New Moro kris

[kai]

Hello Apolaki,

What are some signs of corrosion to the blade for leaving it in too long in 5% vinegar acidity?
I noticed the tip of blade has some split in the center. It may have already had that condition however. I did not notice til now.

I believe I can see the forging flaw already in the pic you posted originally.

Hairline cracks and pitting are not cleaned by surface grinding/polishing (unless removing heaps of metal). That's the pro side of vinegar - it helps to really clean a blade thoroughly!

If any pitting or cracks are deep, it will take time and repeated picking of stubborn areas to really clean them out. Depending on the extent of corrosion, the blade may look quite bad (not expected with this kris); however, a thorough cleaning will do much for long-term conservation (if stored properly) and remaining craters/cracks can be filled with hard wax to seal them off.

The surface will get somewhat dull from vinegar or other acids (or even porous if you over-clean). The more you invest in careful manual removal during the initial cleaning/etching, the easier is the polishing afterwards which will get the metal shiny again.

Regards,
Kai