Keris in need of TLC

[JustYS]

Just my 2 cents regarding oil and plastic sleeve

My collection is very small (I can count with my fingers), but I also use oil and plastic sleeve.

I believe oiling keris is not only part of maintenance but also part of tradition.

Moreover I enjoy oiling keris (I do it every month or two), I feel more connection to the keris.

[David]

Originally Posted by JustYS

Just my 2 cents regarding oil and plastic sleeve

My collection is very small (I can count with my fingers), but I also use oil and plastic sleeve.

I believe oiling keris is not only part of maintenance but also part of tradition.

Moreover I enjoy oiling keris (I do it every month or two), I feel more connection to the keris.

I also like to oil my collection regularly, though i should get on a more frequent schedule. But i understand what you mean by it connecting you more to your collection. There is something loving and nurturing in the act. When i do get around to oiling the complete collection (i have a tendency to apply oil when i believe it looks needed whenever i might pick up and individual keris for examination) it also gives me an opportunity to review all of what i have. I generally end up doing this in two separate sessions since my collection is up around 100 these days.
I completely understand Alan's recommendation for plastic sleeves, but have not personally picked up the practice myself. I have been collecting for a few decades at this point and have never had any serious problems with rust accumulation on my blades, first in New York City, then 20 years in Cincinnati and for the last 5 years on the South Shore of Nova Scotia living no more than a mile or so from the Atlantic Ocean.
While i am sure that Alan is correct about plastic sleeves helping to protect the blades i am on a personal mission to reduce plastic in my environment on every level. I suppose the plastic used to wrap a blade gets used for a long time before it ends up in the environment, but that will be the eventual destination for it sooner or later. And while i do not doubt that ferric material left in contact with wood will rust more quickly i just don't like placing unnatural substances around a keris blade. Perhaps i have not had any serious rust problems simply because i do try to oil my entire collection regularly, but like you JustYS, i consider it one of the pleasures of collecting rather than an arduous task.

[milandro]

I oil my krises regularly but I don't keep them in a plastic foil and they don't seem to bother, must be the Dutch wind.

[A. G. Maisey]

Milandro, I'm talking lengthy periods of time, & large numbers of keris & other sharp pointy things that need to be looked after, I'm also talking about somebody --- me --- whose business is the identification of risk and the management of that risk.

If I only had a limited number of keris & etc to take care of, I probably would not do what I need to do for the large numbers of keris I have held during my lifetime.

If we can regularly examine & oil our blades, that is probably sufficient, but not all of us can, and I have stored keris & tombak in extremely adverse conditions for several years using my own controls as recommended, with no adverse effect on the blades, whereas other keris & etc in the same room, at the same time, needed cleaning & staining when I was able to get back to them.

As I have said:- objectives & expectations, and these factors can change from person to person.

[Jerseyman]

Thank you all for the useful responses. Once I have the blade in better condition I shall post more pictures.

Milandro, thank you for the indentification. Regarding the friction mount cloth around the tang (I assume), is that something you would remove before the long treatment with vinegar?

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes.

[milandro]

Originally Posted by Jerseyman

Milandro, thank you for the indentification. Regarding the friction mount cloth around the tang (I assume), is that something you would remove before the long treatment with vinegar?

Certainly, the cloth can be disposed of, it is meant to be replaced. Sometimes some kisses have human hair or animal hair instead of cloth. Some people believe this has some spiritual significance linking the kris to the maker or the the owner or someone related to the owner. You could remove the hair and try to re-use it if this is the case but it is your choice.

[David]

Originally Posted by milandro

Certainly, the cloth can be disposed of, it is meant to be replaced. Sometimes some kisses have human hair or animal hair instead of cloth. Some people believe this has some spiritual significance linking the kris to the maker or the the owner or someone related to the owner. You could remove the hair and try to re-use it if this is the case but it is your choice.

I have encountered a few keris with hair wrapped around the pesi in the past. My own approach in these cases is to replace that hair, though i do always preserve it in a special container. I do believe the purpose of using human hair is indeed an attempt to form a bond between the owner and the keris. But that person is no longer the owner of the keris, i am. So in my view it is not a bond i would wish to keep activated.