My First Kris

harrywagner · 26th February 2016, 12:42 PM

Good start! Congrats on your find.

arsendaday · 28th February 2016, 10:49 PM

Thanks everybody for commenting on my Kris. I was introduced to Krises on this forum and got fascinated by them. I am trying to learn as much as possible and I appreciate all the help that I can get.

Question: Is it normal that all the blades on all the Krises are bendable. I mean you can easily bend this blade and then you will have to bend it back. For example European blades will spring back themselves and some of them will bend up to 90 degree before they go out of shape. Thanks.

Battara · 29th February 2016, 01:28 AM

For early Moro kris the bending is little. Thinner later Moro kris might be more easily bendable. Never tried to bend one before.

arsendaday · 29th February 2016, 02:59 AM

I am not bending the blades to ruin them. I just check all of my swords or any bladed weapons to see if they do. I have always wondered how were warriors able to fight with inferior swords or any other bladed weapons that bent. Imagine that you are trying to parry a blow and your sword bends to the side and stays like that. From than on you have two choices either to throw away your sword and run out of the battlefield or sit down on the ground and pray that no one will kill you while you are trying to straighten you sword.

David · 29th February 2016, 05:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arsendaday

Question: Is it normal that all the blades on all the Krises are bendable. I mean you can easily bend this blade and then you will have to bend it back. For example European blades will spring back themselves and some of them will bend up to 90 degree before they go out of shape. Thanks.

No blade should go easily out of shape when you try to bend it. If it bends and doesn't spring back i'd say that's not a good thing.

VANDOO · 29th February 2016, 06:30 AM

TO BEND A KRIS BLADE WITH THE BARE HANDS AND IT STAY THAT WAY IS SOMETHING I HAVE NEVER SEEN DONE AND I SERIOUSLY DOUBT I COULD ACCOMPLISH WITH ANY OF MINE. YOUR EXAMPLE APPEARS TO HAVE A BLADE THICKNESS THAT IS NORMAL PERHAPS IT HAS LOST ITS TEMPER OR YOU USED SOMETHING OTHER THAN BARE HANDS TO BEND IT.? AT ANY RATE ANY SWORD THAT EASILY BENDS, DOSE'T SPRING BACK AND STAYS BENT IS INFERIOR AND UNDESIRABLE IN MY OPINION.

arsendaday · 29th February 2016, 09:33 PM

I bend them with bare hands and I am being very gentle too. Now I have 4 Krises from different times and regions and all of them bend and stay out of shape. And not only the krises. Most Indian Tulwars that I own and almost all the Caucasian Kindjals that I own have the same issue. Exceptions are Russian made kindjals and Bebuts, but those are made at a later time and in factories. So I was always wandering if its just me or its common.

arsendaday · 29th February 2016, 10:57 PM

Here are all my krises. One is an old Bali one, the others are new from Sumatra and Jawa, as I am told.

Emanuel · 1st March 2016, 07:02 PM

Hello,

You have to differentiate between the short sword KRIS sundang from the Philippines, and the KERIS dagger from the Indonesian archipelago. Your first piece is a KRIS. Your other 4 are KERIS. The Balinese one actually doesn't looka that old.

The KRIS sword blades should not take a set, while the KERIS daggers might, as they're lower carbon-content and softer.

Emanuel

David · 1st March 2016, 08:06 PM

You will remember that i originally shifted this thread to the Ethno forum because the kris you posted was not an Indonesian/Malay keris. Well, now you are posting Indonesian keris and these need to be discussed on the keris forum, not here.
While this two weapons have an overall similar form (the Indonesian keris being the ancestor to later development of Moro kris/kalis forms) they are from different cultures and operate differently as weapons (stabbing vs. slashing). If you want to talk about these Indonesian keris please post them on the Keris Forum.
While keris are usually hardened (some more recent ones perhaps not), they are more likely to be softer (lower carbon) than their Moro cousins. But honestly you baffle me a bit here. Why on earth would you want to bend an the blade risking irrevocable damage and possibly breaking these blades?

I am afraid i just don't understand that.

