Piso Podang with a flexible blade

centurion · 30th August 2019, 05:06 AM

Recently got this one. It has a flexible blade and is still sharp.
I do not know is from Sumatra or Borneo.

kronckew · 30th August 2019, 10:12 AM

With those fullers it looks like a couple swords I have with european trade blades, which on mine are also flexible.

Ian · 30th August 2019, 10:46 AM

Hi centurion:

It's hard to make out much detail with dark pictures and heavy patination. The blade could be quite old, but impossible to say from these pics and without cleaning the blade.

Ian

Rick · 31st August 2019, 01:35 AM

Judging from the last picture I can't recommend cleaning this sword. To get it clean you would be venturing into the territory of stock removal.

Ian · 31st August 2019, 02:40 AM

Good point Rick. The last few inches near the tip of the blade certainly seem to be heavily corroded, although the edges of the fullers show some underlying steel coming through the rust. Closer to the hilt, there is little pitting and there seems plenty of steel left to enable a clean. The fact that you could flex the blade and it sprang back (without cracking or breaking) suggests there probably is quite a bit of steel left to effect a reasonable clean.

I've found gentle abrasive blasting in a cabinet to be effective at removing old rust of this type. I use fine "Black Beauty" medium, an air pressure of about 60-70 psi, and short bursts from 6-8 inches to be effective, while the somewhat lower than usual air pressure allows the process to proceed fairly slowly. Mechanically removing the oxidation with abrasive paper puts more stress on the blade IMHO, and I have had thin blades crack under vigorous rubbing.

An alternative to cleaning would be to stabilize the rust with, say, tannic acid and leave the sword black.

Hope this helps.

Ian

centurion · 31st August 2019, 06:01 AM

Yes, the sword is quite bendable and bending is in the lower half. There is rust but I think is mostly on the surface, additional photos on a better light show that.

Before posting I already lightly cleaned the sword with a toothbrush, synthetic sewing machine oil and Pelikan rubber eraser (the blue part of the eraser).

The sword is for sure a trade steel, as there is no such steel in Sumatra.

Think I saw years ago in Jakarta History Museum similar sword with description "18-century Indian sword".

30th August 2019, 05:06 AM	#1
centurion Member Join Date: Jan 2019 Posts: 18	Piso Podang with a flexible blade Recently got this one. It has a flexible blade and is still sharp. I do not know is from Sumatra or Borneo. Attached Images

31st August 2019, 06:01 AM	#6
centurion Member Join Date: Jan 2019 Posts: 18	Yes, the sword is quite bendable and bending is in the lower half. There is rust but I think is mostly on the surface, additional photos on a better light show that. Before posting I already lightly cleaned the sword with a toothbrush, synthetic sewing machine oil and Pelikan rubber eraser (the blue part of the eraser). The sword is for sure a trade steel, as there is no such steel in Sumatra. Think I saw years ago in Jakarta History Museum similar sword with description "18-century Indian sword". Attached Images

30th August 2019, 10:12 AM	#2
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,183	With those fullers it looks like a couple swords I have with european trade blades, which on mine are also flexible.

30th August 2019, 10:46 AM	#3
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,198	Hi centurion: It's hard to make out much detail with dark pictures and heavy patination. The blade could be quite old, but impossible to say from these pics and without cleaning the blade. Ian

31st August 2019, 01:35 AM	#4
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,293	Judging from the last picture I can't recommend cleaning this sword. To get it clean you would be venturing into the territory of stock removal.

31st August 2019, 02:40 AM	#5
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,198	Good point Rick. The last few inches near the tip of the blade certainly seem to be heavily corroded, although the edges of the fullers show some underlying steel coming through the rust. Closer to the hilt, there is little pitting and there seems plenty of steel left to enable a clean. The fact that you could flex the blade and it sprang back (without cracking or breaking) suggests there probably is quite a bit of steel left to effect a reasonable clean. I've found gentle abrasive blasting in a cabinet to be effective at removing old rust of this type. I use fine "Black Beauty" medium, an air pressure of about 60-70 psi, and short bursts from 6-8 inches to be effective, while the somewhat lower than usual air pressure allows the process to proceed fairly slowly. Mechanically removing the oxidation with abrasive paper puts more stress on the blade IMHO, and I have had thin blades crack under vigorous rubbing. An alternative to cleaning would be to stabilize the rust with, say, tannic acid and leave the sword black. Hope this helps. Ian