Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

A. G. Maisey · 2nd September 2013, 10:24 PM

When we put the core in, its just like making a sandwich, bottom layer of pamor, thin layer of steel, top layer of pamor. Then it gets welded in the forge. So, under normal circumstances and in this sort of keris, we could expect to see the core in the pesi running side to side , the same orientation as in the blade.

The way I understand what you told us, Rasjid, is that the line of the core does not continue through the pesi in the same orientation as it is in the blade, but rather it has been turned 45 degrees so that it now runs perpendicular to the blade surface.

If this is so, its a bit hard to understand why this would be done. In any case, its unusual. Can you see where the orientation of the core occurred? Can you see the core running through the top of the gonjo? Under microscopic examination, can you see any obvious joins in the blade or pesi?

I wonder if it is the result of a miscalculation in manufacture, and the smith made a virtue of necessity.

I cannot recall seeing a blade like this one. It appears to be Jawa, but an old Jawa blade with a kebo gandhik, KB tang, iron mendak---or probably more correctly metuk --- plus gonjo iras. Very peculiar. I think it is possible that at the time it was made the smith might have been struggling with the technique and this led to production of a rather unique blade.

I'd like to have a close look at this blade some day.

EDIT

I've just had another look at this blade pic. I can clearly see the core, or perhaps more correctly the cutting edge on the front of the blade,I cannot see an edge at the back of the blade, there may have been one that has been lost to erosion. I can also see a dark line running down the middle of the blade face. Is this maybe what you can see in the pesi? Not the core, but an attempt at a pamor pattern, or an accident in mixture of material?

2nd September 2013, 10:24 PM	#6
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	When we put the core in, its just like making a sandwich, bottom layer of pamor, thin layer of steel, top layer of pamor. Then it gets welded in the forge. So, under normal circumstances and in this sort of keris, we could expect to see the core in the pesi running side to side , the same orientation as in the blade. The way I understand what you told us, Rasjid, is that the line of the core does not continue through the pesi in the same orientation as it is in the blade, but rather it has been turned 45 degrees so that it now runs perpendicular to the blade surface. If this is so, its a bit hard to understand why this would be done. In any case, its unusual. Can you see where the orientation of the core occurred? Can you see the core running through the top of the gonjo? Under microscopic examination, can you see any obvious joins in the blade or pesi? I wonder if it is the result of a miscalculation in manufacture, and the smith made a virtue of necessity. I cannot recall seeing a blade like this one. It appears to be Jawa, but an old Jawa blade with a kebo gandhik, KB tang, iron mendak---or probably more correctly metuk --- plus gonjo iras. Very peculiar. I think it is possible that at the time it was made the smith might have been struggling with the technique and this led to production of a rather unique blade. I'd like to have a close look at this blade some day. EDIT I've just had another look at this blade pic. I can clearly see the core, or perhaps more correctly the cutting edge on the front of the blade,I cannot see an edge at the back of the blade, there may have been one that has been lost to erosion. I can also see a dark line running down the middle of the blade face. Is this maybe what you can see in the pesi? Not the core, but an attempt at a pamor pattern, or an accident in mixture of material?