Javanese Keris

[Athanase]

Hello,
This is one of my first keris. A simple and modest keris that attracted me to the shape of the handle and especially the monster's face on it (and its very low price ).

The wood (painted to imitate timoho?) of warangka is pierced with a natural hole.

Blade length: 30cm
Length of ganja: 6 cm
Ganja thickness: 7mm

[A. G. Maisey]

East Jawa.

The timoho is probably genuine, not stained.

The dark markings in timoho are actually caused by disease in the tree, sometimes that disease results in a part of the black stained area going rotten and falling out. Genuine timoho is sometimes filled to patch these holes, as the dress becomes older and if it is not regularly maintained by a mranggi, the filling falls out.

Just as a blade needs to be maintained, if one wishes to keep old hilts and scabbards these also need to be maintained. A scabbard like this would be very seldom encountered in Jawa, because if the owner wanted to keep the scabbard rather than replace it, he would give it to a mranggi to repair and re-polish as soon as a defect was noticed.

I know that some collectors in the Western World treasure that which they regard as "patina", but this is not really acceptable in the keris bearing societies with which I am familiar.

Just as we do not wear a jacket that shows worn cuffs and elbows, or trousers that show a shiny seat, people in Jawa who have respect for themselves, their forebears, and their keris do not permit the keris dress to appear in a degraded condition.

This dress should be restored.

[Sajen]

Agree in all points with Alan, East Java, wood is most probably "real" timoho and should get restored, nice honest East Java scabbard, nice hilt and honest blade. Congrats.

Regards,
Detlef

[David]

Originally Posted by Athanase

Hello,
This is one of my first keris. A simple and modest keris that attracted me to the shape of the handle and especially the monster's face on it (and its very low price ).

The only think i might add here is that the mask faces carved in the hilt are known as "cecekan" and i have heard it suggested that they are a stylized Kala face, so perhaps we should look at this as more deity than monster. In Javanese Mythology Barata Kala is the god of the underworld, but also the god of time and destruction. There may also be an ancestor reference here.
The style of your planar hilt, with its bellied-out front, is a less common variety which Solyom's refers to as "kagok". Literally i believe it means "clumsy" or "fattened".

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by David

The style of your planar hilt, with its bellied-out front, is a less common variety which Solyom's refers to as "kagok". Literally i believe it means "clumsy" or "fattened".

Yes, I know this hilts under the same name. What I've read and heard is the same, this hilts shall depict semar. When my time it allows I will show other interpretations of this form. A most interesting hilt form.

Regards,
Detlef

[A. G. Maisey]

Kagok has several meanings, depending on how it is used.

1) if you are referring to feelings, it means unpleasant, disagreeable, awkward and so on, for example you turned up at the boss' place for afternoon tea wearing Levis and a T-shirt, and everybody else was in a three piece suit.

2) if you are referring to the way that somebody speaks, for example, if they have a foriegn accent, or a broad dialectical accent, you can describe this person's speech as "kagok", example would be somebody who learnt English in Hong Kong --- yeah, they can speak English, but usage is strange and inflected with an accent, even though technically correct

3) if you are referring to a physical object --- as with this hilt --- it means unusual, extraordinary, strange

I know that it is given as a type name or style name by some writers, but I feel myself that it is a description that has morphed into an accepted name

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

I know that it is given as a type name or style name by some writers, but I feel myself that it is a description that has morphed into an accepted name

Solyom just refers to a similar hilt as "Kagok style", so i am not certain he intended it to be taken as a proper name. It would be understandable if that has become the case in subsequent years.
Does anyone have a different name for this particular style of planar hilt?

[A. G. Maisey]

The blade itself is probably able to miss a full clean and stain, the present finish is not too bad.

It does need attention, but for the moment the full vinegar strip and warangan re-stain can be sidelined.

Remove the hilt.

I'd start by washing with dishwash liquid and a hard toothbrush under hot running water, then dry thoroughly with lint free cloth and a hair dryer.

Then a regular daily spraying of a penetrating oil, like WD40 or similar for about a week or two.

Under very good light and eventually using magnification --- I prefer a 3X machinists loupe --- go over the blade very carefully using medium steel wool wound around the end of a sate stick and gently remove as much of the rust as is possible.This is a long, slow process. Each time you put it away for the day spray with the oil to get rid of the muck you've removed from the blade.

The final cleaning is done under magnification using a fine pick, a saddlers awl is good, and magnification.

When it is as free of rust as you can get it, brush it well with mineral turps, touch up any little patches missing stain with cold blue, spray with WD40, allow to dry overnight, then one of the traditional fragrant oils, a plastic sleeve, and it will be good for another 100 years.

[Green]

when the subject of keris cleaning comes up and the word 'steel wool' is used, i cringe!
it's the last thing I want to disagree with Mr Maisey whom I and everybody here consider an expert , but for a beginner like myself to use steel wool to clean even rusty keris is probably a bit risky?

I've voiced in this forum several times that the westerners are wont to 'over clean' the blades into shiny surface, whereas most locals (at least in Malaysia) prefer to leave the blade in the original texture which is usually somewhat grainy almost like v fine sandpaper texture. Hence the usual mode of aggresive cleaning is merely using hard tootbrush after a long dip in coconut juice or merely clean it with lime juice with hard rub with thumb and finger? (that's how i saw Bugis people clean their keris anyway).

Here is an example of what I consider an over cleaned blade into v shiny and smooth surface which may not rust again for a 100 years ... however i think this blade (mine) is already damaged especially the edges of the grooves and spine look abraded?

Can anyone suggest what I should do ? either to leave it as it is (as one keris maker here in Kelantan suggested) or restore the texture by dipping in acid like how the keris makers treat their blades as the final finish?

