Parang, Pedang or what?

[David R]

Sorry about the photo's, they were done on my rather old phone, in poor light.
My comments were about the blade, which looks over etched compared to most pamor I have seen, and the surface is slick and burnished to the touch rather than matt.

[A. G. Maisey]

In Jawa just about all ferric weaponry --- and a whole heap of other things --- is cleaned with acid. In other places the cleaning is done mechanically, more often than not with wet sand. The result of a mechanical clean is a more or less polished surface. Sometimes after the clean with sand or whatever, the blade will be stained, sometimes not.

This blade looks perfectly OK to me.

[David R]

Thank you, I feel happier for seeing your opinions. It's not an area I am knowledgeable about, and usually avoid buying, but I could not walk past a blade like this one.

[Mickey the Finn]

One likely more knowledgeable than myself suggested Sumatra as a possible place of origin before I could do so. I acquired a similar article a few months ago, with similar filework on the spine, and a similar hilt, though I myself would've called it a parang. I may well be wrong, though. You could easily have done much worse without even trying.

[slimsticker]

I have a pamor pedang with an x and 2 lines on the spine aswell the sheath is different though is it a makers mark?

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Mickey the Finn

One likely more knowledgeable than myself suggested Sumatra as a possible place of origin before I could do so. I acquired a similar article a few months ago, with similar filework on the spine, and a similar hilt, though I myself would've called it a parang. I may well be wrong, though. You could easily have done much worse without even trying.

Hi Mickey,

It's a pedang, not a parang.

Regards,
Detlef