Keris, inscription, rough age.

[Helleri]

Originally Posted by Bob A

The inscription on the blade in question is pretty crude. This might lend itself to the idea that it is an early example, lacking the more sophisticated inscription and metal finishing in the later so-called "tourist" iterations.

Or perhaps it was made to emulate the successful tourist blades, but by a smith whose skills were less advanced, less commercial.

Closer to a folk art piece, IMO, and possibly an early post-WWII example.

The quality of the inscription was the first thing I really noticed when it came into my possession. I wasn't even sure they were English characters and thought it might have just been someone's name as a sort of property tag.

Both the possibilities you've presented occurred to me. Also that it could even be both simultaneously. Perhaps not even a smith. Maybe just some one who had a knife, had a file, and needed some money. There are just soooo many file marks on this afterall. They seriously don't show well with my camera and lighting. But someone went to work on it.

Like I said in my original post, the guard doesn't even appear to have been brazed to the blade. Rather (in person at least) it seems very obvious that someone filed the final shape of the guard with it in place and made an effort to work it up against the blade and close that gap as much as they could to make it look brazed. I thought it was brazed for a second before I really looked at it. So it seems likely they didn't have the means to braze it.