Help to ID Moro Blade

[Amuk Murugul]

Hello everybody,

I need help to identify this blade (see pictures attached), as to origin, age (to within 50-100yrs.) etc. The blade/ganja at the thickest, is >1/2".
As you can see from the picture, it has met with an unfortunate accident and is bent.
Is this blade worthwhile keeping, repairing?

Thank you for any help that you can give.

[kai]

Hello Amuk,

Please post close-ups of the gangya area for better identication!

As you can see from the picture, it has met with an unfortunate accident and is bent.

The bent can be worked out by someone who knows what he's doing. It seems to be a genuine, decent kris and worth putting some effort into restoration.

Regards,
Kai

[mross]

Ditto what kai says. It looks like a good blade. If it where mine I would have it
restored. The bend is not a big deal. Japanese blades that are bent are straightened all the time. Actually if there are any Tameshigiri practitioners out there I'm sure they know someone who has a rig to do just that.

[Amuk Murugul]

Hello everybody.

Thanks for all the help so far.

Originally Posted by kai

Please post close-ups of the gangya area for better identication!...

Pleased to oblige
I apologise for the poor quality ... a shutter-bug .. I am DEFINITELY NOT!!

Regards.

[kai]

Hello Amuk,

IMHO this is a very decent kris - do you have some of the fittings lying around somewhere? Otherwise it may be worth to contact the seller.

I'd guess at a Maguindanao piece, about 100-150 years old. Its main problem seems to be the partly broken tang. If you're not hell-bent on swinging this kris around, I'd leave it as it is. (A Moro would have certainly repaired the tang to full working glory but that wouldn't make much sense from a conservation point of view.)

I propose to use repeated soaking in vinegar and elbow grease to also clean up the gangya area and tang; afterwards a thorough polishing (by hand!) seems to be in order to remove/lessen the signs of that recent "clean-up" work...

I'm sure a final etch (I prefer hot vinegar) will bring out a nice pattern - please post pics!

Regards,
Kai

[Amuk Murugul]

Originally Posted by kai

..IMHO this is a very decent kris - do you have some of the fittings lying around somewhere? Otherwise it may be worth to contact the seller.

I'd guess at a Maguindanao piece, about 100-150 years old. Its main problem seems to be the partly broken tang. If you're not hell-bent on swinging this kris around, I'd leave it as it is. (A Moro would have certainly repaired the tang to full working glory but that wouldn't make much sense from a conservation point of view.)...

Hello Kai,

Thank you for your input. You have been most helpful.
The blade came with two asang-asang (swassa?), a soft wooden hilt cut out to fit the tang and a neatly-fitting cover (not original), all wrapped in transformer wire (very untidy and loose). The pommel was kakatua made of swassa(?), MOP and copper. I unwound the wrap and discovered that the pommel had broken off the hilt and had been repaired (a VERY shoddy job, hence the pommel was loose). I noticed that the tang was square at the end. It appears to be deliberate; it also has a fixing hole as this was how it was joined to the pommel.
I had intended to restore the hilt/pommel, once I was sure what to do with the blade.

I'll post pictures once I've applied the elbow grease.

Regards.

[wilked aka Khun Deng]

Let me just add my emphasis to Kai's. Looks like a seperate gangya which would put it pre 1920, the tongue of the beak is horizontal to the gangya and there is no shoulder under it (traits of a Magindanao blade) and the curves are definately not uniform another plus. I think you have a very nice old blade, curious to see what the vinegar bath reveals.
As for repairs, well I personally - having been broken and fixed many times, am all for quality repairs, I like to think they add to the character of a piece

Dan

[Amuk Murugul]

Originally Posted by wilked aka Khun Deng

Let me just add my emphasis to Kai's. Looks like a seperate gangya which would put it pre 1920, the tongue of the beak is horizontal to the gangya and there is no shoulder under it (traits of a Magindanao blade) and the curves are definately not uniform another plus. I think you have a very nice old blade, curious to see what the vinegar bath reveals.
As for repairs, well I personally - having been broken and fixed many times, am all for quality repairs, I like to think they add to the character of a piece

Dan

Thank you Dan,

You have added to my learning curve. I wish there was some look-up table one could use to determine classification.
But, I guess life just wasn't meant to be easy.

Regards.