[Athanase]

Thank you for your valuable information and advice.
I'm totally ignorant in the field of woodworking. But in the museum where I work there is a carpenter who restores old pedestals of fossils and skeletons. I will ask him how to restore the sheaths.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Green

when the subject of keris cleaning comes up and the word 'steel wool' is used, i cringe!
it's the last thing I want to disagree with Mr Maisey whom I and everybody here consider an expert , but for a beginner like myself to use steel wool to clean even rusty keris is probably a bit risky?

I've voiced in this forum several times that the westerners are wont to 'over clean' the blades into shiny surface, whereas most locals (at least in Malaysia) prefer to leave the blade in the original texture which is usually somewhat grainy almost like v fine sandpaper texture. Hence the usual mode of aggresive cleaning is merely using hard tootbrush after a long dip in coconut juice or merely clean it with lime juice with hard rub with thumb and finger? (that's how i saw Bugis people clean their keris anyway).

Here is an example of what I consider an over cleaned blade into v shiny and smooth surface which may not rust again for a 100 years ... however i think this blade (mine) is already damaged especially the edges of the grooves and spine look abraded?

Can anyone suggest what I should do ? either to leave it as it is (as one keris maker here in Kelantan suggested) or restore the texture by dipping in acid like how the keris makers treat their blades as the final finish?

Hello Green,

I am in the moment a little bit handicapt since I was falling today and my left shoulder joint was dislocated and i still have problems to use both hands, i just return from hospital.
I don't think that someone will be able to destroy a keris blade with steel wool, special when you follow the good instruction from Alan.
Second, special many Peninsula blades I've seen have had smooth surfaces and not a grainy one. Also Bugis keris, when well maintained over decades show a very smooth surface. And your panjang (?, I don't know how long it is) isn't overcleaned so far i can see it from the pictures. When you don't like it like this let the blade bath in mild acid like coconut water or lemon juice. The edges of the grooves maybe not sharp anymore because the blade is old and was cleaned several times.
The keris blade in question shows active red rust which need to be removed and Alan has given a very good advice, a complete new warangan will hurt the blade more as to clean it carefully like advised. All just my opinion.

Salam,
Detlef

[rasdan]

Hi Green,

I think Alan was referring to removing spots of rust, not sanding down the blade. The use of fine steel wool IMHO is safe as long as you don't press too hard. You soften the rust with oil and rub. Leave it with oil and gently rub again until you remove the rust. Very tedious but to me it shows our love to that particular keris.

Rasdan

edit: Sorry I didn't notice Detlief had addressed the concern above.

[David]

Originally Posted by Green

I've voiced in this forum several times that the westerners are wont to 'over clean' the blades into shiny surface, whereas most locals (at least in Malaysia) prefer to leave the blade in the original texture which is usually somewhat grainy almost like v fine sandpaper texture. Hence the usual mode of aggresive cleaning is merely using hard tootbrush after a long dip in coconut juice or merely clean it with lime juice with hard rub with thumb and finger? (that's how i saw Bugis people clean their keris anyway).

Yes Green, you have voiced this opinion on numerous occasions and each time we have discussed that methods for keris cleaning are different in different parts of Indonesia. I am get just a little tired on you blaming what you see as "over cleaning" on Western preferences. Alan's suggestions have nothing to do with Western ideas on this. How Bugis clean their blades and how Javanese clean their blades are simple not the same process. The Balinese are likely to actually polish their blades in the cleaning process. Like Detlef i have also seen many Peninsula and Bugis blades that have never left Indonesia that have been maintained with very smooth finishes. As for you own keris panjang i cannot really see the abrasions you speak of in the photographs provided, but an old blade is bound to have obvious wear on the high points and edges.
You should also understand, in case you are unaware, that steel wool comes in many different grades of coarseness up to, i believe #0000. At that fine level it won't even scratch stainless steel. Alan probably should have stated what grade of steel wool he was talking about, but i would image he probably would suggest something around #00, which is still too fine to do any damage unless you were really using some excessive force when working.

[A. G. Maisey]

I understand what you're saying Green, and I do not disagree with your sentiments, however, as others here have said, the way in which people clean a keris blade varies from place to place.

Sometimes mechanical cleaning is the best way to go, sometimes chemical cleaning is the best way to go.

In respect of steel wool, to the best of my knowledge that is not available in Indonesia, at least it is not available in Central Jawa. The grade I mentioned above:- Medium is in fact grade 1. The steel wool manufacturers in Australia changed their designations a couple of years back:- COURSE = grade 2-3, MEDIUM = grade 1, FINE = grade 00, very fine = grade 0000.

Grade 2-3 is ideal for removing heavy corrosion, or for cleaning metal before soldering, grade 1 is the all-round grade that you will find in every metal-worker's or carpenter's tool box, grade 00 is good for early coats in a french polish and for cleaning metals like silver and gold, 0000 is good for finish coats in a french polish and to raise the polish in precious metals.

The way in which to use steel wool to spot clean a keris blade, or any other ferric metal for that matter, is to take a sate stick, split the end of it, open the split and place a few strands of steel wool into the split, then wind those strands around the end of the stick. I sometimes use grade 2-3 for this, sometimes grade 1.

As with any procedure in any field, the operator needs to know what he is doing, an untrained or inexperienced operator should learn from those who have the knowledge, before he attempts anything.

For example:- Araldite; its wonderful stuff, best adhesive known to man --- however, in my opinion it should require a certificate of competence before anybody is permitted to buy it.

[A. G. Maisey]

Athanase, your carpenter friend may be able to assist you, especially so if he has experience in the field of fine art cabinet making, however, although you should be receptive to his advice, it might be a good idea if you ran his suggestions past the members of this Forum, many of whom have lengthy experience in the restoration of S.E. Asian weaponry.