A keris, at last.

David R · 14th October 2012, 06:54 PM

Hi there I am new on this section of the forum. I an an "ethnic" collector rather than a Keris collector, but wanted one for a long time. I have had a few of these over the years but never managed to keep them, and then for a long time never saw one I liked in my price range, 'till today. Bought at a fair a couple of hours ago, here it is just as I got it. Information and advice gratefully recieved.

David · 15th October 2012, 04:21 PM

Well David, that's a bit of a project for you, isn't it. The dress here is pretty low rent and in pretty bad condition. I do kind of like the blade though. There are numerous threads in our archives on etching and staining these blades and this one seems a candidate for both. If nothing else you will want to get that rust under control.
As for the dress, i wouldn't know how to repair the stem of this sheath other than replace it completely. If the keris looks decent after cleaning and staining i might consider having a whole new sheath made. Otherwise, i don't know what your skill set is, but making a new gandar (stem) for the sheath would probably be the easiest part of it to re-do. If the blade fits well in the wrongko (top sheath) this might be a good option. The hilt isn't a very good example of the planar hilt, but it's not too difficult to find a better example on eBay for a reasonable amount of money.

David R · 15th October 2012, 05:24 PM

As you say, low rent and battered, but the blade not too bad. For the price I paid, I am not upset.
At this same fair one dealer had a large box full of wooden keris hilts, which he is intending to bring to the next one, along with other pieces of keris. It seems he bought a lot of bits and some even more worn keris from a collecter or dealer, but did not have much in the way of complete pieces. I resisted buying any until I knew a bit more about the subject being unsure as to how far I may legitimately go in replacing bits. I would like a new collar for this one though.
My next step is to haunt this forum until I have a better idea of what I am about.

Henk · 15th October 2012, 05:40 PM

I agree with David about the blade. Stop the rust and if possible stain it.

For the dress. I simply love the simplicity. Keep it this way. Clean it and polish it. IMHO a very nice simple keris. Love it!!

David · 15th October 2012, 07:11 PM

....oh, and the proper orienation for that hilt form is 180º in the opposite direction...

Sajen · 15th October 2012, 08:21 PM

Hello David,

it seems that you have a nice strong blade, dapur seems to be Jalak Ruwuh. Would like to see it proper stained. The cross piece of the sheath is not bad, when the fit of the blade is good I would keep it and clean it with very fine steel wool and then rub it with flax oil. The gandar, like David pointed out, isn't original and I would try to replace it. A better hilt and I think you have a nice keris.

Regards,

Detlef

14th October 2012, 06:54 PM	#1
David R Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,079	A keris, at last. Hi there I am new on this section of the forum. I an an "ethnic" collector rather than a Keris collector, but wanted one for a long time. I have had a few of these over the years but never managed to keep them, and then for a long time never saw one I liked in my price range, 'till today. Bought at a fair a couple of hours ago, here it is just as I got it. Information and advice gratefully recieved. Attached Images

15th October 2012, 04:21 PM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,125	Well David, that's a bit of a project for you, isn't it. The dress here is pretty low rent and in pretty bad condition. I do kind of like the blade though. There are numerous threads in our archives on etching and staining these blades and this one seems a candidate for both. If nothing else you will want to get that rust under control. As for the dress, i wouldn't know how to repair the stem of this sheath other than replace it completely. If the keris looks decent after cleaning and staining i might consider having a whole new sheath made. Otherwise, i don't know what your skill set is, but making a new gandar (stem) for the sheath would probably be the easiest part of it to re-do. If the blade fits well in the wrongko (top sheath) this might be a good option. The hilt isn't a very good example of the planar hilt, but it's not too difficult to find a better example on eBay for a reasonable amount of money.

15th October 2012, 05:24 PM	#3
David R Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,079	As you say, low rent and battered, but the blade not too bad. For the price I paid, I am not upset. At this same fair one dealer had a large box full of wooden keris hilts, which he is intending to bring to the next one, along with other pieces of keris. It seems he bought a lot of bits and some even more worn keris from a collecter or dealer, but did not have much in the way of complete pieces. I resisted buying any until I knew a bit more about the subject being unsure as to how far I may legitimately go in replacing bits. I would like a new collar for this one though. My next step is to haunt this forum until I have a better idea of what I am about.

15th October 2012, 05:40 PM	#4
Henk Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,209	I agree with David about the blade. Stop the rust and if possible stain it. For the dress. I simply love the simplicity. Keep it this way. Clean it and polish it. IMHO a very nice simple keris. Love it!!

15th October 2012, 07:11 PM	#5
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,125	....oh, and the proper orienation for that hilt form is 180º in the opposite direction...

15th October 2012, 08:21 PM	#6
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 8,781	Hello David, it seems that you have a nice strong blade, dapur seems to be Jalak Ruwuh. Would like to see it proper stained. The cross piece of the sheath is not bad, when the fit of the blade is good I would keep it and clean it with very fine steel wool and then rub it with flax oil. The gandar, like David pointed out, isn't original and I would try to replace it. A better hilt and I think you have a nice keris. Regards, Detlef