keris blade identification and need some advice.

zartane · 7th July 2006, 09:50 AM

i got a blade from a cousin who lives in brunei which he inhereted from our great grandfather, well, that's what he said.. need anyone's personal comment and if possible some advice on how to restore its looks.. another thing that i got is a keris handle made from elephant trunk. it's a little yellowish and wonder if anybody know how to make it white? thanks..

Henk · 8th July 2006, 09:25 AM

Zartane,

I believe you are new here. Welcome to the forum.

I'm afraid that the blade is a newly made reproduction. The story that your cousin inherited it by his great grandfather is a little bit overdone. Unless his great grandfather bought it some years ago.

For the ukiran. Just clean it in wather with some soap to get off the dirt, but leave the patina. Unfortunately I cann't judge from the picture if it is real ivory but if it is ivory you got a very nice ukiran.

nechesh · 8th July 2006, 02:21 PM

I am afraid i tend to agree with Henk on this one. Though it's hard to tell from the condition, i don't think this is even a "real" keris in the sense that it appears to not be made in the traditional method at all.
As for the hilt, please DON"T try to make it white. The yellow patina of ivory is very desireable (if it is ivory). Even if it is just bone or antler you wouldn't want to lose the patina. Clean it up a bit by all means. Try a soft toothbrush on it.
BTW, welcome to the forum.

zartane · 8th July 2006, 03:53 PM

thanks for your replies. i do really apreciate it.. Just a wild thought, could the blade be done by an amature, which leads to poor quality which a keris needs but still be old? i'm just guessing cause the blade looks old.. and yes, the hilt is made from ivory..

nechesh · 8th July 2006, 04:31 PM

Photographs can always be misleading, but this doesn't look like a layered metal construction to me. It is a keris form which is commonly made as a repro known as naga sasra. It does indeed appear old, but this is very easy to accomplish in a relatively short period of time. If you want to clean it up to see if there is any pattern weilding try soaking it in pineapple juice for about a week, brushing it down a couple times a day with a hard toothbrush. There may be a surprise under there, but i doubt it. I have seen these repros in all levels of quality, some qualify as "true" modern keris while others are cheaply and non-traditionally made cast iron.
The hilt on the other hand looks like the real deal and certainly has more value than the blade.

Henk · 9th July 2006, 09:47 AM

Zartane,

Nechesh is completely right.
For the blade to compare look some time at ebay. You will find plenty of them. Or just go to flee markets or oriental markets here in Holland. How many of those blades do you want??? They are avaible in the quality you showed us, but also better and worse.

The blade is nice black colored. Just believe what Nechesh told you, because you will remove the black in the pineapple juice. If you don't believe it try with a slice lemon and rubb the peksi. The black color is gone very fast and you see the white metal. On the peksi it is not such a problem because you can hide that with an ukiran. But don't use the ivory one. That one should dress a real fine keris.

7th July 2006, 09:50 AM	#1
zartane Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 38	keris blade identification and need some advice. i got a blade from a cousin who lives in brunei which he inhereted from our great grandfather, well, that's what he said.. need anyone's personal comment and if possible some advice on how to restore its looks.. another thing that i got is a keris handle made from elephant trunk. it's a little yellowish and wonder if anybody know how to make it white? thanks.. Attached Images

8th July 2006, 03:53 PM	#4
zartane Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 38	thanks.. thanks for your replies. i do really apreciate it.. Just a wild thought, could the blade be done by an amature, which leads to poor quality which a keris needs but still be old? i'm just guessing cause the blade looks old.. and yes, the hilt is made from ivory..

8th July 2006, 09:25 AM	#2
Henk Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,209	Zartane, I believe you are new here. Welcome to the forum. I'm afraid that the blade is a newly made reproduction. The story that your cousin inherited it by his great grandfather is a little bit overdone. Unless his great grandfather bought it some years ago. For the ukiran. Just clean it in wather with some soap to get off the dirt, but leave the patina. Unfortunately I cann't judge from the picture if it is real ivory but if it is ivory you got a very nice ukiran.

8th July 2006, 02:21 PM	#3
nechesh Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 940	I am afraid i tend to agree with Henk on this one. Though it's hard to tell from the condition, i don't think this is even a "real" keris in the sense that it appears to not be made in the traditional method at all. As for the hilt, please DON"T try to make it white. The yellow patina of ivory is very desireable (if it is ivory). Even if it is just bone or antler you wouldn't want to lose the patina. Clean it up a bit by all means. Try a soft toothbrush on it. BTW, welcome to the forum.

8th July 2006, 04:31 PM	#5
nechesh Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 940	Photographs can always be misleading, but this doesn't look like a layered metal construction to me. It is a keris form which is commonly made as a repro known as naga sasra. It does indeed appear old, but this is very easy to accomplish in a relatively short period of time. If you want to clean it up to see if there is any pattern weilding try soaking it in pineapple juice for about a week, brushing it down a couple times a day with a hard toothbrush. There may be a surprise under there, but i doubt it. I have seen these repros in all levels of quality, some qualify as "true" modern keris while others are cheaply and non-traditionally made cast iron. The hilt on the other hand looks like the real deal and certainly has more value than the blade.

9th July 2006, 09:47 AM	#6
Henk Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,209	Zartane, Nechesh is completely right. For the blade to compare look some time at ebay. You will find plenty of them. Or just go to flee markets or oriental markets here in Holland. How many of those blades do you want??? They are avaible in the quality you showed us, but also better and worse. The blade is nice black colored. Just believe what Nechesh told you, because you will remove the black in the pineapple juice. If you don't believe it try with a slice lemon and rubb the peksi. The black color is gone very fast and you see the white metal. On the peksi it is not such a problem because you can hide that with an ukiran. But don't use the ivory one. That one should dress a real fine keris.