel the need to apologize to you when saying this, but frankly, very few of us own master works. I do think it is a keris with some character and the bottom line is that if it appeals to you it was worth obtaining (though i am not sure what you mean by "comparatively expensive"). I personally have a liking for swirling pamors like this. Tunggalemetung has pointed out some valid problems in the crafting of this blade so i won't repeat them. But if this blade were perfectly executed it would have been more than "comparatively" expensive. ;)
This is certainly a blade i would like to see in proper stain, so you might want to consider that.

Hi Heinz,

Thanks for that. I'm glad you like it.
Best
Gene

Hi Tunggulametung,

The metal of the pendok has the appearance of white brass or low grade silver/white metal. The hilt cup however seems to be quite good grade silver.
The Hilt, hilt cup and blade all appear to be very old. The hilt is dark hardwood.
Good advice thank you.
Best
Gene

Hello Chandra,
Yeah, this blade has some peculiar features such as the sirah cecak, pejetan, lambe gajah, and greneng so I have some doubts that it originates from Central Java but a regional javanese origin is possible. I share what you say about the tangguh matter, thanks to Alan for having opened our eyes! :D
I agree with your alternative pamor classifications.
Best regards

Hi David,

Fair points, thanks. I do take them onboard.
It was expensive compared with my others/what I would usually expect to get a nice Keris for.
It seemed unusual and called to me. Perhaps I should have left it. Perhaps I should stick it under my pillow and see if it has any other message for me ;)
I have no knowledge of how to restore the stain on these, any suggestions?

Best
Gene

If you choose to do the staining yourself there are many threads to be found here on the processes. Just search the archives. You could also find someone with experience to do it for you. :)