KERIS WOODWORKING TOOLS AND TECKNIQUE
 

A PICTURE OF THE RARE NEEDLE KERIS SCABBARD FROM BALI. :D JUST KIDDING. :p
WHAT SORT OF TOOLS AND TECKNIQUE WOULD BE USED AT THIS POINT TO FIT THIS SCABBARD TO A KERIS BLADE? TO FIT A PESKI INTO A HANDLE IS FAIRLY STRAIGHT FORWARD JUST DRILL A HOLE A LITTLE BIGGER AND DEEPER THAN THE PESKI IN THE HANDLE.
TO FIT A BLADE ONE WOULD HAVE TO WORK FROM A SMALL HOLE SUCH AS IS SHOWN HERE TO ONE CONFORMING TO THE EXACT SHAPE OF THE BLADE AND FITTING SNUG BUT NOT TOO TIGHT. DOES ANYONE HAVE PICTURES OF THE SPECIALIZED TOOLS AND METHODS USED.?
THE SCABBARD PICTURED IS FOR EVERYDAY USE IN BALI OF A FORM CALLED A WALIKAT. CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG. I HAVE SEEN THESE CARVED FROM ONE PIECE OF WOOD AND ALSO WITH IVORY AND OTHER WOODS USED AS INLAY OR GLUED TOGETHER IN A COMPOSIT FORM. WHAT IS THE OLD TRADITIONAL WAY OF MAKEING THESE?
IS THIS FORM SCABBARD ONLY FOUND IN BALI OR PERHAPS MORE WIDESPREAD?
IF CARVED FROM ONE PIECE OF WOOD WOULD THE TOP PART STILL BE CALLED WRANGKA AND THE BOTTOM GANDAR?

Slot in the pesi of the Kris to get the mirror image of the ganja / cicak with a marker. You can use a small set of wood file to get the warangka done. For this case is a composite so the lower part of the sheath already been done.

Is this carved from one piece of wood?! :eek:
Because you will have quite a job cutting this for a good fit if it is. I have done this work a couple of times, with mixed results, but i was always able to work on the wrongko separate from the gandar. I'm not at all sure how someone who isn't a very experienced mrranggi would go about this.

These are two of the tools one would need to fit a blade .

Pictures courtesy of A.G. Maisey; thank you Alan .

Thanks Rick, makes life a lot easier when I don't have to find the pics. Not always easy.

Barry, the fitting of a blade to a scabbard is not at all difficult, but it is time consuming. Mostly you need a lot of patience and sharp tools. To the two tools shown in the photos Rick posted, I'd add a couple of very sharp small knives --- I use pocket knives, about ten or twelve of them, sharpen them up before I start.

Firstly you place the blade on the outside of the scabbard and line up the curve of the gonjo top with the curve of the top of the scabbard, then you look at where the outside edge of the blade runs. If it is still within the bounds of the gandar sides, you've got something you can work with, if its not, you need to remove the top part (atasan) of the wrongko and proceed in a slightly different way to that which I shall now describe.

You put some light oil into a saucer, and smear it all over the blade with your finger, if the blade already goes part way into the hole, you only smear the oil where the blade ceases to enter the wrongko. The oil leaves a mark on the wood. You carefully remove this oil stained wood and repeat and repeat and repeat as many times as is necessary to get the blade to enter. When entry of the blade is stopped by the angle or width of the hole inside the gandar you use the segrek --- that rasp thing with backwards facing teeth --- to remove the necessary wood from inside. When the inside of the gandar no longer stops entry of the blade you go back to oil and cutting away little bits of stained wood.

Segreks are of different types and sizes and to do a proper fitting job from scratch you probably need about 3 or 4 of different sizes.

If the angle of the gandar to atasan will not permit a good alignment of the top of atasan and top of gonjo, you need to separate gandar and atasan. You can usually get this done by stuffing damp rags inside the wrongko and periodically keeping them damp by pouring water on them --- the glue softens, then you just pull them apart. Clean off all the old glue and give it plenty of time to dry out. Then fit the blade to the atasan only with the oil stain method already described. When the atasan is a good fit to the blade you fit the gandar, and re-cut the angle of the gandar to get the fit you need.

This wrongko that has only the hole is started by laying the gonjo on its side along the top of the scabbard, being very careful to get the pesi exactly over the hole. You mark each end of the gonjo , measure or gauge the widest part of the gonjo under the pesi, mark this width either side of the hole, widen the hole to less than the full width, and then just using your eye, roughly sketch the outline of the gonjo on top of the wrongko --- an experienced tukang wrongko will not do this, he'll just immediately start to cut, but in any case you make the hole big enough to begin the procedure described above, but smaller in all directions than the actual gonjo.

To glue back together it helps if you use a wedge to bring the gandar tongues into good contact with the atasan. Make sure no glue is left inside, as it can generate rust. If you are confident and experienced in the use of epoxy resins, these are far better than PVA glues, or the original fish based adhesives.

This wrongko you've shown is a Balinese kajongan, in olden times favoured by young men. The similar shape in Jawa is called sandang walikat --- rib dress --- and is used as an under jacket dress and as a storage scabbard.

As I said, its not rocket science, but you do need sharp tools and a lot of patience.

PS--- I probably should add one thing:- you need to keep the pesi centered to the raised rib that is in the middle of the atasan face.

I have heard of that feature being called the 'Thorn' ; the part the thumb pushes upon to release the blade .

Yeah Rick, "thorn" is OK.

Some people call it "tampingan" which just means edge or border, or shoulder, others call it ri cangkring, "ri" is "eri" which means thorn, and "cangkring " is a sort of thorny tree.

But you do not push your thumb against this to remove the blade from the scabbard, you push it against the broad part of the top of the wrongko, just in front of the sirah cecak.

THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION ALL MY QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED. :) AS USUAL WHEN IT IS EXPLAINED IT ALL MAKES SENSE AND THE METHODS USED ARE ALL SIMPLE ENOUGH AND EFFECIENT. MAKEING THE SCABBARD IN TWO PIECES MAKES MORE SENSE AS THE TOP (WRANGKA) IS THE PART WHERE THE FIT IS MOST IMPORTANT AND CAN BE WORKED ON MORE EASILY. THE LOWER PART JUST NEEDS TO BE DEEP ENOUGH WITH PLENTY OF ROOM FOR THE BLADE SO THE FIT IS NOT SO IMPORTANT. I HAD MISTAKENLY THOUGHT THIS FORM OF SCABBARD WAS MADE IN ONE PIECE. ITS INTERESTING THAT ONLY TWO TOOLS ARE NEEDED FOR THIS INTERIOR WORK.

Barry, sometimes it is made in one piece.