Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

A. G. Maisey · 25th December 2009, 10:07 PM

I have done exactly this repair, and others that have been of a similar nature.I used 5 minute Araldite mixed with burnt umber powder where I had to hold the pieces in place. Where I did not have to hold the pieces in place I used Super Strength Araldite with burnt umber powder.

This wrongko has already been glued together, to get it apart I suggest wrapping the glued section in damp cloths until the existing glue joint will separate, then meticulously clean out all the old glue from the joint and wait until the wood is completely dry before remating the break and glueing it. Overfill the joint with glue and clean off and repolish when everything has been repaired.
The gap in the edge can be filled with plastic putty or body filler tinted with burnt umber. You might consider reshaping the wrongko leaf a bit to reduce the size of the gap you need to fill.

The wood appears to be jati gembol (burl teak).

I have never yet found a hilt of a keris or pedang that will not let go with the application of heat. The safest heat source for somebody who has not done this before is a candle, or a small kerosene lamp. You simply heat the blade on both sides alternatively, in the area of the sorsoran, and as it gets hot you work the handle back and forth, while you grip the blade with a cloth. If it has not let go after say, thirty minutes of heating, put it aside, leave it a day or so, and repeat the process until it does let go. Even a really badly rusted in hilt will let go after three or four heat treatments. The danger is if the tang is completely rusted through, it will break when it finally lets go of the hilt. This is no big deal and any broken tang can be repaired.

Yes, the mendhak is old.

25th December 2009, 10:07 PM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	I have done exactly this repair, and others that have been of a similar nature.I used 5 minute Araldite mixed with burnt umber powder where I had to hold the pieces in place. Where I did not have to hold the pieces in place I used Super Strength Araldite with burnt umber powder. This wrongko has already been glued together, to get it apart I suggest wrapping the glued section in damp cloths until the existing glue joint will separate, then meticulously clean out all the old glue from the joint and wait until the wood is completely dry before remating the break and glueing it. Overfill the joint with glue and clean off and repolish when everything has been repaired. The gap in the edge can be filled with plastic putty or body filler tinted with burnt umber. You might consider reshaping the wrongko leaf a bit to reduce the size of the gap you need to fill. The wood appears to be jati gembol (burl teak). I have never yet found a hilt of a keris or pedang that will not let go with the application of heat. The safest heat source for somebody who has not done this before is a candle, or a small kerosene lamp. You simply heat the blade on both sides alternatively, in the area of the sorsoran, and as it gets hot you work the handle back and forth, while you grip the blade with a cloth. If it has not let go after say, thirty minutes of heating, put it aside, leave it a day or so, and repeat the process until it does let go. Even a really badly rusted in hilt will let go after three or four heat treatments. The danger is if the tang is completely rusted through, it will break when it finally lets go of the hilt. This is no big deal and any broken tang can be repaired. Yes, the mendhak is old.