Twistcore Moro spear with provenance, collected in 1872!

[kai]

Hello Lee,

I wonder even more about at what time the twist-core pattern-welding first appeared in this area.

Based on their state of preservation, the oldest extant Moro blades appear to be kalis; twistcore is very common among these archaic examples. Thus, the technique has been around from the very beginning - possibly since the formation of the Islamic Moro culture or at least during the development of the Moro kalis!

I can't remember having seen any budiak that seemed to come close to such an age by a wide margin. No idea whether these were more easily replaced or were of lesser esteem. Obviously these were part of any Datu's inheritance and possibly regalia; maybe they were not regarded as a personal token though?

when I removed the broken shaft elements, the tarry mastic was still in place and there was old brown rust on the tang - and no evidence of recent corrosion products or of debris to suggest that this was also its state when it was mounted - likely a century ago. The nature of the oxide layer on the tang resembled the same patina often seen on a Japanese swords that are several centuries old.

Resin may slow down corrosion but it can't prevent the development of rust in the long run (I doubt these got mounted with corroded tangs originally).

Compared to Japan, the average temperature is 10-20°K higher in Moroland. Thus, rust is at least 2-4 times faster! And the pervasive influence of high humidity is way stronger in a tropical climate compared to the moderate Japanese climate. Moreover, the coastal settlements experience continuous presence of corrosive seawater aerosols and microscopic salt crystals. Very difficult to compare...

Regards,
Kai