Barn Find Kris Restoration

[RobT]

Hi All,

As can be seen from the seller’s photos, this kris was in considerable need of attention. However, since the price was commensurate with the condition, I decided to accept the challenge. Since the missing baca baca needed to be replaced, the first order of business was removing the hilt. Given the sword’s condition, I very much doubted anyone had bestirred themselves to epoxy the hilt in position and happily,, I was correct. After the hilt had been removed, I put the blade into my specially made kris tank for a 24 hour EvapoRust soak. A post EvapoRust examination revealed an exceedingly neat and close fitting, rectangular mortise in the ganja for the tang. This fit is made all the more remarkable because the fit of the ganja to the blade appears to have the same tight tolerance as an automobile crankshaft bearing. How the smith was able to get both areas so well fitted is a mystery to me. I would have thought that in this case, getting such a tight fit in one area would have gotten in the way of making a tight fit in the other. After the EvapoRust bath came the lengthy polishing with a 3M abrasive pad. Once the polishing was complete, I made the new baca baca and refitted the hilt with a heat sensitive adhesive. I am pleased to have been able to restore this fine blade to much of its former condition.

Sincerely,
RobT

[drac2k]

Great job on the Kris; you should be a spokesman for the product as I am going out tomorrow and buying a jug of Evaporust to experiment with!

[Rick]

Nice work Rob!
Which Moro group is this from, Sulu?

[JeffS]

Love seeing the transformation, hope you don't mind sharing more details. Amazed you can get the finish with 3M pad after so much rust. Which type? Was that by elbow power? How does one make a baca baca? Did you etch at the end?

[RobT]

drac2k,
EvapoRust is good stuff but just remember three things: 1) The item must be completely suspended in the solution (ie in a tank). Any other method (even what is recommended in the EvapoRust literature) runs the risk of etching a pattern in the steel and that pattern will be darn well to completely impossible to remove. 2) Immersion in the solution for any appreciable time (say 24 hrs) will turn the steel a horrible grey which will have to be polished out. 3) EvapoRust works incredibly well on red rust but is only minimally effective on black rust.

Rick,
If Cato's classification can be believed, yes, it's Sulu.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Ian]

Rob,

Great resto job. I think your sword is more likely Maguindanao than Sulu, based on the hilt (a Mindanao style, late 19th-20th C), a single stirrup, and the gangya area carving is what Cato attributes to the Maguindanao. It resembles example "C" in Cato's picture found here.

[RobT]

Thanks to all for the positive comments on my efforts.

JeffS,
The EvapoRust takes care of the red rust (FeO3) completely. I use elbow power and a russet colored 3M pad sandwiched in the jaws of a refrigerator clip/magnet to rub out the grey discoloration left behind by the EvapoRust (pretty easy to clean up) and to rub out the black rust (Fe3O4, really, really hard to clean up). The problem with black rust is that it is hard to get to because it is in the bottom of the pits dug by red rust and it is also more resistant to abrasion than red rust.
Quick baca baca how-to: I lay a clear piece of thick cellophane or thin plastic on the kris and draw the outline of the missing baca baca. I cut out the shape and lay it on a piece of mild steel as a template and flip it over (tip to tip) to make the other side (keep in mind that the outlines drawn on the steel represent the INSIDE of the baca baca). I rough out the shape using Dremel abrasive cut off wheels. I fold the steel in half and use files to refine the rough shape and then open it up to fit onto the kris (note that the convex sides will be further apart than the concave sides).

Ian,
I thought that the Maguindano "C" goes straight across whereas the Sulu "C" slants downward. Oh well, I'm a bit leery about Cato's classification anyway.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Klop]

Hi Rob, looks great! one more question about the bacabaca, when it is in it's place on the blade, how do you seal it? Do I see a rivet, or is it soldered shut?

thanks,
Eric.

[Klop]

oh, and about tight fitting; i've once seen a docmentary about the production of high end (english) double barreled hunting guns, when fitting parts the gunsmith held them over a small flame to blacken with soot. Then fit the parts together to see where the contact points are, file a tiny bit & repeat endlessly.

[RobT]

Klop,

I think what you are taking for a rivet is actually a 1/8" diameter brass plug that I set into the baca baca (on both sides) as a decoration. I think that traditionally the baca baca ends are braised together but, being unwilling to use so much heat near the blade, I use epoxy.
I am aware of using soot (or lipstick or dykem blue) for fitting but what I meant in this case is how do you get a ganja to blade tight fit without first having a tang to ganja tight fit (and vise versa).

Sincerely,
RobT

[Klop]

Hello Rob,

clear, thanks for the explanation!

kind regards,
Eric.

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by RobT

Hi All,

As can be seen from the seller’s photos, this kris was in considerable need of attention. However, since the price was commensurate with the condition, I decided to accept the challenge. Since the missing baca baca needed to be replaced, the first order of business was removing the hilt. Given the sword’s condition, I very much doubted anyone had bestirred themselves to epoxy the hilt in position and happily,, I was correct. After the hilt had been removed, I put the blade into my specially made kris tank for a 24 hour EvapoRust soak. A post EvapoRust examination revealed an exceedingly neat and close fitting, rectangular mortise in the ganja for the tang. This fit is made all the more remarkable because the fit of the ganja to the blade appears to have the same tight tolerance as an automobile crankshaft bearing. How the smith was able to get both areas so well fitted is a mystery to me. I would have thought that in this case, getting such a tight fit in one area would have gotten in the way of making a tight fit in the other. After the EvapoRust bath came the lengthy polishing with a 3M abrasive pad. Once the polishing was complete, I made the new baca baca and refitted the hilt with a heat sensitive adhesive. I am pleased to have been able to restore this fine blade to much of its former condition.

Sincerely,
RobT

A sensational job Rob.

It is an inspiration, and blades are deserving of such attention.
The ancestors will be smiling.

If you want to take on more.... hourly or flat rate?

[kino]

Bravo RobT. You did an excellent job, especially with the baca-baca.

[RobT]

Gavin Nugent,
If that fine twist core kris were mine, I would work on it. But consider this; I got my blade in 11/2022 and put it in the EvapoRust almost immediately, thereafter I worked on it daily over coffee (30-45 minutes per morning) and was finally satisfied by 09/2023 to do the 2% nital etch.
Unless that is gold plating I see on the baca baca and hilt, I would recommend that to begin, you soak your blade in Evaporust for 24 hrs. Once the solution has been cleaned off, you will have a clearer idea about how much work you are facing. The challenge is black rust sitting in the bottom of pits dug by red rust. To polish, I use a russet 3M pad sandwiched in the jaws of a refrigerator magnet (the type with jaws designed to grip the pad evenly the entire length of the jaws. Good luck.

kino,
Glad you like the work and especially the baca baca. Ironically, making the baca baca is the easiest part.

[Sajen]

Great job! Congrats!

[Ian]

Originally Posted by RobT

Thanks to all for the positive comments on my efforts.
.....

Ian,
I thought that the Maguindano "C" goes straight across whereas the Sulu "C" slants downward. Oh well, I'm a bit leery about Cato's classification anyway.

Sincerely,
RobT

Hi Rob,

The Maguinganao "C" example can also have a mouth that is downward sloping, but the Sulu examples are more prominently so in most cases. There can be ambiguity in others. That's why I think it is important to also look at the carving on the gangya side opposite the elephant trunk, as well as the number of asang asang, the hilt style, and the scabbard (when present).