Brass bits on a Jamdhar Katari
 

This Jamdhar Katari probably was dug or harshly kept as evidenced by the before cleaning photos. Foaming Grease removing dish soap followed by coatings of Break loose or olive oil and a plastic bristled industrial brush removed and loosened a lot of rust. This uncovered specks of brass? or some other metal. My question, is this what remains of drill and fill decorations or caused by interaction with other metals is the soil? I have examples of other 17th Century daggers that have a similar color metal used for decorations.

Your thoughts on this one.

You don't think it's the remains of koftgari?

I don't see any signs of cross hatching used in koftgari. There is a similar effect
adding wire fill to holes. So far most of the dots are in less exposed areas. It may just mean the "Brass" was better protected in these locations. i added the most recent close ups.

If koftgari, I doubt you would be able to still see the cross hatching in such a corroded condition.

If you really were to restore this (close) to working order rather than keeping it in relic condition, I'd either choose "sandblasting" (with softer beads than sand), electrolytic rust removal (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1174), or the pineapple juice approach (search the keris forum). All have pros and cons, so take your time for reaching any decision.

Regards,
Kai