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Old 15th December 2024, 10:57 AM   #1
Sajen
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Default Restoration of a Sulawesi alameng

Hello dear members,

I won a rusted Sulawesi sword (alameng) for low money by a German auction house. It was described as mandau! I've decided to let you see my restoration, first step has been to give some linseed oil to the nice horn hilt.

The blade was/is badly rusted, the first step will be to de-rust it, one side I have nearly finished. When the blade is rust free I will work further at the blade to let it look nice again but it will take time so this thread will continue.

The alameng is 60 cm long, the blade is 44 cm and 8 mm thick at the spine behind the handle and quite heavy with 621 gram.
The blade is ground slightly hollow on both sides and has a "V" shaped cutting edge.
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Last edited by Sajen; 15th December 2024 at 07:08 PM.
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Old 15th December 2024, 11:01 AM   #2
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Default the handle

Pics from the handle.
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Old 15th December 2024, 12:31 PM   #3
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Excellent - great to see restoration process. Interesting piece, I have not seen thst style of hilt. What was your method for removing rust from the first side?
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Old 15th December 2024, 01:56 PM   #4
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Hi Detlef,

looks good the de-rusting, the linseed oil you used was it boiled or cold pressed oil? And did you soak the handle or used a rag to apply the oil?
I am curious if you used a wire wheel for derusting or only waterproof sandpaper?

Nice Alameng btw.

Regards, Martin
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Old 15th December 2024, 04:21 PM   #5
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Hi Jeff and Martin,

Thank you both! For the cleaning of the blade I used a rust rubber gum and at places where it was hard and encrusted rust I used a stone. No power tools involved!
I have used cold pressed linseed oil for years for wood, horn and other natural materials.

Attached are two pictures from "Senjata Pusaka Bugis" of a very similar sword.

Regards,
Detlef
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Old 15th December 2024, 05:31 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sajen View Post
For the cleaning of the blade I used a rust rubber gum and at places where it was hard and encrusted rust I used a stone.
Congrats on your recent acquisition. It’s coming out very nice.
Thanks for sharing your restoration methods. For us that don’t know, could you please tell us what a “rust rubber gum” is? I like to other rust removal items other than sand paper.
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Old 15th December 2024, 05:52 PM   #7
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Congrats on your recent acquisition. It’s coming out very nice.
Thanks for sharing your restoration methods. For us that don’t know, could you please tell us what a “rust rubber gum” is? I like to other rust removal items other than sand paper.
Thanks Albert! Attached is a pic of such a rust rubber gum, I buy them on Amazon. They work well by surface rust and a little bit deeper rust.

Regards,
Detlef
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Old 16th December 2024, 01:35 AM   #8
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Thanks Albert! Attached is a pic of such a rust rubber gum, I buy them on Amazon. They work well by surface rust and a little bit deeper rust.

Regards,
Detlef
Thank you sir.
I will get it and give it a try.
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Old 16th December 2024, 07:05 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Sajen View Post
Thanks Albert! Attached is a pic of such a rust rubber gum, I buy them on Amazon. They work well by surface rust and a little bit deeper rust.

Regards,
Detlef
I think you'll get the same effect as when using steel wool 0000?
(That's what I usually use)
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Old 16th December 2024, 01:50 PM   #10
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I think you'll get the same effect as when using steel wool 0000?
(That's what I usually use)
No, it's better and much faster!
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Old 16th December 2024, 03:24 PM   #11
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Quote:
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I think you'll get the same effect as when using steel wool 0000?
(That's what I usually use)
Am I just not patient enough with 0000 (or 000) wool? I find it almost never removes anything but the most superficial rust, but I'm not sure if I give it enough time. Am I supposed to keep going even if I feel like I have not made noticeable progress after a few minutes? Also, I'm curious on the type of stone and method you (Detlef) use for deep rust pockets. If soft enough I will use a metal pick but often find rust crusts to be extremely hard and need abrasive anf/or repeated acid washes (vinegar) to remove.
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Old 16th December 2024, 03:30 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by JeffS View Post
Am I just not patient enough with 0000 (or 000) wool? I find it almost never removes anything but the most superficial rust, but I'm not sure if I give it enough time. Am I supposed to keep going even if I feel like I have not made noticeable progress after a few minutes? Also, I'm curious on the type of stone and method you (Detlef) use for deep rust pockets. If soft enough I will use a metal pick but often find rust crusts to be extremely hard and need abrasive anf/or repeated acid washes (vinegar) to remove.
Yes, only for superficial rust ofcourse. And I use it combined with oil. Works perfect for me. If the blade has more rust than superficial rust, steel wool 0000 will not work anymore at some point.
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Old 26th December 2024, 12:20 PM   #13
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It's cleaned now, here are some pictures. The last two pics show it together with two other similar Sulawesi swords from my collection.
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Old 26th December 2024, 01:59 PM   #14
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Cool

That's a cool Celebes grouping you've got their Detlef!
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Old 26th December 2024, 02:40 PM   #15
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That's a cool Celebes grouping you've got their Detlef!
Thanks Maurice! The "new" one is a very massive chopper with heavy lamination. I've rubbed the blade with lemon juice but it needs a stronger etchant to show it better. Here a pic without flash to get an impression.

Best regards,
Detlef
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Old 26th December 2024, 02:53 PM   #16
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Thanks Maurice! The "new" one is a very massive chopper with heavy lamination. I've rubbed the blade with lemon juice but it needs a stronger etchant to show it better. Here a pic without flash to get an impression.

Best regards,
Detlef
Thank you for the photo which shows the lamination of your alameng. Celebes had imo top blacksmiths!

Regards,
Maurice
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