Barn Find Kris Restoration

[drac2k]

Great job on the Kris; you should be a spokesman for the product as I am going out tomorrow and buying a jug of Evaporust to experiment with!

[Rick]

Nice work Rob!
Which Moro group is this from, Sulu?

[JeffS]

Love seeing the transformation, hope you don't mind sharing more details. Amazed you can get the finish with 3M pad after so much rust. Which type? Was that by elbow power? How does one make a baca baca? Did you etch at the end?

[RobT]

drac2k,
EvapoRust is good stuff but just remember three things: 1) The item must be completely suspended in the solution (ie in a tank). Any other method (even what is recommended in the EvapoRust literature) runs the risk of etching a pattern in the steel and that pattern will be darn well to completely impossible to remove. 2) Immersion in the solution for any appreciable time (say 24 hrs) will turn the steel a horrible grey which will have to be polished out. 3) EvapoRust works incredibly well on red rust but is only minimally effective on black rust.

Rick,
If Cato's classification can be believed, yes, it's Sulu.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Ian]

Rob,

Great resto job. I think your sword is more likely Maguindanao than Sulu, based on the hilt (a Mindanao style, late 19th-20th C), a single stirrup, and the gangya area carving is what Cato attributes to the Maguindanao. It resembles example "C" in Cato's picture found here.

[RobT]

Thanks to all for the positive comments on my efforts.

JeffS,
The EvapoRust takes care of the red rust (FeO3) completely. I use elbow power and a russet colored 3M pad sandwiched in the jaws of a refrigerator clip/magnet to rub out the grey discoloration left behind by the EvapoRust (pretty easy to clean up) and to rub out the black rust (Fe3O4, really, really hard to clean up). The problem with black rust is that it is hard to get to because it is in the bottom of the pits dug by red rust and it is also more resistant to abrasion than red rust.
Quick baca baca how-to: I lay a clear piece of thick cellophane or thin plastic on the kris and draw the outline of the missing baca baca. I cut out the shape and lay it on a piece of mild steel as a template and flip it over (tip to tip) to make the other side (keep in mind that the outlines drawn on the steel represent the INSIDE of the baca baca). I rough out the shape using Dremel abrasive cut off wheels. I fold the steel in half and use files to refine the rough shape and then open it up to fit onto the kris (note that the convex sides will be further apart than the concave sides).

Ian,
I thought that the Maguindano "C" goes straight across whereas the Sulu "C" slants downward. Oh well, I'm a bit leery about Cato's classification anyway.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Klop]

Hi Rob, looks great! one more question about the bacabaca, when it is in it's place on the blade, how do you seal it? Do I see a rivet, or is it soldered shut?

thanks,
Eric.

[Klop]

oh, and about tight fitting; i've once seen a docmentary about the production of high end (english) double barreled hunting guns, when fitting parts the gunsmith held them over a small flame to blacken with soot. Then fit the parts together to see where the contact points are, file a tiny bit & repeat endlessly.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by RobT

Thanks to all for the positive comments on my efforts.
.....

Ian,
I thought that the Maguindano "C" goes straight across whereas the Sulu "C" slants downward. Oh well, I'm a bit leery about Cato's classification anyway.

Sincerely,
RobT

Hi Rob,

The Maguinganao "C" example can also have a mouth that is downward sloping, but the Sulu examples are more prominently so in most cases. There can be ambiguity in others. That's why I think it is important to also look at the carving on the gangya side opposite the elephant trunk, as well as the number of asang asang, the hilt style, and the scabbard (when present).