Shellac for warangka

[David]

Originally Posted by milandro

Hello @Rick, very nice job (altogh I would have gone for a somewhat less shiny look myself)! Of course there are many roads leading to Rome or anywhere else. There are traditional ways and methods as there are unconventional ones. In the end, I think, the proof of any pudding is in the eating.

There are so many people out there doing so many things right and wrong with everything.

I recently bought a Bugis Kris. I always clean things and I noticed that some tan colored stuff came off. I believe it was shoepolish!

The majority of pieces available on the market (at least to me) have been around and sometimes it is difficult to tell what was done to them.

As for the methods, unless you are the conservator of a museum, which is different thing, I believe that one can honor the kris by giving the kris the level of care that you deem is appropriate.

Yes, there are many different methods. But while the proof of any pudding might be in the eating, it is also important to take into account who will be doing the eating.
We all have different approaches to our collections, but as a collector who originates from well outside the cultures of these beautiful objects i collect my best approach is that if i do change anything on a keris i have acquired i want to do so within the parameters of how these changes/renovations would be approached within the culture of origin. Keep in mind that this probably won't be exactly the same for a Javanese keris as it might be for a Bugis keris from Sulawesi, Peninsula keris, etc.
Most importantly though is my belief that i should not be changing the look of a keris blade or dress just to suit what might be my own Western aesthetic. From my perspective it is my place to preserve the culture of the artifacts i collect, not make them my own. So i try to be careful not to apply my personal tastes too heavily to the keris in my collection. Which isn't to say i don't collect keris that are to a certain extent already to my taste zones. I just don't feel it is my place to "improve" upon them beyond maintenance and conservation.
Of course we can not always be sure where a keris has been or who from what culture has done what to a keris ensemble before it has come under our custodianship. Was the "shoe polish" on you sheath applied by a Bugis owner of some later collector from outside that culture? Hard to say for sure, but i would probably have removed it as you also may have done. We have to operate on our best intuition sometimes to decide what should or should not be done, or perhaps "corrected" in any of the keris we collect along the way. I usually try my best never to do anything that isn't reversible.