Interesting Philippine Sundang for comment

[RSWORD]

Originally Posted by David

Rick, it sounds like you are talking about Drac2k's kris, not Dave's. Is that correct? Sounds like you are. If so, i don't think anyone is denying that this kris has "appeal" based upon it's age. I agree that it's a really nice item regardless of the exact age. I also agree that many of our assumptions about judging age on these weapons should be challenged. It seems that most of what we tend to think in this regard is all based on one book, Cato. So i think there is always room for questions. I think there are certainly examples of pre-1930s kris that don't have a separate gangya and certainly there are some examples of newer kris that do.
I would still be interested to know if this blade is laminated or mono steel. Drac2k, you don't need to be particularly skilled to do a mild etch on this blade. Vinegar can act as a gentle etching agent, enough at least to show laminations in the blade if they exist. It is also very easy to polish the effect off. Kind of hard to ruin the blade with this method. I still think knowing whether it is laminated or mono steel will go a long way in helping top determine the age of this kris. While i think there are some examples out there of older mono steel pieces, most older kris are laminated and most recent examples tend to be mono steel. Again, if it is indeed mono steel AND has pointy luks it seems a good indication for a later dating.

Yes, I was referring to Drac2K's Kris and his name happens to be Dave as well. I'm pretty confident this blade is laminated. In some of his pictures I can see evidence along the edge that would suggest edge plates and when etched these areas will show a hamon and then maybe he'll have some laminations in the blade core.

Dave, one test that Spunjer uses prior to an etch is simply to run some hot water on the blade for a few minutes and watch closely. He can see the laminations in the blade this way. Of course, as soon as you take away the hot water they go away.

As far as dating this sword, I still remain fairly confident in the provenance provided by the auction house. Pre 1930 based on that.

[drac2k]

Thanks for the added tips, especially the one about waiting for the wife to leave before trying the etching .Does it smell badly; maybe I'll buy some candles to hide the after effect.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by drac2k

Thanks for the added tips, especially the one about waiting for the wife to leave before trying the etching .Does it smell badly; maybe I'll buy some candles to hide the after effect.

Open all windows, the strong smell will go soon!

[Battara]

When etching make sure that there is a breeze - these chemicals can do lung and organ damage.

And if you take a bath at least once a month, some of the other smells go away too...

[ArmsAndAntiques]

To provide some more background on the items in the sale. While I am not a specialist in Philippines or Southeast Asian items, I was able to view all of the pieces that went up for sale and know the auctioneer who is also not a specialist in Southeast Asian or Philippines items, or arms and armor in general.

All of the items that came from the collection of William McGinty collection were collected in the late 19th C. - early 20th C. and were packed away in the late 1920s. The auctioneer actually assisted in unpacking the items out of crates that the pieces were kept in for several decades and they were all wrapped in old newspapers dated to the late 1920s-early 1930s.

I leave the discussions of style and form to the specialists but all of the items provenanced to the McGinty collection were collected in the early 20th C. at the latest. That is more than can be said of 99% of the pieces on the market so I hope that it provides some interesting dating material for the specialists on these boards.

Best regards
L