unusual keris

[mariusgmioc]

After some consideration and careful examination of the photos, I came to doubt that this keris is made of wood.

The mere fact that is very lite does not mean it is wood.
Nothing in its aspect looks like wood.

Moreover, the porous aspect tends to point to a heavily chemically corroded iron. I am not very good at chemistry but I have seen iron tools that after some acid attack turned into some kind of spongy coal that was very fragile and crumbly and this is exactly what I think it happened to this Keris.

[GIO]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

After some consideration and careful examination of the photos, I came to doubt that this keris is made of wood.

The mere fact that is very lite does not mean it is wood.
Nothing in its aspect looks like wood.

Moreover, the porous aspect tends to point to a heavily chemically corroded iron. I am not very good at chemistry but I have seen iron tools that after some acid attack turned into some kind of spongy coal that was very fragile and crumbly and this is exactly what I think it happened to this Keris.

Have you tried with a magnet ?

[satsujinken]

hi all

Thanks for the interest of the blade

1. The blade stick to magnet !! this amazed me ... I used refrigerator ornament magnet and did not expect it to stick but it is !!

2. if you put it carefully on water, it floats !!

now what do I have here ?? getting more confused here


Donny

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by satsujinken

hi all

Thanks for the interest of the blade

1. The blade stick to magnet !! this amazed me ... I used refrigerator ornament magnet and did not expect it to stick but it is !!

2. if you put it carefully on water, it floats !!

now what do I have here ?? getting more confused here


Donny

Hello Donny,

I agree it can be very misleading, but even floating on water doesn't prove anything but that it has a very low density (after all ships are made of steel too and still float on water). The low density is almost certainly the result of its spongy/porous structure, with many microscopic pockets of air.

This is almost certainly the result of heavy acid attack.

Regards,

Marius

[satsujinken]

I have to admit (shame to myself) that I failed to recognize this piece as metal based

the sound when you clink other metallic object to it, the weight, the feel , almost anything about it is not-metallic like

I even almost sure the blade won't stick to magnet, and it does stunned me for awhile to feel it attracted to magnet ....

got me fooled, this one

so, real keris, old and repeated washing and staining corroded the metals and left it porous and spongy ?


Donny

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by satsujinken

so, real keris, old and repeated washing and staining corroded the metals and left it porous and spongy ?

Donny

Hi Donny,

I do not know what exacly caused this keris to end up like this but it definitely isn't repeated washing and staining. There are blades that are hundreds of years old and have seen maybe hundreds of washings and stainings and didn't turn into sponge.

More likely it was an unintentional accident related to some acid treatment. I assume that new blades are artificially aged using acid and this one may have been the result of such a treatment. Maybe there was the wrong acid used, or the wrong concentration, or the blade was left too long to soak.

Regards,

Marius

[Jean]

I cannot believe that an acid-treated iron blade (and looking solid) can float on water unless it is hollow?