Keris for comment

[drdavid]

Hi Drabant
if you search the forum you will find plenty on staining, there is some pretty comprehensive advice. Unfortunately nothing will give you the same effect as the traditional arsenic based method.
cheers
DrD

[Rick]

Perhaps some of our forum members can help via a PM .

[mariusgmioc]

You won't be able to find Arsenic anywhere in Europe or US since it is labeled as poison.

I have experimented with ferric chloride, Nital and Perma Blue, but nothing worked right (albeit they work quite well for etching wootz or normal pattern welded steel). So I ended up sending my blade for a reasonable sum back to Indonesia where it received the right treatment and got it back in stunning condition.

I suggest you ask Seerp Visser a about his method of etching Keris blades. While I didn't test it myself, I remember seeing his blades and one could swear they are traditionally etched.

[David]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

You won't be able to find Arsenic anywhere in Europe or US since it is labeled as poison.

Well, i can say that is not exactly true. You cannot buy arsenic trioxide directly without a government certificate, if you can find a local company that is able to purchase and can show them what you are using it for you may get lucky and make a deal with them if they are willing. I know from personal experience that such a scenario is indeed possible, though it is not likely.
However, you can, AFAIK, purchase the mineral Realgar in the USA, which is an arsenic sulfide. If you search this site you will find further discussion on it. While i would say that lab quality arsenic trioxide is a better, more consistent product, many people use Realgar to stain keris due to it's availability. Buying the mineral whole means grinding it up yourself, which is a mess i don't recommend, but i have seen pure powdered Realgar for sale regularly on eBay, so if you would like to try it give it a google and it should turn up.
While i have seen a few examples of passable staining done with non-warangan concoctions i don't believe any of them will give pamor the "correct" look as will arsenic and lime.
If i were unable to stain my own blades when needed i would probably send them out to be done to Indonesia. As you point out the sum for the work is generally very reasonable. The postage would be more expensive than the treatment and of course there is the time waiting...

[Kulino]

If you wish to buy natural arsenic in the Netherlands, you could look for a 'stenen- en mineralenbeurs' on the internet
That would be a kind of fair or exchange where stone and mineral collectors convien and offer sample for sale. (Use google with that query and you'll get the schedule and place.) Look out for realgar with purple cristals. Lesser quality is known as orpigment. I bought once a blok realgar from over a pound. Have been using is since with great results. When I take samples of it back to Java, they love the stuff, although they too prefere the white As2O3. Good luck!