Planning to make a wrongko

[David]

Originally Posted by Gustav

Guys, it's of course nothing of great importance, yet Johan's Keris quite clearly is a Riau or Straits piece (its Gandar/Batang included) and has nothing to with Sulawesi. The sheaths shown in this thread are Sulawesi Bugis.

The Straits Sampir are boxier (wider) and could actually be easier to carve - they don't have the bulge.

Gustav, if you (or anyone) have some example to show please post them. I'm sure an illustration would be helpful to Johan. I have no such keris in my own collection at this point.

[Gustav]

This one comes near to Johan's Gandar/Batang in shape and also wood characteristics are similar. Unfortunately one tip of Sampir has a damage. Will try to make more pictures of it tomorrow.

But I think, all that is not so important, as it in any case will be a "cross cultural" Keris. The Wrongko just should be a good fit for the blade. The only point for the Riau style Wrongko in this case (besides the style of the blade and the survived fittings) is perhaps the minimally easier understanding of its shape and carving work.

[Johan van Zyl]

I'm obliged, Rick! In considering the work still to be done, I'm fretting a little bit about joining the gandar to the gambar. Like Alan has said, a butt joint on its own is a bad idea. I have considered the correct method kindly explained by Alan, but I'm wondering if I could get a nice solid attachment by drilling a few holes into the gandar, inserting some brass pins and glueing them into place with their ends protruding, and then marking them against the opposite face of the gambar, drilling holes to accept the pins. When the two pieces are brought together for epoxy glueing, the pins are themselves glued and slid into the holes. (The pins needn't be brass, they can be bambu too.)

I am of the opinion that this joint on any keris scabbard is its weakest point. Making the scabbard out of a single piece of wood would certainly make that spot stronger - I recall reading that this has been done; however, I don't recall ever seeing a scabbard without a join line at that point.

That said, my good wife is of the opinion that I sometimes don't recall all that well...

[Johan van Zyl]

Thanks, Gustav! I need all the advice I can get. Much obliged.

[kai]

Hello Johan,

Sorry for coming in late!

I have considered the correct method kindly explained by Alan, but I'm wondering if I could get a nice solid attachment by drilling a few holes into the gandar, inserting some brass pins and glueing them into place with their ends protruding, and then marking them against the opposite face of the gambar, drilling holes to accept the pins. When the two pieces are brought together for epoxy glueing, the pins are themselves glued and slid into the holes. (The pins needn't be brass, they can be bambu too.)

Since the gandar is made of rather thin (and traditionally lighter) wood, securing by pins would not really be robust enough for use. Usually the gandar has protruding "lips" which are easy and robust to fix a gambar/sampir to. You could try to attach some replacement on the inside of the gandar which will be easier and more stable to fix the crosspiece to.

I'm with Gustav on stylistic considerations.

I am of the opinion that this joint on any keris scabbard is its weakest point. Making the scabbard out of a single piece of wood would certainly make that spot stronger - I recall reading that this has been done; however, I don't recall ever seeing a scabbard without a join line at that point.

Try a search of this forum for waranka iras - that should give some hits. These are a hell to craft though...

Regards,
Kai

[Jean]

Originally Posted by Johan van Zyl

I am of the opinion that this joint on any keris scabbard is its weakest point. Making the scabbard out of a single piece of wood would certainly make that spot stronger - I recall reading that this has been done; however, I don't recall ever seeing a scabbard without a join line at that point.

A scabbard made from a single piece of wood (warangka iras) is commonly used for Javanese or Madurese krisses but rarely if not never for Bugis krisses, one reason being that the wood species used for the gambar and gandar are usually different.... A glued neck joint using integral tenons on the sides of the gandar and inserted into the gambar is very strong.
Regards

[David]

Originally Posted by kai

Try a search of this forum for waranka iras - that should give some hits. These are a hell to craft though...

I'm afraid that search will not yield any return Kai. English spellings for Javanese terms vary, but you will get the most hits for that off "warangka iras", a bunch more off "wrongko iras" and a few more still as "wrangka iras".

