Is This a Pedang ?
 

Hi Folks ,Its been a while since I have been here but as usual I am puzzled ,Can anyone tell me what the proper name for this weapon is
Thanks for any help
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...2/alamp101.jpg

A few more Pics,The spiral in the blade appears to be just a design on the metal


http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...2/alamp099.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...2/alamp103.jpg

Hello Alan,

Yup, a pedang - usually the hilts are horn rather than wood. Here's a nice thread which shows some of the diversity of these blades:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=4682

Your blade has nice pamor - try to clean and stain it!

Regards,
Kai

Thanks Kai

It is a beauty. A Sumatran pedang. Clean the blade and stain it like Kai said.

I'm not convinced this piece is really Sumatran; the carving looks a bit different than what I'm used to. These pedang seem to originate from all along the island chain with apparently quite a few hailing from Lombok.

Did anybody studied well-provenanced examples for local variation in style? Charles?

Regards,
Kai

Thanks again folks,What is the best way to clean and stain this?

Pineapple juice soak .... could take up to a week or so.

Get some PVC tube and an end cap; glue the cap to one end of the tube; fill with juice and suspend the blade in it.

Agree there is a very interesting pamor there .

Thank you Rick

Now that I have soaked it,how is the best way to stain it or should I just leave it as is ? Here is a pic. I will upload a better pic later

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...2/alamp112.jpg

Looks Lombok
 

I agree with Kai, it looks Lombok to me. Unfortunately I don't have any example.

I believe the hilt of this particular pedang was made of buffalo horn, or is it wood?

If you want to do what Indonesian do traditionally then you should patinate it. After the patination, it might looks a bit 'new', but you will enjoy the pamor contrast. Leaving the blade as is will giving a 'vintage' looks, but well, it is up to your preferrence. You might want to see some examples then decide which suit you best.

Thanks!

The Handle is wood and I would like to patinate it but I am not sure how
Thanks for any info on patination

the spiral in the blade is similar to the one on one of my badek

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...kew/badek2.jpg

At the base, a circular formation is seen and is called pamor qul buntet. Above it are diagonal patterns called pamor buntil mayit or death shroud.

Hello Alan,

Sorry forgot to reply earlier: This seems to be a high-contrast pamor and I'd tend to stain this with arsenic, especially if assuming an origin from Lombok, etc. This is quite an art in and of itself but several people got reasonable results: search for warangan as well as arsenic on the fora here to get you started. It's not as difficult as it sounds (correct staining of keris Jawa being another matter) and you can always go back if you don't like the result.

You could also try to stain the blade with hot vinegar (another search here...) which will result in a more subdued contrast. This would be probably the kind of finish to be expected from northern Sumatra. Ferric chloride would be another, non-traditional resort but this can cause excessive corrosion if not handled correctly. In my experience either waranngan or vinegar are the way to go with vast majority of SE Asian blades...

Regards,
Kai

Thanks Kai

Just in reference to the "spiral formation" mentioned in the first post. It is a batu lapak or saddle stone, supposedly a sort of magical imprint of the smith's thumb in the steel. The pamor batu lapak is said to be able to protect the owner in times of chaos, especially in warfare.
Josh

Oops, I just noticed the previous post calling the spiral formation something else. I hope there is someone who can resolve this discrepancy. My knowledge of the subject is not very deep.

Thanks Josh ,Hopefully someone will help clarify