Tombak for comment

[imas560]

Hello Russel,
nice piece. I'm a rank amateur at this stuff so can't help with i.d. and age etc. But I think Mr. Maisey posted recently on updated cleaning methods he uses for cleaning keris. He mentioned that the Golden Circle Pineapple Juice used to be his cleaning solution of choice but due to a recipe change of the product he has now switched to a vinegar solution.
I'd recommend searching for vinegar de-rusting posts and seeing if vinegar might be applicable to your item.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=15923.
best wishes

[Sajen]

Hi Russel,

nice tombak and more nice to have the scabbard, although I think that the tip of the scabbard is missing. How long is the blade without pesi (tang)?
Here is a thread which could be helpful for you: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=tombak
I think that your tombak is from Java, age difficult to say. A cleaning with lemon juice will remove the rust but you can use vinegar as well. A warangan (traditional stain) will bring out the pamor.

Nice piece, congrats,

Detlef

[David]

I would also add that oil and #0000 steel wool will NOT hurt the pamor of this blade.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by David

I would also add that oil and #0000 steel wool will NOT hurt the pamor of this blade.

Of course you are correct! But when Russel want to clean the blade with vinegar or lemon juice he have to remove the oil again.

[russel]

Thanks for your comments and advice guys. I think I will try lemon juice to remove the rust.

Detlef,

The dimensions are:
OA Length: 300mm
Blade length: 220mm
Blade width (max) 47mm (6.3mm thick at this point)
Weight: 158g

As you suggested, sadly the tip of the sheath is missing. If I can get a better idea of the shape of the missing piece I may be able to make something to replace it (although I would certainly not permanently attach it).

More unfortunate is that a small portion of the sheath has been lost, probably quite recently (see pic), I contacted the seller in the hope that he may still have the missing piece, but sadly he didn't. I am not confident with that sort of repair so I will have to leave it as is (and mutter under my breath every time I notice it).

I was hoping that the carving and painting style may indicate it's origin/age. It has many coats of paint, and seems to have been a variety of colours during its life.

Russel

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by russel

Thanks for your comments and advice guys. I think I will try lemon juice to remove the rust.

Detlef,

The dimensions are:
OA Length: 300mm
Blade length: 220mm
Blade width (max) 47mm (6.3mm thick at this point)
Weight: 158g

As you suggested, sadly the tip of the sheath is missing. If I can get a better idea of the shape of the missing piece I may be able to make something to replace it (although I would certainly not permanently attach it).

More unfortunate is that a small portion of the sheath has been lost, probably quite recently (see pic), I contacted the seller in the hope that he may still have the missing piece, but sadly he didn't. I am not confident with that sort of repair so I will have to leave it as is (and mutter under my breath every time I notice it).

I was hoping that the carving and painting style may indicate it's origin/age. It has many coats of paint, and seems to have been a variety of colours during its life.

Russel

Hi Russel,

so it's bigger as I thought. Like I write before, I am nearly sure that this tombak is from Java. When you want to have restored the sheath contact me. The tip of the scabbard will have looked similar like the shown examples.

Regards,

Detlef

[russel]

Thank you all for your comments and advice.

Detlef, would you please email me some close-up pics of the sheath tips? From mine it seems they are constructed separately from the rest of the scabbard and attached later. I would love to have the scabbard properly restored, but I fear that the cost (including return postage to Germany if I used your restorer) would be more than the item is worth.

Cheers, Russel