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#1 |
Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 456
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I just picked this Keris blade up for a pittance. It appears to be missing the ganja, ring, and ukiran. I presume there's nothing to be done about the missing ganja, but I would like to buy a new ukiran for it from e-bay.
Are there any criteria to picking a ukiran? Should it be from the same area as the keris blade? It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the blade itself looks OK. The dagger beneath it is supposedly from Chad, please ignore it. |
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#2 |
Keris forum moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 7,100
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It does indeed look to be a decent blade, though you are correct that the gonjo is missing. I wouldn't say that there is "nothing" you can do about that, but i'm not sure it would be worth you while to replace it since it would probably be far more than the cost of the keris to do so.
The blade and sheath appear to be Javanese. Even if the blade were not from Jawa i would say that it makes the most amount of sense to me to match the hilt to the rest of the dress rather than the blade. The outward appearance of your keris is usually best when it displays one unified cultural identity. I am traveling at the moment, but i am sure that some of our members will be able to post examples of hilts that would suit this keris. ![]() |
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#3 |
Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 456
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Any examples would be appreciated, thanks. I looked around e-bay and even the cheapest ukirans would double the amount of money I spent on it. But I think after cleaning the scabbard up it'll look nice and be worth the money.
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#4 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,731
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A Solo hilt would be ok for this keris, see attached example.
Regards, Detlef |
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#5 |
Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,740
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Or an East Java hilt, see example.
Personally I consider that a blade without ganja is worthless and as this one is of decent quality as David says I would try to find one but unless you have good contacts in Indonesia it will be very difficult. Regards |
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#6 |
Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,855
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make a new gonjo yourself, its a simple job that only requires basic hand tools and a bench vice
you use mild steel not really a proposition to get one made unless you live in jawa |
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#7 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 525
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I had this blade on my watching list, but i missed the end of the auction. It is a very good base for a complete restoration.
I know a german website, which maybe can help you with a new ganja. If you are interested, please send me a pm, it is a commercial site. Regards |
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#8 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
Posts: 27
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Hi Blue Lander,
Yes you are absolutely right. You are supposed, as a collector, to re-establish the piece as close as it was when it was created. So, probably Javanese - my "nose" says but I can't be sure, around 50-100 years old; please someone more experienced than me is allowed to deny what I just "feel". I would choose a nice vintage wood, simply carved but with a good smooth patina hilt. It will match perfectly I guess, especially if you can find a wood of same color as the sheath. ![]() |
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#9 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 313
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Making a good ganja is not so easy for an untrained person. I personally tried a few times with not very convincing results. Moreover in your case, since the blade is in good conditions, the ganja should have about the same appearance.
You could try to find out a scrap keris with a good ganja and adapt it to your blade, if necessary. This is a method I used a couple of times. Alternatively you could look for loose ganjas in the Swap Forum. I bet in Java is plenty of such parts. |
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#10 |
Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 456
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Thanks for the advice everyone. When it arrives I'll clean the wood and try to find a matching one on eBay . In the mean time I do have an ukiran from a 50's era tourist keris that will probably fit.
A friend is going to cut a piece of steel for me that I can file into shape for the ganja. If it doesn't turn out well I'll try procuring an original one |
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#11 | |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,731
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the suggestion Roland has given you is a very good one, I know this website and the ganja will be worked in Indonesia and don't will be very expensive. When you pm me I can explain it. Regards, Detlef |
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#12 |
Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 456
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It arrived today. It's a rather delicate and thin compared to my other keris. It's a bit rusty but not too bad. The tang is really long, too long to fit any of my other ukirans. I'll give it a soak in some coconut water.
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