Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

BluErf · 26th January 2010, 01:50 PM

I have this problem with one of my kerises, whose wood has not been completely cured, and when it goes into my storage room with RH 70%, the wood shrinks and grips the blade so tightly that the blade just cannot be drawn. My method is to leave the whole keris out in a cool room and let the wood absorb moisture over a few days. The wood will naturally expand.

Of course this is easy here in the tropics where RH is frequently 80% to the high 90%s. But I reckon if you put the keris in an enclosed container with a glass of water, a similar effect can be achieved. This could be useful if you do not want to knock the keris free of its sheath.

26th January 2010, 01:50 PM	#4
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	I have this problem with one of my kerises, whose wood has not been completely cured, and when it goes into my storage room with RH 70%, the wood shrinks and grips the blade so tightly that the blade just cannot be drawn. My method is to leave the whole keris out in a cool room and let the wood absorb moisture over a few days. The wood will naturally expand. Of course this is easy here in the tropics where RH is frequently 80% to the high 90%s. But I reckon if you put the keris in an enclosed container with a glass of water, a similar effect can be achieved. This could be useful if you do not want to knock the keris free of its sheath.