Identification Assistance Requested - New Collector

[mariec]

Hi! I am new to the forum. Thanks go out to the admin for letting me in.

I was lucky enough to find my first keri. But, I do not know anything about it. I am hoping that the group can help me better understand the piece.

It is a 16" blade, 21.5" total length.

Thank you in advance for any assistance.

[Sajen]

Hello Mariec,

Welcome to the forum. To get a better understanding of the interesting blade I've played a little bit with your pictures. I am sure that you will receive some insights soon.

[Jean]

Helllo Mariec,
This looks like an old (19th century?) balinese blade of good standard although it would benefit from being cleaned & treated for improving the pamor contrast. The winged animal at the base (naga?) looks original to the blade from the pics but it could be more recent.
The wooden hilt in togogan "demon child" style is recent and of common quality.
A good catch for a first keris, congrats!

[David]

I would have loved to have found this as my first keris. I agree with Jean pretty much based upon what i can see, though the winged figure seems more a Singo (lion) then a Naga (serpent). It's hard to be sure from your photos, but i agree that this figure appears to be original to this blade. I would say this could be more likely the earlier part of the 19th C than the latter. I would see how well you can clean this up with a bit of WD-40 and a good brushing with an old tooth brush.
It would be nice to see clearer, closer and better lit photos, especially of the figures at the base. I would like to get a better look at the smaller figure at the foot of the winged singo creature.

[A. G. Maisey]

The totogan child is not a demon, it is the god of children, I cannot remember his name, but he is a protector of children, certainly not a demon.

The lion on the blade might be a later addition, as Jean has noted, I'd need microscopic examination to know this or not. Later additions to blades are not necessarily a bad thing, they sometimes reflect the changes in custodianship of a keris.

The "stones" in the uwer might be plastic.

If you go with David's suggestion of WD40 and a good scrub --- & I endorse this --- it is probably a good idea to start with a good wash down and toothbrush scrub in the kitchen sink, using warm water & dishwash detergent, then soak the blade over a few days in WD40 & scrub with a hard brush --- not a brush with metal bristles, but a hard toothbrush or similar, then the dishwash detergent & warm water again, dry in the sun & a spray with WD40.

This is a very nice keris.

I think the very first thing I'd do would be to attack the spot of red rust at the tip with repeated applications of vinegar, using cotton buds.

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

The totogan child is not a demon, it is the god of children, I cannot remember his name, but he is a protector of children, certainly not a demon.

The lion on the blade might be a later addition, as Jean has noted, I'd need microscopic examination to know this or not. Later additions to blades are not necessarily a bad thing, they sometimes reflect the changes in custodianship of a keris.

The "stones" in the uwer might be plastic.

If you go with David's suggestion of WD40 and a good scrub --- & I endorse this --- it is probably a good idea to start with a good wash down and toothbrush scrub in the kitchen sink, using warm water & dishwash detergent, then soak the blade over a few days in WD40 & scrub with a hard brush --- not a brush with metal bristles, but a hard toothbrush or similar, then the dishwash detergent & warm water again, dry in the sun & a spray with WD40.

This is a very nice keris.

I think the very first thing I'd do would be to attack the spot of red rust at the tip with repeated applications of vinegar, using cotton buds.

Thanks Alan. Yes, i would also wash with warm soap and water first. I should have noted that. And i must comment you for spotting that red rust on the tip. I had to turn my screen brightness all the way up and i still could have missed it of i was not looking for it.