David · 1st March 2016, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emanuel

The Balinese one actually doesn't looka that old.

Emanuel, the "Bali" keris posted here is probably the oldest of the lot and in fact seems to have some considerable age. The dress for it is late 20th century, but the blade is fairly old and looks to be to perhaps be of Javanese origin.

26th February 2016, 12:42 PM	#1
harrywagner Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Posts: 373	Good start! Good start! Congrats on your find.

28th February 2016, 10:49 PM	#2
arsendaday Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 44	Thank you Thanks everybody for commenting on my Kris. I was introduced to Krises on this forum and got fascinated by them. I am trying to learn as much as possible and I appreciate all the help that I can get. Question: Is it normal that all the blades on all the Krises are bendable. I mean you can easily bend this blade and then you will have to bend it back. For example European blades will spring back themselves and some of them will bend up to 90 degree before they go out of shape. Thanks.

29th February 2016, 02:59 AM	#4
arsendaday Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 44	Bending the sword I am not bending the blades to ruin them. I just check all of my swords or any bladed weapons to see if they do. I have always wondered how were warriors able to fight with inferior swords or any other bladed weapons that bent. Imagine that you are trying to parry a blow and your sword bends to the side and stays like that. From than on you have two choices either to throw away your sword and run out of the battlefield or sit down on the ground and pray that no one will kill you while you are trying to straighten you sword.

29th February 2016, 09:33 PM	#7
arsendaday Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 44	All My Krises Bend I bend them with bare hands and I am being very gentle too. Now I have 4 Krises from different times and regions and all of them bend and stay out of shape. And not only the krises. Most Indian Tulwars that I own and almost all the Caucasian Kindjals that I own have the same issue. Exceptions are Russian made kindjals and Bebuts, but those are made at a later time and in factories. So I was always wandering if its just me or its common.

29th February 2016, 10:57 PM	#8
arsendaday Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 44	The rest of Them Here are all my krises. One is an old Bali one, the others are new from Sumatra and Jawa, as I am told. Attached Images

29th February 2016, 01:28 AM	#3
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	For early Moro kris the bending is little. Thinner later Moro kris might be more easily bendable. Never tried to bend one before.

29th February 2016, 06:30 AM	#6
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	TO BEND A KRIS BLADE WITH THE BARE HANDS AND IT STAY THAT WAY IS SOMETHING I HAVE NEVER SEEN DONE AND I SERIOUSLY DOUBT I COULD ACCOMPLISH WITH ANY OF MINE. YOUR EXAMPLE APPEARS TO HAVE A BLADE THICKNESS THAT IS NORMAL PERHAPS IT HAS LOST ITS TEMPER OR YOU USED SOMETHING OTHER THAN BARE HANDS TO BEND IT.? AT ANY RATE ANY SWORD THAT EASILY BENDS, DOSE'T SPRING BACK AND STAYS BENT IS INFERIOR AND UNDESIRABLE IN MY OPINION.

1st March 2016, 07:02 PM	#9
Emanuel Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,242	Hello, You have to differentiate between the short sword KRIS sundang from the Philippines, and the KERIS dagger from the Indonesian archipelago. Your first piece is a KRIS. Your other 4 are KERIS. The Balinese one actually doesn't looka that old. The KRIS sword blades should not take a set, while the KERIS daggers might, as they're lower carbon-content and softer. Emanuel

1st March 2016, 08:06 PM	#10
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,211	You will remember that i originally shifted this thread to the Ethno forum because the kris you posted was not an Indonesian/Malay keris. Well, now you are posting Indonesian keris and these need to be discussed on the keris forum, not here. While this two weapons have an overall similar form (the Indonesian keris being the ancestor to later development of Moro kris/kalis forms) they are from different cultures and operate differently as weapons (stabbing vs. slashing). If you want to talk about these Indonesian keris please post them on the Keris Forum. While keris are usually hardened (some more recent ones perhaps not), they are more likely to be softer (lower carbon) than their Moro cousins. But honestly you baffle me a bit here. Why on earth would you want to bend an the blade risking irrevocable damage and possibly breaking these blades? I am afraid i just don't understand that.