A first post, and a few questions about barung restoration.

Edward C. · 2nd July 2020, 04:08 AM

Hello all, I have been reading this most excellent form for a long time, finally decided to join. I have a long time interest in all sorts of edged weapons, and intend to post some photo's up as soon as I figure out the method.

Some years ago, I was given an beat up old barung, with no hilt, and a damaged scabbard. The blade was a smooth age gray, lightly rusted with a bright "hamon" for lack of a better word. Nothing special to look at.

I used some wet and dry sandpaper to bring it up to 800 grit polish, alternating between cross blade and long blade axis between grits, so as to ensure the previous, coarser grit marks were gone.

At 320 grit, I quit for the night and washed the blade under warm water. Imagine my surprise when a beautiful pattern started appearing- no etching, just some sort of oxidization from the water, maybe? Wiped it down with oil and set it aside.

Last night, I took it to 800 grit, and washed it off and applied some vinegar.
A very attractive pattern emerged, although it was instantly evident I had not gotten all the oil off the blade, so the results were a bit spotty. The edge is an inserted piece of steel that stayed pretty bright, and there are shiny little squiggly lines all throughout the pattern- looks a bit like mokume, sort off- quite refined looking. The whole blade though, is a bit dark- is it the norm to burnish off the surface after etching, with steel wool or 1200 grit paper or something?
The blade in question, and the scabbard carving, look very much like the one in this post, blade number two. It is a very tightly forged piece.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=barung

I may need to go back and re-polish with 1000 grit and use some acetone to get off all the oil and re-etch.
Another question- when I initially noticed the pattern, after a warm water rinse, it was a yellowish -red color, maybe infinitesimal bit of rust? The vinegar immediately wiped it away, then it took some time for the pattern to re-appear, but in a dark blue gray color. Do different etching mediums have different coloration's? And how bright were these swords when first made?

Since this sword was so badly treated, instead of a mild clean up and wax, I would like to bring it back as far as I can, and will carve a new hilt and repair the scabbard, assuming I can find the hilt material and pattern.

Any guidance will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks, Ed.

Ian · 4th July 2020, 06:47 AM

Welcome Ed.

There are many knowledgeable people here who can answer your questions. It would help if you could post some pictures of your barung now.

As far as etching the laminated patterns, there are a number of options as you have no doubt found by searching the Forums. Many etchants will oxidize the iron and create rust, which is a sign that you have left the etchant in contact with the blade too long. Warming the blade accelerates the etching process and therefore reduces the time you need to leave it in the etchant. Treating with sodium bicarbonate to halt the etching process is also recommended. In the original culture, it is common to keep the blades polished and etched.

Kalamansi juice (which has a bitter lime flavor) or pineapple juice are often used in the southern Philippines to etch blades. The effects are much like lemon juice or vinegar. Another common option in the U.S. and Europe is ferric chloride solution, which can be purchased at hardware stores where it is sold as etching solution. Professional metallurgists have a range of more potent acids that can also be used to etch blades--these can be a bit tricky to use and some are hard to purchase because they are considered dangerous (e.g., Nitrol).

There are also people here who do restoration work who can help with suggestions for the hilt and scabbard.

2nd July 2020, 04:08 AM	#1
Edward C. Member Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 15	A first post, and a few questions about barung restoration. Hello all, I have been reading this most excellent form for a long time, finally decided to join. I have a long time interest in all sorts of edged weapons, and intend to post some photo's up as soon as I figure out the method. Some years ago, I was given an beat up old barung, with no hilt, and a damaged scabbard. The blade was a smooth age gray, lightly rusted with a bright "hamon" for lack of a better word. Nothing special to look at. I used some wet and dry sandpaper to bring it up to 800 grit polish, alternating between cross blade and long blade axis between grits, so as to ensure the previous, coarser grit marks were gone. At 320 grit, I quit for the night and washed the blade under warm water. Imagine my surprise when a beautiful pattern started appearing- no etching, just some sort of oxidization from the water, maybe? Wiped it down with oil and set it aside. Last night, I took it to 800 grit, and washed it off and applied some vinegar. A very attractive pattern emerged, although it was instantly evident I had not gotten all the oil off the blade, so the results were a bit spotty. The edge is an inserted piece of steel that stayed pretty bright, and there are shiny little squiggly lines all throughout the pattern- looks a bit like mokume, sort off- quite refined looking. The whole blade though, is a bit dark- is it the norm to burnish off the surface after etching, with steel wool or 1200 grit paper or something? The blade in question, and the scabbard carving, look very much like the one in this post, blade number two. It is a very tightly forged piece. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=barung I may need to go back and re-polish with 1000 grit and use some acetone to get off all the oil and re-etch. Another question- when I initially noticed the pattern, after a warm water rinse, it was a yellowish -red color, maybe infinitesimal bit of rust? The vinegar immediately wiped it away, then it took some time for the pattern to re-appear, but in a dark blue gray color. Do different etching mediums have different coloration's? And how bright were these swords when first made? Since this sword was so badly treated, instead of a mild clean up and wax, I would like to bring it back as far as I can, and will carve a new hilt and repair the scabbard, assuming I can find the hilt material and pattern. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Ed.

4th July 2020, 06:47 AM	#2
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,198	Welcome Ed. There are many knowledgeable people here who can answer your questions. It would help if you could post some pictures of your barung now. As far as etching the laminated patterns, there are a number of options as you have no doubt found by searching the Forums. Many etchants will oxidize the iron and create rust, which is a sign that you have left the etchant in contact with the blade too long. Warming the blade accelerates the etching process and therefore reduces the time you need to leave it in the etchant. Treating with sodium bicarbonate to halt the etching process is also recommended. In the original culture, it is common to keep the blades polished and etched. Kalamansi juice (which has a bitter lime flavor) or pineapple juice are often used in the southern Philippines to etch blades. The effects are much like lemon juice or vinegar. Another common option in the U.S. and Europe is ferric chloride solution, which can be purchased at hardware stores where it is sold as etching solution. Professional metallurgists have a range of more potent acids that can also be used to etch blades--these can be a bit tricky to use and some are hard to purchase because they are considered dangerous (e.g., Nitrol). There are also people here who do restoration work who can help with suggestions for the hilt and scabbard.