Keris For Comment ?

Rick · 30th November 2005, 03:49 AM

Hi John ,
you have a very dense , nice example of bone that makes up your wrongko
whereas the example we are discussing is of much poorer quality .

I wonder does yours have any scent at all and which part of the skeleton it was from ?

I know that here we used to leave the pieces (vertebrae) outside on the roof of a shed or garage for a few years to 'sweeten' them as they were so oily .

Possibly the bone is boiled over there to get the oil out .

A gateway made from jawbones a couple of miles away from my house .

http://tinyurl.com/b6y7s

Andrew · 30th November 2005, 04:07 AM

A whaler? I had no idea! (Living on Cape Cod, too.

)

For what it's worth, the whale bone I've handled was suprisingly light and brittle-seeming. It was old and carved (crude "sailor" art dated to the early 18th century), with no memorable smell. A pure art piece.

John · 30th November 2005, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

Hi John ,

...I wonder does yours have any scent at all and which part of the skeleton it was from ?

I know that here we used to leave the pieces (vertebrae) outside on the roof of a shed or garage for a few years to 'sweeten' them as they were so oily .

Possibly the bone is boiled over there to get the oil out .

A gateway made from jawbones a couple of miles away from my house .

http://tinyurl.com/b6y7s

The keris was scent oiled (included the wrangka) when purchased which I'm afraid had overcomed whatever natural odour the bone may have had. How would you describe the raw smell? See if I could pick any faint odour up. No idea on which part of the skeleton it came from and also no idea where those Balinese craftsmen sourced their material from. But I think it's fair to say unless proven or affirmatively confirmed it remains as "probable whalebone" as far as my piece is concern.

I've not seen raw whalebone in person and the jawbones in your picture do look rather white on the surface.

Rick · 30th November 2005, 04:55 PM

Hi John , those jawbones are well over 100 years old ; they are white because they are now painted ; if they had been left to weather after so many years they most likely would be a slate gray with mildew specks in the pores .

Initially whalebone is white ; if it is left to weather will stay white until it gets mossy ... anyway ; a picture is worth a thousand words .

John · 1st December 2005, 12:24 AM

That's quite a chunk of bone and looks large/thick enough for a few crosspieces if indeed those parts are suitable.

I've been trying to match your descriptions with whatever I could observe on my crosspiece and perhaps it's of a well selected denser part of bone which also goes rather well in weight, balance and feel with the rest of sheath and keris overall. However, the minimal porousness did make me wonder if the bone is whale's afterall but there again the crosspiece is quite a chunk with other characteristics quite matching although it doesn't look as fragile.

Thanks Rick for the first hand information.

BSMStar · 2nd December 2005, 01:43 AM

Rick,

Nice Whale vertebra. I found one in Baja 30 some years ago... It had been around for awhile. It was bleached white and very porous. I was a bit surprised to see how "solid" your specimen looked. I learn more every day! Thanks for the post!

Rick · 2nd December 2005, 02:10 AM

My pleasure !

I happen to live on a salt marsh behind a beach that is famous for whale strandings ; one such event even made Time magazine back in the eighties ; I believe a hundred or more Pilot Whales came ashore at that time . That particular vertebra was from a far older stranding ; I found it while walking the marsh .

That is a small example ; a Spermacetti sized one would make a good stepping stone for a walkway .

The smooth surface is just that , a surface ; underneath it is a honeycomb of pores , and it still stinks a little after more than 30 years .

30th November 2005, 03:49 AM	#1
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,348	Hi John , you have a very dense , nice example of bone that makes up your wrongko whereas the example we are discussing is of much poorer quality . I wonder does yours have any scent at all and which part of the skeleton it was from ? I know that here we used to leave the pieces (vertebrae) outside on the roof of a shed or garage for a few years to 'sweeten' them as they were so oily . Possibly the bone is boiled over there to get the oil out . A gateway made from jawbones a couple of miles away from my house . http://tinyurl.com/b6y7s Last edited by Rick; 30th November 2005 at 04:03 AM.

30th November 2005, 04:55 PM	#4
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,348	Hi John , those jawbones are well over 100 years old ; they are white because they are now painted ; if they had been left to weather after so many years they most likely would be a slate gray with mildew specks in the pores . Initially whalebone is white ; if it is left to weather will stay white until it gets mossy ... anyway ; a picture is worth a thousand words . Attached Images

30th November 2005, 04:07 AM	#2
Andrew Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: USA Posts: 1,725	A whaler? I had no idea! (Living on Cape Cod, too. ) For what it's worth, the whale bone I've handled was suprisingly light and brittle-seeming. It was old and carved (crude "sailor" art dated to the early 18th century), with no memorable smell. A pure art piece.

1st December 2005, 12:24 AM	#5
John Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Land below the wind Posts: 135	That's quite a chunk of bone and looks large/thick enough for a few crosspieces if indeed those parts are suitable. I've been trying to match your descriptions with whatever I could observe on my crosspiece and perhaps it's of a well selected denser part of bone which also goes rather well in weight, balance and feel with the rest of sheath and keris overall. However, the minimal porousness did make me wonder if the bone is whale's afterall but there again the crosspiece is quite a chunk with other characteristics quite matching although it doesn't look as fragile. Thanks Rick for the first hand information.

2nd December 2005, 01:43 AM	#6
BSMStar Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kansas City, MO USA Posts: 312	Rick, Nice Whale vertebra. I found one in Baja 30 some years ago... It had been around for awhile. It was bleached white and very porous. I was a bit surprised to see how "solid" your specimen looked. I learn more every day! Thanks for the post!

2nd December 2005, 02:10 AM	#7
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,348	My pleasure ! I happen to live on a salt marsh behind a beach that is famous for whale strandings ; one such event even made Time magazine back in the eighties ; I believe a hundred or more Pilot Whales came ashore at that time . That particular vertebra was from a far older stranding ; I found it while walking the marsh . That is a small example ; a Spermacetti sized one would make a good stepping stone for a walkway . The smooth surface is just that , a surface ; underneath it is a honeycomb of pores , and it still stinks a little after more than 30 years .