KRIS MAIMBUNG JOLO
 

Hello,

sharing a currently purchased vintage kris from Maimbung, Jolo.

This one's my first kris with a carabao horn pommel.

And: with mid-fullers (both side of the blade).

Saludos,

Yves

Congratulations!
Will you polish or etch the blade?
This feature is interesting.

kris maimbung jolo
 

Hello,

Normally, I would apply star-apply fruit on the blade to bring out the laminated steel.



Saludos

Yves

I’m also curious about the feature that Rick pointed out.

Have you tried etching with vinegar? Lengthy process if brushed on, but worth it.
How do you etch with Star Fruit, do you just rub it on a warm blade?

kris maimbung jolo
 

Hello,

the starapple fruit is crushed. only the juice is collected (use a strainer to weed out the seeds,etc- as this may affect the blade).

submerge the entire blade (1-2 hours). This is done under the heat of the sun.

after 1-2 hours- wipe the blade with some textile material (preferably denim).

Put on light oil (animal oil is best: snake, etc).

According to my source, in the olden days, a blade owner does this to his blade on a weekly basis.

As a result-in the end, your blade would show its laminations and the color of the blade turns 'greenish-yellowish.'

Could you share your process? When I've tried this it evaporates very quickly and unevenly.

KRIS MAIMBUNG JOLO
 

Hi,

1) star-apply fruit (NOT the ripe ones. Only the green unripened fruits). squeeze and strain the seeds, sediments, etc (as this might affect the blade). Only the juice is needed. You'd need lots of fruits;

2) submerge the blade (1-2 hours). This process must be done under the heat of the sun.

3 wipe blade with a textile material (preferably denim cloth)

4) apply animal oil (snake oil, etc)

Some would do this process on their blades on a weekly basis.

Addl info: to prevent rust from forming- some would use an Indonesian balm called Betet (balsem gosok).

Very helpful detail, though I was hoping Kino would share his vinegar brush-on process.

Here’s the method that I follow.

Starting with a cleaned and polished blade, I remove the oily residue, if any, with acetone. In a large glass bowl, I’ll warm up 1-2 cups of household vinegar with ~5% acidity, I also warm the blade with hot water.
I use a foam brush and position the blade over the glass bowl of vinegar and start by loading up the brush with vinegar and start brushing the blade. I keep the liquid moving constantly. It usually takes over an hour of brushing until I get the desired effect. I neutralize the vinegar with plenty of soapy water and oil. Sometimes it’ll take more than 1 session to get where I want it to look.
Like I mentioned, it’s a lengthy process, it’s a labor of love.
Photo below of one that I recently etched.

There are vinegars with higher acidity, up to 20% that I have seen at home improvement stores. I m sure they work quicker but I stay away from them.

Thank you, I will give it a try. After many hours of polishing, an hour brushing doesn't sound so bad. Dunking when you can't remove the blade presents a lot of challenges, great to have an alternative.