New acquisition; Sundang for comment

[Sajen]

Hello Drac2k,

very nice kris indeed and I agree with the others, late 19th century until early 20th century, very nice blade.

At some pictures is to seen that there are traces of an old wrapping under the hilt fittings, can you tell which material it is? On the pictures is look like leather which would be unusual and also would confirm that the hilt fittings of later date IMHO. Personally I would give the hilt a new cord wrapping between the metal rings. Are you going to etch the blade?

Regards,
Detlef

[RSWORD]

Nice sword. The blade would benefit from a light etch because I am pretty sure I am seeing signs of twistcore in the center panel. Dave, have a good close look at that center section in good sunlight and see if you can see the pattern.

[drac2k]

Wow, you guys are observant. I looked at the material under the bands on the hilt and while it could be some type of cloth or a fish skin, I think it may be a very, very thin leather, with spots darkened by corrosion from previous older or missing bands from the handle.
I thought that the blade might have some type of patterning, but many times that is wishful thinking ;however after holding it under strong natural light, I can say that the center panel is indeed twist core.
I will not etch the blade, as I do not know what I am doing and would not risk harming it.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by drac2k

.... ;however after holding it under strong natural light, I can say that the center panel is indeed twist core.
I will not etch the blade, as I do not know what I am doing and would not risk harming it.

Hello Drac2k,

you couldn't harm the blade when you follow my advice: use a solution from 20% vinegar essence with water, heat it and brush the warm blade with a brush until you see the effect. When you don't like it you can scrub the blade with steel wool until the lamination effect is gone since the effect is only superficial, there isn't any risk to harm the blade, believe me. Don't forget to neutralize the blade with baking soda or soap. An only light scrub with steel wool give the blade back a shiny surface. When you never try it you never will learn it! This blade is worth to show the twist core lamination.

Best regards,
Detlef

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by RSWORD

Nice sword. The blade would benefit from a light etch because I am pretty sure I am seeing signs of twistcore in the center panel. Dave, have a good close look at that center section in good sunlight and see if you can see the pattern.

Anytime I see well executed fullers, especially silver filled, I am curious about twistcore. Of course it is no guarantee, but it is certainly worth the effort to find out.

Agreeing with Kino and Dave, this was all "born together". It's a shame the cording has worn, but it also confirms age.

Maguindanao blades are typically beefy and wicked sharp...this one looks no different.

Congrats on a good piece!

[CCUAL]

Nice kris.

[drac2k]

Thanks, the sword is "wicked sharp." Thank you Sajen for the advice on how to etch, however I think that I'll experiment with something else before tackling this one.
Wow , looking at your sword, almost makes me want to try !

[David]

Originally Posted by drac2k

Thanks, the sword is "wicked sharp." Thank you Sajen for the advice on how to etch, however I think that I'll experiment with something else before tackling this one.
Wow , looking at your sword, almost makes me want to try !

It is really as simple as Detlef suggests Drac. Working with vinegar you really can't screw it up. It is too weak an acid to do any damage to the sword and if you don't like the results you can simply buff it off with fine grade steel wool.

[kino]

I would make sure the silver inlays are flush and firm within the channels, you don't want to risk snagging a stray with a steel wool thread and pulling it out.

[DaveS]

A very nice complete kris. I think rsword is right, it seems to have a twist-core down the center. Detlef is also right in that you can't hurt a blade using just warm vinegar. If you don't like the results just give the blade a light polish and it will look like the same as before, you can't really hurt it.....Dave

[Ian]

Guys:

The silver work of drac2K's kris is 20th C Maranao work from the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao, and almost certainly from the second half of the 20th C. My source for this information is a Filipino antique dealer in Ermita, Manila by the name of Mr. Ven Magbuhos whom some of you may have dealt with. Mr. Ven has been in the antique business there for 40+ years and specializes in Moro artifacts, including kris and other edged weapons. He states that the type of silver engraving (with semicircular marks, sinuous vines, etc., and scalloped edges to the bands) on the kris that started this thread appeared in the 1950s and became more common in the 1970s. Its presence on the hilts of kris and barung greatly increased in the 1990s as Maranao craftsmen ramped up their output to meet the demand of tourists and collectors. He has personally seen hundreds of examples of this kind of silver work on kris, gunong, and barung coming out of the Maranao area in the last 20-30 years. He has seen much that dates from this period but nothing that could be dated reliably before about 1950. He specifically notes that old blades are often "dressed up" with newer, silver ornamented hilts to enhance their value and increase profit.

So if this is a late 19th C or early 20th C blade, then we need to acknowledge that the hilt decorations are a later feature. The underlying hilt may well be original, with just the silver work being added later. Incidentally, the pinning of the silver plates to the hilt with small nails is uncommon, and is again more likely to occur on late 20th C examples.

I don't think this later embellishment detracts from the sword. After all, these are changes made within the culture of origin and in keeping with Maranao styles. The kris remains genuinely Moro.

Just to do a little more research on this style, I went to Artzi Yarom's web site and examined the 95 or so Moro kris that he has sold. I found only one that resembles the subject of this thread (pictures posted below). Again, the silver work on the hilt is pristine although showing a little age. Note the perfectly preserved scalloped edge of the band adjacent to the pommel. This is an area where one would expect to see small distortions or dings to the soft silver with use (certainly it is an area where silver-hilted dha often show incidental damage). There is no damage here even though the adjacent wooden pommel shows some scuffs, cracking and other age-related trauma. This one also seems to have been redressed since it was made.

Lastly, there is one example of a similar hilt in Robert Cato's book, Moro Swords--see p. 60 and Fig. 47 (left example). This appears to be a Maranao kris, but unfortunately the hilt is not shown in close detail.

Ian.