Provenance and wood type of sampir keris

rasdan · 30th December 2004, 03:47 AM

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the detailed explaination. That answers a lot of question. We really need some sort of comprehensive guide for sumatran and peninsular kerises. As for the painted sampir, actually i painted it black..hehe its my experiment to find out wheather the grain can be one shade darker. It turns out that the entire wood absorbs same amount of laquer and hence the distinction of the grain more or less are the same only half a shade darker. (U can see i've been working with laquer for some days now... dirty fingernails.. hehe..) I'm almost finished with it and will post the pictures afterwards.

BTW, forgot to ask u, what do u use to dilute French Polish? It is too thick to apply evenly. I purchased it yesterday and it is wonderfull!! The only thing now is to apply it the best way so it looks like sapan. Thank you very much Dave for the tip.

Federico · 30th December 2004, 04:10 AM

French polish is a method of applying lacquer. The lacquer is created by mixing the shell-lac and disolving it in de-natured alcohol. The weight of the mixture is in ratio to the amount of alcohol to shell-lac. Depending on which step you are on in the finishing process, will dictate the weight of the mixture you will use. The base coats will use a heavier weight, while the final coats will be thinner. As for spreading the lacquer, you will need to lubricate you muneca (pad) with a small amount of oil. Some use olive oil. Ideally the amount of lacquer applied via this method should be very very thin, and after multiple layer it will create a very distinctive clear finish.

rasdan · 30th December 2004, 04:42 AM

Hi Fred,

Actually i'm using a ready made french polish. Colron to be accurate. I suppose some turpentine will do the job. Using some oil to lubricate the application..that i havent tried. Will try it tonite. Thanks for the advice.

DAHenkel · 30th December 2004, 07:22 AM

Actually, I use thinner rather than turpentine. I have not tried turpentine but imagine it may make the polish dry very slowly. I have not had good luck with alcohol either as its evaporates too quickly. The only concern with thinner (or alcohol) is that the evaporation causes condensation in the mixture. If you make too big a batch, eventually your polish will go cloudy as water condenses into the mixture. So, I normally only use about a teaspoon of polish and about twice that of thinner at a time. It also helps to do your polishing on a hot, sunny day. Sometimes, Rashidee also will make a small charcoal fire to wave the sampir over as he works but be careful of the ashes.

Also, I prefer to apply with a brush - admittedly a bit unorthodox but I find that with a rubber I have trouble getting into all the nooks and crannies of the sampir properly without making a hash of it.

I also use colron french polish and like it very much. Very convenient and of consistent quality.

rasdan · 30th December 2004, 07:46 AM

Hmm..thinner sounds better. I usually dry this stuff aided with a less patience method.. a hair dryer. hehe.. Thanks again everybody. Yup.. off to the workshop.

30th December 2004, 03:47 AM	#1
rasdan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kuala Lumpur Posts: 369	Hi Dave, Thanks for the detailed explaination. That answers a lot of question. We really need some sort of comprehensive guide for sumatran and peninsular kerises. As for the painted sampir, actually i painted it black..hehe its my experiment to find out wheather the grain can be one shade darker. It turns out that the entire wood absorbs same amount of laquer and hence the distinction of the grain more or less are the same only half a shade darker. (U can see i've been working with laquer for some days now... dirty fingernails.. hehe..) I'm almost finished with it and will post the pictures afterwards. BTW, forgot to ask u, what do u use to dilute French Polish? It is too thick to apply evenly. I purchased it yesterday and it is wonderfull!! The only thing now is to apply it the best way so it looks like sapan. Thank you very much Dave for the tip.

30th December 2004, 04:10 AM	#2
Federico Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA Posts: 312	French polish is a method of applying lacquer. The lacquer is created by mixing the shell-lac and disolving it in de-natured alcohol. The weight of the mixture is in ratio to the amount of alcohol to shell-lac. Depending on which step you are on in the finishing process, will dictate the weight of the mixture you will use. The base coats will use a heavier weight, while the final coats will be thinner. As for spreading the lacquer, you will need to lubricate you muneca (pad) with a small amount of oil. Some use olive oil. Ideally the amount of lacquer applied via this method should be very very thin, and after multiple layer it will create a very distinctive clear finish.

30th December 2004, 04:42 AM	#3
rasdan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kuala Lumpur Posts: 369	Hi Fred, Actually i'm using a ready made french polish. Colron to be accurate. I suppose some turpentine will do the job. Using some oil to lubricate the application..that i havent tried. Will try it tonite. Thanks for the advice.

30th December 2004, 07:22 AM	#4
DAHenkel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 125	Actually, I use thinner rather than turpentine. I have not tried turpentine but imagine it may make the polish dry very slowly. I have not had good luck with alcohol either as its evaporates too quickly. The only concern with thinner (or alcohol) is that the evaporation causes condensation in the mixture. If you make too big a batch, eventually your polish will go cloudy as water condenses into the mixture. So, I normally only use about a teaspoon of polish and about twice that of thinner at a time. It also helps to do your polishing on a hot, sunny day. Sometimes, Rashidee also will make a small charcoal fire to wave the sampir over as he works but be careful of the ashes. Also, I prefer to apply with a brush - admittedly a bit unorthodox but I find that with a rubber I have trouble getting into all the nooks and crannies of the sampir properly without making a hash of it. I also use colron french polish and like it very much. Very convenient and of consistent quality.

30th December 2004, 07:46 AM	#5
rasdan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kuala Lumpur Posts: 369	Hmm..thinner sounds better. I usually dry this stuff aided with a less patience method.. a hair dryer. hehe.. Thanks again everybody. Yup.. off to the workshop.