Nagasasra luk 11

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes Donny, I believe that porous material in a blade soaks up the oil and retains the smell. I have one blade that I bought in Jakarta in 1974 that still has the smell of some sort of oil that was used on it before I bought it; the material in this blade is very porous.

It is best to store any blade outside its scabbard. Technologically capable museums store in temperature and humidity controlled rooms with the objects on glass shelves. I store in plastic sleeves after oiling. If the scabbard is just a little bit loose and the plastic sleeve is not too thick the blade will still enter the scabbard.

Surabaya is a very unfriendly climate for keris and anything else --- people included. Its a hot, wet climate.

I have used silica gel. I've got some big one kilo bags of the stuff that I have in some boxes and chests. It certainly won't do any harm.

If you want to try the plastic sleeves you can buy rolls of plastic sleeving at the plastik shops that sell to people who make food to sell in the markets and off street barrows. It comes in different sizes and thicknesses.

[satsujinken]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Yes Donny, I believe that porous material in a blade soaks up the oil and retains the smell. I have one blade that I bought in Jakarta in 1974 that still has the smell of some sort of oil that was used on it before I bought it; the material in this blade is very porous.

It is best to store any blade outside its scabbard. Technologically capable museums store in temperature and humidity controlled rooms with the objects on glass shelves. I store in plastic sleeves after oiling. If the scabbard is just a little bit loose and the plastic sleeve is not too thick the blade will still enter the scabbard.

Surabaya is a very unfriendly climate for keris and anything else --- people included. Its a hot, wet climate.

I have used silica gel. I've got some big one kilo bags of the stuff that I have in some boxes and chests. It certainly won't do any harm.

If you want to try the plastic sleeves you can buy rolls of plastic sleeving at the plastik shops that sell to people who make food to sell in the markets and off street barrows. It comes in different sizes and thicknesses.

thank you for the very useful tips ...

long time ago, I designed an acrylic case for each blade, sealed shut and filled with argon gas (used for stainless steel welding) ... but since each box is quite expensive, I stopped my plan at drawing board

back at this keris

this is comparison from known kamardikan (sumenep blade), with almost similar dhapur with mine above ... and this one is very similar with blade in this thread http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16093

you can see that the cutting edge is still pretty thick and intact and overall blade is stout and sturdy

[David]

Originally Posted by satsujinken

back at this keris

this is comparison from known kamardikan (sumenep blade), with almost similar dhapur with mine above ... and this one is very similar with blade in this thread http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16093

you can see that the cutting edge is still pretty thick and intact and overall blade is stout and sturdy

Are you presenting these current era keris to support your own suggestion that yours is Mataram?

[satsujinken]

Originally Posted by David

Are you presenting these current era keris to support your own suggestion that yours is Mataram?

nope ...
I stand by my opinion that both are kamardikan, but perhaps the other one has better garap and aged so it may looked older than it actually is, whilst the other is not

this opinion regarding Mataram nom is coming from my friend, a keris collector here in Surabaya

my intention is purely to show comparison and how tangguh is not a measurable concept

perhaps someday technology will enable us to send keris to other member so they can held it in their arms and then send it back in a split second ...

3 D printers ??

[A. G. Maisey]

Of course tangguh is not a measurable concept : it was never intended to be.

It is an opinion.

If you get a number of people with a similar high level of experience you will get minimal variation in opinion on tangguh. Old will never, ever be confused with recent. Surakarta will never be confused with Mataram.

If you get a number of half-baked nitwits providing opinions, especially half-baked nitwits trying to sell keris, you'll get Koripan presented as Mataram Sultan Agung and God alone knows what other stupidity.

The problem is that for many years tangguh has been used incorrectly, by both dealers and collectors, and it has completely moved away from what it was originally intended to provide:- a system that would permit the estimate of an approximate value for an investment property.

It was never intended to be applied to run-of-the-mill keris churned out as a common man's weapon or dress item.

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

It was never intended to be applied to run-of-the-mill keris churned out as a common man's weapon or dress item.

Perhaps we need to take this statement and place it at as a "sticky" at the top of the forum since it seems to be something that so often needs repeating...

[satsujinken]

so ... can we close this discussion with conclusion that both keris are kamardikan, with different quality garap ??

or perhaps I am mistaken and both are lower end quality ??