Warangan treatment of an old Javanese blade?

[kai]

Dear Jean,

Thanks a lot!

I have to admit that the gonjo wulung came as a surprise! It does look well made - there seems to be some variation with the ron dha that can't fully be explained by different thickness though. Any hints that it may be not original from personal examination? I don't have clear hints to doubt that it is genuine/original - just asking for info not available from pics...

The hilt looks way nicer with the new mendak and also the scabbard echoes older styles.

Regards,
Kai

[Gustav]

Hello Kai,

Gonjo Wulung on these Keris are quite usual. This one has been slightly bent upwards, that's why Greneng looks a bit curious. Luckily it didn't break, these Gonjo Wulung can be very brittle.

[kai]

Thanks, Gustav!

Gonjo Wulung on these Keris are quite usual.

Yes - it is just way more difficult to establish whether any gonjo wulung has been added/changed later or really is original though. It may not be a major issue for a given keris; however, when looking closely at the greneng, I try to establish them being really comparable to the rest of the blade first.

This one has been slightly bent upwards, that's why Greneng looks a bit curious.

Yes, this makes things tougher. However, there seem to be also differences between the ron dha nunut and the neighbouring ron dha (as well as with the jenggot) that can't be explained by distortion from bending.

Luckily it didn't break, these Gonjo Wulung can be very brittle.

I assume there may be some incentive to cut short the "washing" of the iron prior to crafting these...

Regards,
Kai

[Jean]

Hello Kai and Gustav,
I was also a bit surprised to discover the ganja wulung, but as far as I can see it looks original and the craftsmanship is similar to the blade itself.
It seems to have been hammered indeed and it is slightly misaligned with the blade and the blade is not perfectly sitting on the gonjo on the back side. I assume that the ganja was loose and re-glued, and not properly positioned after gluing.
I am very surprised to see the sharp details of the greneng, especially the ripandan.
Regards

[Jean]

Considering the excellent condition & thickness of the blade and the quality of the metal, has anyone an opinion why this blade was shortened? (purposely broken?). Unfortunately I have no clue about the history of this blade.
Regards

[Bejo]

Hello Jean,

The result even exceed my prediction

I don't know why this keris has top part like that.
But, when I examine the pamor from the top part. I have just realized that the pamor is not exceeding the edge of the wilah. Thats quite strange to me. From my opinion, it looks like the creator of top part has calculated so the pamor won't exceed it's edge.

Also, the two side also have different shape of top edge. Does the top part (pucuk wilah)of this keris slightly tilted? Could you provide the picture of the top part rotated 90 degree? (From it's thin side)

Thank you


Best regards,

Joe

[rasdan]

Hi Jean,

That's one nice keris. Congratulations. It's a pity it got broken like that. Nevertheless it is still a very handsome keris.

Originally Posted by Bejo

Hello Jean,

But, when I examine the pamor from the top part. I have just realized that the pamor is not exceeding the edge of the wilah. Thats quite strange to me. From my opinion, it looks like the creator of top part has calculated so the pamor won't exceed it's edge.

Hi Bejo,

I think since the thickness of the blade towards the tip reduces after being reshaped, IMHO it is natural that the pamor does not exceed the wilah.

I once reshaped a broken tip of a keris. We can adjust the thickness when filing so that the pamor does not exceed towards the tip. If it is too close to the tip just file a bit more.

We just need to etch the blade a bit along the way so that we can see where the pamor is after each session of filing/grinding. Picture below is the reshaped tip before and after it was etched. We can see the pamor surfacing. (I think this pic is from different side though)