Tombak for comment

russel · 29th November 2013, 08:51 AM

Hello all,

I recently acquired this spearhead and sheath. I honestly know nothing about it and would appreciate all comments. Where is it from (I'm thinking Lombok), and how old do you think it is?

The scabbard is lovely, showing signs of real age. Sadly there is some recent damage. There is a (very) little rust on the blade, what is the best way to deal with this? I am imagining that steel wool and oil would NOT be the best approach with a blade with pamor like this!

More photo's available on request.

Cheers,

Russel

imas560 · 29th November 2013, 08:28 PM

Hello Russel,
nice piece. I'm a rank amateur at this stuff so can't help with i.d. and age etc. But I think Mr. Maisey posted recently on updated cleaning methods he uses for cleaning keris. He mentioned that the Golden Circle Pineapple Juice used to be his cleaning solution of choice but due to a recipe change of the product he has now switched to a vinegar solution.
I'd recommend searching for vinegar de-rusting posts and seeing if vinegar might be applicable to your item.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=15923.
best wishes

Sajen · 29th November 2013, 09:51 PM

Hi Russel,

nice tombak and more nice to have the scabbard, although I think that the tip of the scabbard is missing. How long is the blade without pesi (tang)?
Here is a thread which could be helpful for you: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=tombak
I think that your tombak is from Java, age difficult to say. A cleaning with lemon juice will remove the rust but you can use vinegar as well. A warangan (traditional stain) will bring out the pamor.

Nice piece, congrats,

Detlef

David · 29th November 2013, 10:07 PM

I would also add that oil and #0000 steel wool will NOT hurt the pamor of this blade.

Sajen · 29th November 2013, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

I would also add that oil and #0000 steel wool will NOT hurt the pamor of this blade.

Of course you are correct!

But when Russel want to clean the blade with vinegar or lemon juice he have to remove the oil again.

russel · 29th November 2013, 11:50 PM

Thanks for your comments and advice guys. I think I will try lemon juice to remove the rust.

Detlef,

The dimensions are:
OA Length: 300mm
Blade length: 220mm
Blade width (max) 47mm (6.3mm thick at this point)
Weight: 158g

As you suggested, sadly the tip of the sheath is missing. If I can get a better idea of the shape of the missing piece I may be able to make something to replace it (although I would certainly not permanently attach it).

More unfortunate is that a small portion of the sheath has been lost, probably quite recently (see pic), I contacted the seller in the hope that he may still have the missing piece, but sadly he didn't. I am not confident with that sort of repair so I will have to leave it as is (and mutter under my breath every time I notice it).

I was hoping that the carving and painting style may indicate it's origin/age. It has many coats of paint, and seems to have been a variety of colours during its life.

Russel

29th November 2013, 08:51 AM	#1
russel Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Tasmania, Australia Posts: 236	Tombak for comment Hello all, I recently acquired this spearhead and sheath. I honestly know nothing about it and would appreciate all comments. Where is it from (I'm thinking Lombok), and how old do you think it is? The scabbard is lovely, showing signs of real age. Sadly there is some recent damage. There is a (very) little rust on the blade, what is the best way to deal with this? I am imagining that steel wool and oil would NOT be the best approach with a blade with pamor like this! More photo's available on request. Cheers, Russel Attached Images

29th November 2013, 11:50 PM	#6
russel Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Tasmania, Australia Posts: 236	Thanks for your comments and advice guys. I think I will try lemon juice to remove the rust. Detlef, The dimensions are: OA Length: 300mm Blade length: 220mm Blade width (max) 47mm (6.3mm thick at this point) Weight: 158g As you suggested, sadly the tip of the sheath is missing. If I can get a better idea of the shape of the missing piece I may be able to make something to replace it (although I would certainly not permanently attach it). More unfortunate is that a small portion of the sheath has been lost, probably quite recently (see pic), I contacted the seller in the hope that he may still have the missing piece, but sadly he didn't. I am not confident with that sort of repair so I will have to leave it as is (and mutter under my breath every time I notice it). I was hoping that the carving and painting style may indicate it's origin/age. It has many coats of paint, and seems to have been a variety of colours during its life. Russel Attached Images

29th November 2013, 08:28 PM	#2
imas560 Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 180	Hello Russel, nice piece. I'm a rank amateur at this stuff so can't help with i.d. and age etc. But I think Mr. Maisey posted recently on updated cleaning methods he uses for cleaning keris. He mentioned that the Golden Circle Pineapple Juice used to be his cleaning solution of choice but due to a recipe change of the product he has now switched to a vinegar solution. I'd recommend searching for vinegar de-rusting posts and seeing if vinegar might be applicable to your item. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=15923. best wishes

29th November 2013, 09:51 PM	#3
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 8,761	Hi Russel, nice tombak and more nice to have the scabbard, although I think that the tip of the scabbard is missing. How long is the blade without pesi (tang)? Here is a thread which could be helpful for you: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=tombak I think that your tombak is from Java, age difficult to say. A cleaning with lemon juice will remove the rust but you can use vinegar as well. A warangan (traditional stain) will bring out the pamor. Nice piece, congrats, Detlef

29th November 2013, 10:07 PM	#4
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,113	I would also add that oil and #0000 steel wool will NOT hurt the pamor of this blade.