Keris stuck in sheath! Help?

ThePepperSkull · 25th January 2010, 08:20 PM

Hello everybody,

I recenly purchased a keris that came straight from Indonesia up her to Canada.

The wooden gayaman sheath seems to have shrunken (I assume) and the blade itself is stuck inside. I have tried with all my strength to pull it out as safely as possible, but it does not want to come out.

Is there a way I could get the blade out short of breaking the sheath to get to it?

David · 25th January 2010, 08:56 PM

I would think that wood would expand and contract faster than the metal blade. Have you tried heating, like with a blow dryer, to see if it loosens?

A. G. Maisey · 25th January 2010, 09:11 PM

What you describe is a not uncommon problem.

I have sometimes had customers, who have purchased from me, tell me the same story. Often it turns out that the keris has gone into an airconditioned or heated environment; I'm not saying that this is the direct cause of the problem, but I do believe that it contributes.

I believe that the problem is mostly caused by the effect of varying conditions on the wood during the journey from one climate zone to another.

Even where I live, I have sometimes had keris stick in a scabbard, and no amount of pulling will release the blade from the scabbard.

The first thing I do is to remove the hilt, and using aluminium jaws to grip the tang, I put the tang into a vice, grip the top of the scabbard as shown in the pics, and after a couple of hard, fast jerks, it will usually come free.

If that does not work, I use a piece of wood and a pad of cloth on the side of the scabbard opening, up hard against the blade, and tap it loose with a hammer.

I hope the pics are sufficient explanation of the procedures involved.

Alternatively, you can wait until your winter is gone, and leave your keris in an unairconditioned environment for a few weeks during summer; I have been told that this approach works well.

PS---the watch is to show the size of the wooden drift and hammer used.

BluErf · 26th January 2010, 02:50 PM

I have this problem with one of my kerises, whose wood has not been completely cured, and when it goes into my storage room with RH 70%, the wood shrinks and grips the blade so tightly that the blade just cannot be drawn. My method is to leave the whole keris out in a cool room and let the wood absorb moisture over a few days. The wood will naturally expand.

Of course this is easy here in the tropics where RH is frequently 80% to the high 90%s. But I reckon if you put the keris in an enclosed container with a glass of water, a similar effect can be achieved. This could be useful if you do not want to knock the keris free of its sheath.

A. G. Maisey · 26th January 2010, 10:36 PM

That sounds like a rational, workable solution, Kai Wee.

Aircon systems and heating systems do produce very dry air, and we find dry air in places like Utah and Arizona. I've had reports of cracked hilts and cracked wrongkos from several places across the world where it is obvious that the cracking has been caused by dry air.The air in planes is dry. Even when wood is properly cured you could get a drop in its moisture content after it has been in any of these environments for a while, with the consequent shrinkage.

One person I know put the keris into a a greenhouse for a couple of days, along with the plants, and it permitted removal of the blade.

Going back into the 1950's and the birth of computers, I was working in a data processing facility that used Hollerith punched cards to capture data and process it. The cards had holes punched in them by operators, and these holes represented information that could be read and printed onto paper by machines. We had problems with distortion of the cards when the atmosphere was too dry, so the room where the operators worked who punched the data into the cards, was kept at a constant humidity in order to prevent this distortion.

Same principle with wood, which is a cellulose material, the same as cardboard:- varying moisture content will alter the shape of the material.

This is also the reason why custom knifemakers will not guarantee natural materials.

I have never lived in a very dry climate, and I have never lived in an airconditioned nor internally heated environment. The methods I have shown for removal of stuck blades are what I have used for longer than I can remember, and for me, they have always worked perfectly. However, Kai Wee's recommendation does make sense.

25th January 2010, 08:20 PM	#1
ThePepperSkull Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 338	Keris stuck in sheath! Help? Hello everybody, I recenly purchased a keris that came straight from Indonesia up her to Canada. The wooden gayaman sheath seems to have shrunken (I assume) and the blade itself is stuck inside. I have tried with all my strength to pull it out as safely as possible, but it does not want to come out. Is there a way I could get the blade out short of breaking the sheath to get to it?

25th January 2010, 09:11 PM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,892	What you describe is a not uncommon problem. I have sometimes had customers, who have purchased from me, tell me the same story. Often it turns out that the keris has gone into an airconditioned or heated environment; I'm not saying that this is the direct cause of the problem, but I do believe that it contributes. I believe that the problem is mostly caused by the effect of varying conditions on the wood during the journey from one climate zone to another. Even where I live, I have sometimes had keris stick in a scabbard, and no amount of pulling will release the blade from the scabbard. The first thing I do is to remove the hilt, and using aluminium jaws to grip the tang, I put the tang into a vice, grip the top of the scabbard as shown in the pics, and after a couple of hard, fast jerks, it will usually come free. If that does not work, I use a piece of wood and a pad of cloth on the side of the scabbard opening, up hard against the blade, and tap it loose with a hammer. I hope the pics are sufficient explanation of the procedures involved. Alternatively, you can wait until your winter is gone, and leave your keris in an unairconditioned environment for a few weeks during summer; I have been told that this approach works well. PS---the watch is to show the size of the wooden drift and hammer used. Attached Images

25th January 2010, 08:56 PM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,123	I would think that wood would expand and contract faster than the metal blade. Have you tried heating, like with a blow dryer, to see if it loosens?

26th January 2010, 02:50 PM	#4
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	I have this problem with one of my kerises, whose wood has not been completely cured, and when it goes into my storage room with RH 70%, the wood shrinks and grips the blade so tightly that the blade just cannot be drawn. My method is to leave the whole keris out in a cool room and let the wood absorb moisture over a few days. The wood will naturally expand. Of course this is easy here in the tropics where RH is frequently 80% to the high 90%s. But I reckon if you put the keris in an enclosed container with a glass of water, a similar effect can be achieved. This could be useful if you do not want to knock the keris free of its sheath.

26th January 2010, 10:36 PM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,892	That sounds like a rational, workable solution, Kai Wee. Aircon systems and heating systems do produce very dry air, and we find dry air in places like Utah and Arizona. I've had reports of cracked hilts and cracked wrongkos from several places across the world where it is obvious that the cracking has been caused by dry air.The air in planes is dry. Even when wood is properly cured you could get a drop in its moisture content after it has been in any of these environments for a while, with the consequent shrinkage. One person I know put the keris into a a greenhouse for a couple of days, along with the plants, and it permitted removal of the blade. Going back into the 1950's and the birth of computers, I was working in a data processing facility that used Hollerith punched cards to capture data and process it. The cards had holes punched in them by operators, and these holes represented information that could be read and printed onto paper by machines. We had problems with distortion of the cards when the atmosphere was too dry, so the room where the operators worked who punched the data into the cards, was kept at a constant humidity in order to prevent this distortion. Same principle with wood, which is a cellulose material, the same as cardboard:- varying moisture content will alter the shape of the material. This is also the reason why custom knifemakers will not guarantee natural materials. I have never lived in a very dry climate, and I have never lived in an airconditioned nor internally heated environment. The methods I have shown for removal of stuck blades are what I have used for longer than I can remember, and for me, they have always worked perfectly. However, Kai Wee's recommendation does make sense.