[Gustav]

Originally Posted by Jean

A scabbard made from a single piece of wood (warangka iras) is commonly used for Javanese or Madurese krisses but rarely if not never for Bugis krisses, one reason being that the wood species used for the gambar and gandar are usually different.... A glued neck joint using integral tenons on the sides of the gandar and inserted into the gambar is very strong.
Regards

Johan actually is wright. For a Gambar/Sampir on Sumatran or Peninsular Kerisses the piece of wood is mostly taken from roots, can be brittle and has a lot of inner tension. The walls at the joint with Gandar/Batang often are only a couple of millimeters thick, exactly at the weakest place. I have seen many and own some sheaths, where Sampir at this place is broken. If you try to adjust the loose pieces, you mostly find them slightly deformed, because of the inner tension of material.

Sorry, the weather wasn't good today to shoot the pictures. Will try tomorrow.

[A. G. Maisey]

What you say is correct Gustav. I've seen many wrongkos where a split has developed in the neck of the gambar, I've also seen many where the tongues of a gandar have broken off. The weakness here is not confined to Bugis/Peninsula wrongkos, nor is it confined to root wood or burl wood, but it occurs in all wrongkos.

In old-time Javanese wrongko joints, the adhesive used was very often button shellac, which is a very weak adhesive. This allowed the adhesive to break before the wood broke, and it is a very simple thing just to heat the button shellac over a candle and refit the gandar, rather than return the whole keris to a m'ranggi to get it repaired.

Basically, it is a weak joint, and if there was enough timber to do so, small dowels would improve the joint.

But there is almost never enough thickness in either the wrongko neck, or the gandar, to use dowels.

So what is done is to overcome this joint weakness in another way. The joint gets covered by a metal collar, or it gets bound with twine, or a pendok is fitted.

[Gustav]

A couple of pictures.

It's exactly 3 cm wide there, where the tang of blade would be, and becomes a little bit wider at the back (Greneng side of blade), with the length of 16,5 cm - all parameters when looked from above.

[Gustav]

Two more.

[Johan van Zyl]

Guys, this is all the help & advice I could ever wish for. I am truly indebted. Thanks to one and all!

A few remarks:
1 - I have read & considered ALL of your kind inputs and I study your pics in detail. If you should find I have here or there not responded to your specific hint and not executed my new wrongko as you suggested, please do not think I did not agree. As I wrote to Alan, I need to do it in the way that works for me. Oftentimes one's work, as it is progresses in the workshop, dictates to one how the next step needs to be taken to ensure a good end product.

2 - Having procured a good enough piece of wood from a friend for the remake (2nd try) of the gambar, I found myself better able to work the wood. You will all know: practice makes perfect. I'm sure if this 2nd try does not work out and I have to do it once again, the 3rd gambar would be even better! Imagine if I had to make a dozen Bugis gambars, how well organised I would be after the last one! For this 2nd try I made a cardboard template for the opening in the top of the gambar where the blade is inserted. Although I was quite satisfied with the first try without the template, this second one is just about perfect! I laid the template over the top and scribed its outline on the wood. Then with my new-found expertise with the angle grinder and a motley assortment of special bits in my vertical drill stand, I removed the wood required and was met with a truly beautiful fit.

3 - I'm not really very impressed with the wood I got from the friend, as it is a bit too grainy for my liking. It looks a lot like Bluegum wood to me! But I have come quite far already and can't turn back now. Pics will soon follow!

4 - To be very honest, those tongues and side-mounted tenons some of you described, which go between the gandar & gambar sound terribly hard to carve. I am intimidated, and I still have to go there...

[Johan van Zyl]

I have indicated how reluctant I am to post pre-completion pics of the wrongko project, but David felt that it would be good, so I respect that.

This pic shows how far I have come. The blade goes in deep enough, the fit is satisfactory. The wood is a bit difficult to work with; I have used various tools to reach this stage. From here on it will be carving knives and files, then sandpaper. (The angle grinder's work is done!)

