WHICH SUNDANG?

[ganjawulung]

Originally Posted by rasdan

I only know salt & sulphur and natural rusting. What i know is, if the blade is made of wrought iron, the combination of the above ageing methods would be enough to make blades look old. It is just that we have to be patient with the natural rusting process. One year of sun and rain, the blade would look rather antique.

Perhaps you can enlighten us here on how artificial aging is being done?

I also attached a picture of a sundang tang that supposedly had been aged. Unfortunately i don't know the ageing technique used. This sundang is probably from Madura. The ageing pattern is very convincing.

The most common technique by my Maduran friends -- at least once or twice I practice just to know how -- is "kamalan" (technique of ageing new blade) with crushed red brick (for laying the keris in a certain place, like "blandongan"), wetted by not too-much watter and mixed with about a cup of crushed sulphur and three spoonful of salt... Submerge the new blade in the crushed-red-brick-sulphur-salt for (it depends the result) one night. Then clean with cream soap, and submerge in citroen liquid (I don't know the english word) to clean the blade. Then directly "mutih" (whithen) the blade... Before warangan.

But of course, not as simple as that. And not simple to explain. You must practice yourself...

Originally Posted by kai

It's certainly a keris sundang - I'm not convinced that it's antique though. My first thought was that this may have come from a pande Jawa, or probably be a Madurese creation.

The blade is not Moro (laminations and scroll work are off). Any pic of the blade tip?Kai

Dear Kai, later at home I will post the more close up. I am still in office...

GANJAWULUNG

[rasdan]

Thanks for the explanation Pak Ganja. Sounds like the procedure is pretty much the same. I think Citreon liquid is probably citric acid that comes in the form of granules that is diluted in water. I think this method would give with different effect/result with different iron. Anyhow, thanks again for your kind explanation.

[A. G. Maisey]

Here are a few questions.

1)--- what style is followed by the ricikan of this blade?

2)--- is the erosion of the greneng in harmony with the erosion shown between pamor and the steel core?

3)--- what method was used to produce the greneng?

4)--- does filler exist between the gonjo and the blade?

5)--- where do we find this particular pamor very frequently used?

6)--- why do we find this blade in a poorly made Javanese scabbard and with a pedang handle?

The answers to these questions may assist in a determination of exactly what we are looking at here.

Pity we don't have a time machine.