MY FIRST BARONG

Spunjer · 9th May 2006, 12:15 PM

i just find filipino swords unkept very disrespectful. here's a kris that was 'westernized', as explained by battara, where the blade was polished. the odd thing was, whoever did it neglected the gangya and the handle was left to frayed.

Spunjer · 9th May 2006, 12:22 PM

only after etching the blade did the true beauty came out..

ariel · 9th May 2006, 01:20 PM

I can see your point: that was exactly as the master envisioned it.
After all, if a respectable museum acquires a lost Rembrandt, they clean it first.

Tim Simmons · 9th May 2006, 01:37 PM

I too can see your point in this case as the damage had already been done by aggressive polishing the ruination of many antique metal items. The etching is in the form of restoration it looks great . On the other hand, to take an example like the thread starter which is a nice clean barong with a developing patina, you can see the quality of the blade and one could always look with the aid of a glass, etching a bit like needlessly rubbing it with a rough abrasive paper, is as damaging as polishing. In my mind.

Rick · 9th May 2006, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

I too can see your point in this case as the damage had already been done by aggressive polishing the ruination of many antique metal items. The etching is in the form of restoration it looks great . On the other hand, to take an example like the thread starter which is a nice clean barong with a developing patina, you can see the quality of the blade and one could always look with the aid of a glass, etching a bit like needlessly rubbing it with a rough abrasive paper, is as damaging as polishing. In my mind.

To be honest Tim if I might disagree ; the subject Barung seems to have been polished after the fact .

I don't think that is the original finish

Tim Simmons · 9th May 2006, 05:30 PM

I think you may well be right Rick. If I can see the blade quality through my PC then in the flesh it must look more than acceptable, all I would ask Flavio is to err on the side of caution. I would rather it was mine I have to say.

nechesh · 9th May 2006, 06:14 PM

Hey Tim. i don't think brushing this blade with a little warm vinegar on a sunny afternoon is liable to do much damage to the blade. The idea of doing such an etch isn't necessarily to see the blade quality, but to showcase the pattern within. Sometimes these patterns can be very beautiful. On the otherhand, i have a kris that i treated this way and found that the pattern wasn't really much to look at afterall so i lightly polished it away. In either case though, i think the blade looked/looks much nicer then when i first recieved it.

Rick · 9th May 2006, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

I think you may well be right Rick. If I can see the blade quality through my PC then in the flesh it must look more than acceptable, all I would ask Flavio is to err on the side of caution. I would rather it was mine I have to say.

You're not going to go Moro on us are you Tim .

Philiphilia can be phun .

/ducks

Flavio · 9th May 2006, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

To be honest Tim if I might disagree ; the subject Barung seems to have been polished after the fact .

I don't think that is the original finish

Hello Rick, i have bought this one from MR. Yarom, and it is arrived as you can see from pictures. I don't know if this is the original finish or if it was polished.

Battara · 10th May 2006, 01:48 AM

I doubt Artzi would have polished it and left it shiny. I think what Rick was refering is what I mentioned earlier, that later owners early in this century loved shiny things and may have polished this puppy.

Ian · 9th May 2006, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spunjer

i just find filipino swords unkept very disrespectful. here's a kris that was 'westernized', as explained by battara, where the blade was polished. the odd thing was, whoever did it neglected the gangya and the handle was left to frayed.

Ron:

The gangya area can be tedious to clean -- lots of little nooks and crannies -- and I think people get lazy with their "restoration" work, and leave that area to its natural state. We see this on many kris, even those coming out of Mindanao today. To some extent corrosion of the gangya may be related to kris being kept in scabbards that don't completely cover that area, but I think many times it's because the area is just too much of a chore to clean well.

Ian

9th May 2006, 12:15 PM	#1
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	i just find filipino swords unkept very disrespectful. here's a kris that was 'westernized', as explained by battara, where the blade was polished. the odd thing was, whoever did it neglected the gangya and the handle was left to frayed. Attached Images

9th May 2006, 12:22 PM	#2
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	only after etching the blade did the true beauty came out.. Attached Images

9th May 2006, 05:30 PM	#6
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,912	I think you may well be right Rick. If I can see the blade quality through my PC then in the flesh it must look more than acceptable, all I would ask Flavio is to err on the side of caution. I would rather it was mine I have to say. Last edited by Tim Simmons; 9th May 2006 at 05:48 PM.

9th May 2006, 01:20 PM	#3
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	I can see your point: that was exactly as the master envisioned it. After all, if a respectable museum acquires a lost Rembrandt, they clean it first.

9th May 2006, 01:37 PM	#4
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,912	I too can see your point in this case as the damage had already been done by aggressive polishing the ruination of many antique metal items. The etching is in the form of restoration it looks great . On the other hand, to take an example like the thread starter which is a nice clean barong with a developing patina, you can see the quality of the blade and one could always look with the aid of a glass, etching a bit like needlessly rubbing it with a rough abrasive paper, is as damaging as polishing. In my mind.

9th May 2006, 06:14 PM	#7
nechesh Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 940	Hey Tim. i don't think brushing this blade with a little warm vinegar on a sunny afternoon is liable to do much damage to the blade. The idea of doing such an etch isn't necessarily to see the blade quality, but to showcase the pattern within. Sometimes these patterns can be very beautiful. On the otherhand, i have a kris that i treated this way and found that the pattern wasn't really much to look at afterall so i lightly polished it away. In either case though, i think the blade looked/looks much nicer then when i first recieved it.

10th May 2006, 01:48 AM	#10
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,341	I doubt Artzi would have polished it and left it shiny. I think what Rick was refering is what I mentioned earlier, that later owners early in this century loved shiny things and may have polished this puppy.