[A. G. Maisey]

Johan, you might find that scrapers will be useful in shaping the contours.

The typical cabinet scraper is a piece of rectangular steel about 6'X3", but for concave and convex surfaces you can make your own scrapers from pieces of heavy tin can, just cut the needed shape with tin snips.

I use old pocket knives a lot as both carving knives and as scrapers, the castrating blade on 3 blade stock knife makes a very good detail scraper.

Pieces of glass are also useful as scrapers.

[Gustav]

Johan, just one remark regarding the line you have drawn on Gambar/Sampir with pen - if that's the line you later intend to carve - it shouldn't be parallel to the central axis of the whole sheath (the sheath will then look stiff), it should fall a little bit inwards. At which angle - you should esthetically decide it, considering all other angles of outlines of your Sampir, and also hilt of your Keris when sheathed. They all as ensemble should be in a state of a floating harmony.

[A. G. Maisey]

Second attempt.

For comparison.

[Gustav]

Yes, three sheaths in Sulawesi style.

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes Gustav, they might well be Sulawesi, frankly, I cannot with any certainty distinguish between any of the Bugis scabbard styles. If I look at the Ahmad Ubbe book I see a great variety of styles that have all been identified as "South Sulawesi", or "South Sulawesi + (some other location)" and all given the name of "jonga-jonga". This great variety of styles includes scabbards that I cannot distinguish from the one that you have shown us.

The overall style of all the scabbards that Ahmad Ubbe shows is very similar, but whereas the indented line that on your scabbard tilts in, and on my scabbards is more or less parallel with the rear edge of the gambar, on Ahmad Ubbe's examples is subject to variation in both angle and style.

I would be the first to admit that I have never done any in depth study of Bugis-style keris. I have never visited the Bugis cultural areas, I have never done field research on any keris except Javanese, Madurese and Balinese, so I do not hold any firm opinions on anything to do with Bugis-style keris. I do know as personal friends, several Bugis people, and they have family keris (which again show a range of stylistic variation) but regrettably they know nothing at all about keris.

Because of my lack of knowledge in this regard, I find it somewhere between extremely difficult and impossible to give a precise geographic point of origin for any Bugis style keris.

If I look at the keris shown in Ahmad Ubbe's book, what I see are keris that have been identified by acknowledged authorities in the field of Bugis keris study, as "South Sulawesi", yet those keris vary across the entire span of Bugis-style keris. I am only talking about the keris here, that is, the blade alone, not the dress.

I really do envy those people who can give a precise geographic point of origin for a Bugis-style keris and its dress.

[Johan van Zyl]

More progress has been made (see two pics). The project still looks ugly in its lack of completion, but I hope to remedy that as well as possible with painstaking work. I know that I am not able to live up to the high standards you all have brought forward in your advice and pictures for my benefit, but I think you will come to realise that it was not possible for the likes of me (not an experienced carver, not having a real scabbard to copy) to deliver a product even remotely equal to a true Bugis keris wrongko. For starters, the wood does not even come close to timoho or kemuning. But I know that I am doing what I can and learning all the way. Please note that the the gambar I am wresting from the unyielding wood has got a mind of its own, and although I frequently compare my work to your pics, it is turning out somewhat different! Please forgive me.

[kai]

Hello Johan,

No worries, I'm confident it will look much better, finally!

What you are experiencing is the "spirit of the wood" and an experienced carver would take this into account when selecting and during carving wood. Just try to go with the flow as best as you can...

The upturned stern still needs quite some wood to be removed and also the whole piece could become more thinner, especially just right of the socket for the stem. I'd also make the notch on the left less substantial (if you compare it to the examples, this does run almost the whole length and is fairly shallow groove).

Tropical hardwoods tend to have very large pores and it will be wise to fill them before the final polishing steps. Any surface treatment (boiled linseed oil, shellac, wax) will make the wood looking much nicer than in its current raw state! Is the crosspiece teak?

BTW, don't forget to wear a mask to avoid wood dust (many timbers are proven or suspected to be carcinogenic).

Regards,
Kai

[A. G. Maisey]

Try scrapers and coarse garnet/sand paper Johan, and work in the same direction as the grain. Never work against the grain and keep working across the grain to an absolute bare minimum.

Using a scraper you can model a piece of wood --- or steel for that matter --- a very little bit at a time, and with minimum effort. For detail work with a scraper you can grind a radius onto the end of an old three sided file, this sort of scraper is very useful to get into corners.

It is best to work with the paper by itself, that is, without a rubbing stick or block, at this point in the job. Fold the paper in three so that there is one rough surface against the back of the paper, this prevents the folded paper from moving around. Don't use wet&dry paper, use either genuine garnet paper (which might be difficult to get hold of), or one of the newer coloured sand papers, if I were doing this job I'd probably be using 60/80/100 grit at this point.

[Johan van Zyl]

Once again, excellent advice and hints, and I will investigate & follow them for sure! Things are getting hairy now, and impatient me must be very careful to not upset the project with hasty work. Thank you!

[David]

Originally Posted by Johan van Zyl

I have indicated how reluctant I am to post pre-completion pics of the wrongko project, but David felt that it would be good, so I respect that.

Well, perhaps you see now how that suggestion was meant that for your own good, not simply our curiosity. It allows our members to help you adjust and "correct" before your sheath takes its final form.

[Johan van Zyl]

David, my scabbard is taking form on its own, disregarding my strict and demanding supervision! It has a mind of its own. When I lay down my tools upon completion, we will all be able to see what the result was. You might exclaim: "But why does it look like THAT?" Then I'll have to answer: "Beats me!"

Kai, you ask what the crosspiece is made of. My "supplier" (bless his motley woodpile) self-assuredly proclaims it to be "saligna". To my knowledge that's wood from the Australian bluegum tree. It's the very devil to carve. I'm now trying to make a scraper a la Alan.

[A. G. Maisey]

Not a good timber for carving Johan.

The up side is that when you complete your wrongko out of that stuff you will be able to carve anything.

One of my floors is made from blue gum parquetry. Its a real good flooring timber.

[Johan van Zyl]

Sigh - yes, the house I grew up in at Simonstown also had such a floor. In Afrikaans we called it a "blokkiesvloer" (block-floor). My mom polished it regularly with an electric Columbus two-brush wax polisher. I'm sure any self-respecting mranggi would have stoked his hearth fire with it.

The wood is quite unyielding, and to get it as far as is shown in the two newest pics, took some doing. The pics also show the wide end of the gandar with four bambu pins inserted and epoxied in place. There's going to come a time after the gandar is affixed to the gambar, when the final finishing of both together must take place, but then I'll not be able to use much force, for fear of straining or even breaking the joint. (The wrongko's joint, not my own....!!!)

[kai]

Hello Johan,

Congrats for progressing with your feat!

There should be no distinct upper rim: a gentle widening would be perfect, especially towards the ends; the curve of the side surfaces should blend into the upper surface though...

Regards,
Kai

[Jean]

Hello Johan,
This is how the integral tenons/ tongues should look like on the gandar side. Sorry, the piece is not in pristine condition (very old balinese scabbard). This joint was nailed but it should normally be glued only.
Regards

[A. G. Maisey]

Johan, when you get to finishing the glued together wrongko, it would be advisable to make a long, thin wedge to insert down into the gandar, you can then pack the sides of the wedge against the inside of the gambar mouth, this will give you additional support for the finishing process.

[Johan van Zyl]

Jean & Kai, looking once more at your latest pics, I am totally impressed with the craftmanship of the old mranggi's. And I am now in the position to appreciate their skill even more!

Thanks, Alan, your suggestion deserves full consideration - anything to get the joint sturdy. BTW, I googled some pics of the special tools you mentioned earlier: the thin one with the serrated teeth like a miniature ladder, and the other like an arrowhead. Fascinating!