Just a sundang restoration
 

Hello friends,
I picked up this kris on Ebay. The description was

"Steel Sword and Rustic Wood Scabbard - Great Stage Prop or collectable Orc medieval Weapon - Dull edge but dangerous."

Now I'm not a collector of "Orc" weapons, but the pictures told a different story. On receipt, I found a nice solid sundang. The blade was in good shape. Separate gangya. Nice lines. The hilt had a missing rattan braid, but was solid. The scabbard was a basket case, but complete. It's a pretty soft mahogany, and had 2 big cracks. The previous owner had taped it up with packing tape, which had pulled off all the finish and patina. So I glued the cracks, stained and finished the wood, and learned how to braid rattan for the wraps.

I added a braid to the hilt to replace the broken ring. Looking back, I should have stained the rattan first, to better match the original wrap. That will be the next job.
There was a fairly large crack in the wood of the hilt, so I mixed some epoxy and filled it.

I etched the blade and found it laminated. After neutralizing, most of the contrast was gone except for the edge. The pictures show the faint pattern.

All in all I was very happy with my medieval Orc sword. ;)

Comments, positive or negative, are welcomed.

Thanks,
Steve

The ebay pic.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ng6/before.jpg

The end product.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...n-Scabbard.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...g6/Overall.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...dang6/Hilt.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...de-pattern.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ttan-braid.jpg

Steve

That is a real ugly kris ;) Better box it up and send to me so I can bury it in my crowded closet ;) :D

Lew

I thought I'd figured out every possible search term to use on eBay, but now I better add "orc". Who knew? :D
Congrats, great snag and super restoration.
Berk

Did you weave the rattan?

If so, can you create a thread to show us all how to do it??

Thanks.

Thank you gentlemen,

It was a fun project for a Sunday.

Charles, I'll try to do that. I got the start from this web page.
http://www.folsoms.net/knots/turkshead.htm

That example works fine on a round pole, but I had to repeat step 5 twice. I'll try to take some pictures this week. I'm sure I don't do it the "right" way, but it worked.

Steve

Steve,

Very pleased for you. Very nice work and an incredibly good buy! Easily worth 3 or 4 times what you paid!

Couldn't happen to a nicer and more deserving collector.

Hello Steve,

Nice kris and nice restoration!!! Show us some pics when you will stain the rattan

Flavio

Hi Steve:

I know exactly what you mean -- these knots are a bear to learn to tie correctly and what works for a "woggle" doesn't seem to come out right on hilt.

Nice restoration BTW. Sometimes your good, sometimes your lucky, and sometimes your good and lucky. :)

Ian.

I do hope its not 'THE RING'........If it is ...Orcs are going to be the least of your troubles........best you enlist a few Hobbits, Elves and an axe wielding Dwarf :D ;) Perhaps thats why it was so cheap ! :p :D

Good find, congrats

Nice work - "Orc?" - who d' thunk? :shrug: