Preservation of Pendok, Mendak and Bone

Bjorn · 26th December 2014, 12:26 PM

From reading the forums I've learned a lot about how to preserve keris. I'm looking to stock up on some items so I can take proper care of my small collection. I would appreciate any advice and tips you may have regarding the preservation and care of pendok, mendak and bone hilts.

Pendok and Mendak
How can one best care for these with the purpose of preservation? And how can they be cleaned prior to conservation?

Bone Hilts
Baby oil seems to be recommended. Would any ol' baby oil do or should it contain - or not contain - certain components. Should it be applied with the hands and in what quantities?

A. G. Maisey · 26th December 2014, 10:49 PM

Pendok can be difficult, sometimes very difficult.

What you do varies with each one and depends upon too many factors to cover in any hypothetical way.

In short, each pendok is treated as new and individual problem.

Much the same can be said for mendak.

The usual treatment for a dirty, old, but still reasonably OK Javanese mendak is to give it a bath in vinegar, thoroughly rinse, brush with old soft toothbrush, thoroughly dry. Not much you can do apart from this.

Baby oil is mineral oil --- well, at least the type we use on ivory, bone, horn is, the other type is no longer politically or socially acceptable. I've mostly used Johnsons Baby Oil, I really don't know if it contains anything other than mineral oil and a fragrance. A couple of drops on the palms of your hands and massage it into the bone, ivory or whatever while you watch TV. For deeply carved pieces, maybe a soft old tooth brush is better.

For very old, cracked ivory, horn, bone, I have soaked the complete hilt in a jar of baby oil for extended periods of time, like 6 months or so, and then stood it on a plate and allowed the oil to drain off and dry, followed by gentle brushing. This has seemed to much improve the condition of the piece.

COYOTE · 27th December 2014, 04:33 AM

Yes indeed, mineral oil is the best for conservation of ivory, bone and horn keris hilts. I prefer NUJOL, which is very thin, so non-sticky at the end of the process, and is absolutely transparent. I think you can use any mineral oil, I would recommend a thin and transparent one. For dirty deeply carved areas I use a very soft toothbrush with the oil, then I let the pieces completely submerged in a glass full of oil for about 2 - 6 weeks and then leave them on an absorbent thick paper, substituting this paper every 2 or 3 days, changing the position of the piece each time, during the necessary time for the hilt to be more or less dry. Then I gently rub the hilt, first with absorbent paper then with a soft cloth, until getting a nice luster. I always leave permanently a piece of oiled paper inside the hole. Of course, when displaying the hilts, you will avoid direct sun or any other source of heath which could increase the dryness of the pieces causing cracks and dilating the existing ones.

Bjorn · 31st December 2014, 07:35 PM

Alan, Coyote, thank you both for your informative replies.

I'm curious, is there any particular reason for using a soft toothbrush as opposed to any other type of brush, such as a fine paint brush - or is it simply a matter of convenience.

And a happy 2015 to the both of you!

A. G. Maisey · 2nd January 2015, 08:05 AM

Thanks Yuuzan, and a Happy 2015 to you also.

A soft old toothbrush seems to carry the oil better, and a hard new toothbrush can damage fine carving if it is used too vigorously.

Paint brushes are not stiff enough to provide any cleaning effect.

David · 3rd January 2015, 03:58 AM

Think of it this way...ivory is very similar to tooth material. You would use a paint brush to clean your teeth. It would be pretty ineffectual.

Jean · 3rd January 2015, 03:27 PM

Personally I implement the cleaning and oiling operations separately.
If I have to upgrade a dirty ivory hilt, or a bone/ horn hilt with a dull appearance or a pitted surface, I start by cleaning it with household alcohol applied with a stiff paint brush and wiping it immediately with a cloth for removing the dirt.
Then I apply the oil either with a stiff paint brush if the surface is smooth and the oil is very fluid, or a tooth brush if the hilt is carved or the oil is a bit viscous in order that the oil penetrates deeply into the carved cavities.
I am using either medicinal paraffin oil or pusaka oil (for preserving the blades) which is is scented paraffin oil. Some collectors use WD40 spray with good results and I also tested liquid wax but for hilts with a smooth surface only.
Regards

A. G. Maisey · 3rd January 2015, 09:34 PM

Jean, I'm surprised that you use alcohol on the ivory. Long ago and far away when I was just beginning with keris I didn't worry much about what I used to clean things, but I was fortunate to meet a fellow who was a collector of Japanese and Chinese ivory carvings, and it was this man who helped me quite a lot with ivory cleaning. He was of the opinion that alcohol had a drying effect on ivory, and in fact on most materials, and use of it could lead to cracking.

I don't know if this is true, because for more than 50 years I've never put anything near ivory that was not oil or water. Have you ever encountered any adverse effects with alcohol?

You mention a "stiff paint brush". What sort of paint brush is that?

I'd prefer to use a paint brush rather than a toothbrush, if I could find one that was stiff enough, but I have been unable to find a paint brush with stiff enough bristles.

The pusaka oil you use. Is this stuff you've made yourself, or sourced from Indonesia? All the Indonesian pusaka oil I've seen has used coconut oil as the base oil, which might be OK for ivory, I don't know, but I really detest the long term smell of coconut oil. You oil something up, put it away for a couple of years, and when you come back and look at it again the smell is disgusting.

Jean · 4th January 2015, 10:11 AM

Hello Alan,
I never faced any problem with cleaning ivory or bone/ antler hilts with alcohol because I imediately wipe it and nourish the hilt with either oil or wax.
Few months ago I bought a very old & worn marine ivory hilt with sound materials but very filthy and I could not clean it with alcohol so I did it with a tooth brush impregnated with Cif cream (used to clean sinks, etc), it worked very well and without damage to the ivory after rinsing it immediately and applying oïl (see result).
I use the commercial pusaka oil in 30 ml amber bootles with the red label (not with me here), I am not sure what is the base oil but I never encountered any case of foul smell with it so it seems stable. I bought some essential rose and jasmine oils and in future I will mix some drops of it with the medicinal paraffin oil which should give a even better result in the long term.
I use an a flat artist brush with short bristles (about 1 cm long), it is not as stiff as a tooth brush of course but sufficient for evenly applying a fluid oïl.
Regards

A. G. Maisey · 8th January 2015, 12:42 PM

Thanks Jean, and my apologies for my slow response.

An unexpected disturbance has been stealing my time.

26th December 2014, 12:26 PM	#1
Bjorn Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Netherlands Posts: 188	Preservation of Pendok, Mendak and Bone From reading the forums I've learned a lot about how to preserve keris. I'm looking to stock up on some items so I can take proper care of my small collection. I would appreciate any advice and tips you may have regarding the preservation and care of pendok, mendak and bone hilts. Pendok and Mendak How can one best care for these with the purpose of preservation? And how can they be cleaned prior to conservation? Bone Hilts Baby oil seems to be recommended. Would any ol' baby oil do or should it contain - or not contain - certain components. Should it be applied with the hands and in what quantities?

27th December 2014, 04:33 AM	#3
COYOTE Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Rio de Janeiro - Brazil Posts: 27	Conservation of ivory, bone, horn keris hilts Yes indeed, mineral oil is the best for conservation of ivory, bone and horn keris hilts. I prefer NUJOL, which is very thin, so non-sticky at the end of the process, and is absolutely transparent. I think you can use any mineral oil, I would recommend a thin and transparent one. For dirty deeply carved areas I use a very soft toothbrush with the oil, then I let the pieces completely submerged in a glass full of oil for about 2 - 6 weeks and then leave them on an absorbent thick paper, substituting this paper every 2 or 3 days, changing the position of the piece each time, during the necessary time for the hilt to be more or less dry. Then I gently rub the hilt, first with absorbent paper then with a soft cloth, until getting a nice luster. I always leave permanently a piece of oiled paper inside the hole. Of course, when displaying the hilts, you will avoid direct sun or any other source of heath which could increase the dryness of the pieces causing cracks and dilating the existing ones.

4th January 2015, 10:11 AM	#9
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	Hello Alan, I never faced any problem with cleaning ivory or bone/ antler hilts with alcohol because I imediately wipe it and nourish the hilt with either oil or wax. Few months ago I bought a very old & worn marine ivory hilt with sound materials but very filthy and I could not clean it with alcohol so I did it with a tooth brush impregnated with Cif cream (used to clean sinks, etc), it worked very well and without damage to the ivory after rinsing it immediately and applying oïl (see result). I use the commercial pusaka oil in 30 ml amber bootles with the red label (not with me here), I am not sure what is the base oil but I never encountered any case of foul smell with it so it seems stable. I bought some essential rose and jasmine oils and in future I will mix some drops of it with the medicinal paraffin oil which should give a even better result in the long term. I use an a flat artist brush with short bristles (about 1 cm long), it is not as stiff as a tooth brush of course but sufficient for evenly applying a fluid oïl. Regards Attached Images Last edited by Jean; 4th January 2015 at 10:23 AM.

26th December 2014, 10:49 PM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,893	Pendok can be difficult, sometimes very difficult. What you do varies with each one and depends upon too many factors to cover in any hypothetical way. In short, each pendok is treated as new and individual problem. Much the same can be said for mendak. The usual treatment for a dirty, old, but still reasonably OK Javanese mendak is to give it a bath in vinegar, thoroughly rinse, brush with old soft toothbrush, thoroughly dry. Not much you can do apart from this. Baby oil is mineral oil --- well, at least the type we use on ivory, bone, horn is, the other type is no longer politically or socially acceptable. I've mostly used Johnsons Baby Oil, I really don't know if it contains anything other than mineral oil and a fragrance. A couple of drops on the palms of your hands and massage it into the bone, ivory or whatever while you watch TV. For deeply carved pieces, maybe a soft old tooth brush is better. For very old, cracked ivory, horn, bone, I have soaked the complete hilt in a jar of baby oil for extended periods of time, like 6 months or so, and then stood it on a plate and allowed the oil to drain off and dry, followed by gentle brushing. This has seemed to much improve the condition of the piece.

31st December 2014, 07:35 PM	#4
Bjorn Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Netherlands Posts: 188	Alan, Coyote, thank you both for your informative replies. I'm curious, is there any particular reason for using a soft toothbrush as opposed to any other type of brush, such as a fine paint brush - or is it simply a matter of convenience. And a happy 2015 to the both of you!

2nd January 2015, 08:05 AM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,893	Thanks Yuuzan, and a Happy 2015 to you also. A soft old toothbrush seems to carry the oil better, and a hard new toothbrush can damage fine carving if it is used too vigorously. Paint brushes are not stiff enough to provide any cleaning effect.

3rd January 2015, 03:58 AM	#6
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,124	Think of it this way...ivory is very similar to tooth material. You would use a paint brush to clean your teeth. It would be pretty ineffectual.

3rd January 2015, 03:27 PM	#7
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	Personally I implement the cleaning and oiling operations separately. If I have to upgrade a dirty ivory hilt, or a bone/ horn hilt with a dull appearance or a pitted surface, I start by cleaning it with household alcohol applied with a stiff paint brush and wiping it immediately with a cloth for removing the dirt. Then I apply the oil either with a stiff paint brush if the surface is smooth and the oil is very fluid, or a tooth brush if the hilt is carved or the oil is a bit viscous in order that the oil penetrates deeply into the carved cavities. I am using either medicinal paraffin oil or pusaka oil (for preserving the blades) which is is scented paraffin oil. Some collectors use WD40 spray with good results and I also tested liquid wax but for hilts with a smooth surface only. Regards

3rd January 2015, 09:34 PM	#8
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,893	Jean, I'm surprised that you use alcohol on the ivory. Long ago and far away when I was just beginning with keris I didn't worry much about what I used to clean things, but I was fortunate to meet a fellow who was a collector of Japanese and Chinese ivory carvings, and it was this man who helped me quite a lot with ivory cleaning. He was of the opinion that alcohol had a drying effect on ivory, and in fact on most materials, and use of it could lead to cracking. I don't know if this is true, because for more than 50 years I've never put anything near ivory that was not oil or water. Have you ever encountered any adverse effects with alcohol? You mention a "stiff paint brush". What sort of paint brush is that? I'd prefer to use a paint brush rather than a toothbrush, if I could find one that was stiff enough, but I have been unable to find a paint brush with stiff enough bristles. The pusaka oil you use. Is this stuff you've made yourself, or sourced from Indonesia? All the Indonesian pusaka oil I've seen has used coconut oil as the base oil, which might be OK for ivory, I don't know, but I really detest the long term smell of coconut oil. You oil something up, put it away for a couple of years, and when you come back and look at it again the smell is disgusting.

8th January 2015, 12:42 PM	#10
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,893	Thanks Jean, and my apologies for my slow response. An unexpected disturbance has been stealing my time.