Need Help with my first Keris

William.m · 4th April 2006, 12:41 AM

Hi nechesh thanks for the reply.

The looseness that I was talking about was with the sheath/scabbard. I will post some more pictures of the sheath tomorrow, as it is in pretty bad condition. I have been a long time lurker on this forum and the old, and I have read that post you kindly linked me. Thing is that I don't want to use these fruit acids on the blade as the blade's white pattern (nickle) will dull, and I do not have access to the arsnic needed to clean the blade, nor do I want to use it with there being kids running around the house.

Many thanks,

William

Rick · 4th April 2006, 02:03 AM

Are those grind marks I see on the edge ?

William , try a toothbrush and some oil for starters .

William.m · 4th April 2006, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

William , try a toothbrush and some oil for starters .

Okay done that, although instead of oil I used a dishwasher soap. I got some results but there is still plenty of red rust that will not go. Later today I am considering putting the blade in a bath of lemon juice, or possibly rubbing half a lemon on the blade. But instead of this could I give it a bath of vinegar instead?

Many thanks,

Will

Rick · 4th April 2006, 03:49 PM

Will , I think you might do better with unsweetened pineapple juice as it is less acidic than your other two choices . Being less acidic the process might take longer but you will have more control .

William.m · 4th April 2006, 07:23 PM

Hello, I have managed to clean off most of the rust using half a lemon, worked very well!

The only problem now is that the blade is a tad too shiny and so is there any way to blacken it a bit without having to use arsnic or anything like that?

Cheers,

Will

Henk · 4th April 2006, 08:32 PM

Will,

Although not the usual way you can use ferric chloride to get the pamor back. Another method is sulphur acid. But before you do this you should remove al the rust with the lemon juice. I suppose you already did this because the blade is shiny. But the best thing you can do is find somebody who can re-etch the blade with arsenic. Then you get the pamor back with the blade deep black.

nechesh · 5th April 2006, 01:32 AM

William, if i were you i would go back to the thread i linked for you and work this out step by step. It seems you are in a bit of a rush to work this blade and i think it might be to your benefit to slow down and attack this situation more methodically. I agree with Rick that pineapple juice is a great acidic liquid to use. You really MUST remove ALL of the rust before you can even think about restoring the pamor pattern of this blade. I would let this puppy soak for a while (a few days) frequently brushing the surface with an old toothbrush. Once this is done you can start to figure out how to stain it. But truthfully, the arsenic and lime mixture (warangan) is the only thing that will restore the proper color to the iron. Other chemicals will raise the pamor, but it won't be quite right. There are people who can do this work for you if you don't want to mess with such sustances.

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4th April 2006, 12:41 AM	#1
William.m Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: England Posts: 104	Hi nechesh thanks for the reply. The looseness that I was talking about was with the sheath/scabbard. I will post some more pictures of the sheath tomorrow, as it is in pretty bad condition. I have been a long time lurker on this forum and the old, and I have read that post you kindly linked me. Thing is that I don't want to use these fruit acids on the blade as the blade's white pattern (nickle) will dull, and I do not have access to the arsnic needed to clean the blade, nor do I want to use it with there being kids running around the house. Many thanks, William

4th April 2006, 02:03 AM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,418	Are those grind marks I see on the edge ? William , try a toothbrush and some oil for starters .

4th April 2006, 03:49 PM	#4
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,418	Will , I think you might do better with unsweetened pineapple juice as it is less acidic than your other two choices . Being less acidic the process might take longer but you will have more control .

4th April 2006, 07:23 PM	#5
William.m Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: England Posts: 104	Hello, I have managed to clean off most of the rust using half a lemon, worked very well! The only problem now is that the blade is a tad too shiny and so is there any way to blacken it a bit without having to use arsnic or anything like that? Cheers, Will

4th April 2006, 08:32 PM	#6
Henk Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,209	Will, Although not the usual way you can use ferric chloride to get the pamor back. Another method is sulphur acid. But before you do this you should remove al the rust with the lemon juice. I suppose you already did this because the blade is shiny. But the best thing you can do is find somebody who can re-etch the blade with arsenic. Then you get the pamor back with the blade deep black.

5th April 2006, 01:32 AM	#7
nechesh Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 940	William, if i were you i would go back to the thread i linked for you and work this out step by step. It seems you are in a bit of a rush to work this blade and i think it might be to your benefit to slow down and attack this situation more methodically. I agree with Rick that pineapple juice is a great acidic liquid to use. You really MUST remove ALL of the rust before you can even think about restoring the pamor pattern of this blade. I would let this puppy soak for a while (a few days) frequently brushing the surface with an old toothbrush. Once this is done you can start to figure out how to stain it. But truthfully, the arsenic and lime mixture (warangan) is the only thing that will restore the proper color to the iron. Other chemicals will raise the pamor, but it won't be quite right. There are people who can do this work for you if you don't want to mess with such sustances.