PALEMBANG HILT AND KERIS

[kai]

Hello Pak Ganja,

The fixing material, seems to be traditional -- blackish, and rusty laquer. I don't know precisely what it is. Maybe like traditional javanese 'lacquer' (I don't know to describe it too), but more rusty... (picture below)

Probably damar (or more precisely a traditional mix based on damar resin) which is quite commonly found on Sumatran/Malay keris. Could also be shellac but I'd consider this a non-traditional material for attaching a hilt.

The "hard" ivory -- not elephant tusk -- also make the hilt difficult to remove, because of the narrow hole, and the rusty lacquer material.

Yes, looks like a pressure fit enhanced with a thin layer of resin. This can be very tight, especially when rust has developed.

The pesi is shorter than javanese pesi, but still in good condition.

Yes, the pesi looks perfectly fine for a keris Palembang. From the corrosion, the tip doesn't look recently shortened, doesn't it?

I'm less certain about the ganja though: Not only does the metalwork look much more crisp than the blade but also the hole for the pesi seems to have much less corrosion than the pesi...

Regards,
Kai