Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Jean · 12th June 2021, 01:48 PM

Dear friends,
I have received the kris blade & hilt and I attach some pics, my observations are as follows:
The bade is 33 cm long excluding the pesi and has an elegant shape.
The hilt was strongly attached to the blade by means of a very old cotton cloth and natural resin (not epoxy), and it is my impression that the 2 pieces have been fitted together for at least 50 years, which seems to exclude that the blase is recent. The blade was slightly polished on the edges and a bit corroded in some areas, especially around the naga head. I can see traces of a longitudinal pamor pattern, the blade looks nicely forged and the naga figure & body are very neatly carved.
I cleaned it in a vinegar plus citric acid bath and could remove most of the corrosion and dirt in less than 24 hours. As advised earlier, the greneng has an unusual shape as well as the cirah cecak of the ganja, which could be an indicator of the origin of the blade.
As expected the hilt is made from cast brass or bronze (heavy) and I could remove most of the blue stains with a copper cleaning paste (it looks better than on the pics).
Your comments and opinion about the blade origin will be welcome!

12th June 2021, 01:48 PM	#11
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	Dear friends, I have received the kris blade & hilt and I attach some pics, my observations are as follows: The bade is 33 cm long excluding the pesi and has an elegant shape. The hilt was strongly attached to the blade by means of a very old cotton cloth and natural resin (not epoxy), and it is my impression that the 2 pieces have been fitted together for at least 50 years, which seems to exclude that the blase is recent. The blade was slightly polished on the edges and a bit corroded in some areas, especially around the naga head. I can see traces of a longitudinal pamor pattern, the blade looks nicely forged and the naga figure & body are very neatly carved. I cleaned it in a vinegar plus citric acid bath and could remove most of the corrosion and dirt in less than 24 hours. As advised earlier, the greneng has an unusual shape as well as the cirah cecak of the ganja, which could be an indicator of the origin of the blade. As expected the hilt is made from cast brass or bronze (heavy) and I could remove most of the blue stains with a copper cleaning paste (it looks better than on the pics). Your comments and opinion about the blade origin will be welcome! Attached Images Last edited by Jean; 13th June 2021 at 07:31 AM.