Need help with a kris
 

Hello friends. I just picked up what I thought to be an old kris from Ebay. It's 23" long, pattern welded, and has a separate ganja. All this told me that it might be a nice old one. When I received it though, it is very light. It looks old, but at the mid point of the blade, it's only .105" (2.7 mm) thick. Any thoughts on this piece would be much appreciated. Pictures are attached. One shows another older kris, that is much, much heavier.
Thanks!
Steve

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...08-overall.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...-2008-hilt.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...2008-close.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...comparison.jpg

Hard to tell from the photo but, looks like it could be the real deal. The ganja looks like a replacement. The really old ones are very light. I have keris that are almost the same size as one of my 18th C pieces. My only trepidation is the carving at the top of the blade does not seem up to what I am used to seeing. Could be 18th C or could be a copy. More photo's perhaps?

Very nice. Is the blade 23"? I think it is the same source for the 18C passed down for sometime. If the blade is 23", it would be a surprise but I guess it would be the preference of the person that ordered it. The fitting look very old & I'd be surprised if they were original. Try probing around the tang & see if it's oval or appears conventional.
All the file work looks to be from a oldie & appears to be in the transition from a stabbing weapon to a slashing one, perhaps even a little after the transition. If it has a rectangular tang & a 23" blade, I'd guess it's post transition but likely very old.

Steve,

I think that this is the real deal.... oh, oh, no no it's recent '70, please send to me this horror...... :D :D

Congratulations!!! :)

The overall length is 23". Not sure about the tang. I may be able to see it through the crack in the wood. The pommel is a different wood, pinned on to the wood of the handle.

Thanks for all of your replies so far!

Steve

Steve



Thank G-d it's not another one of those gunongs! :eek: ;) :D I still think the the blade is mid 1800s with a late 1800s hilt. As far as the ganja work is concerned not every panday was a Michael Angelo you know :)


Now get to work and restore that hilt :D!


Congrats

Lew

EBAY?? How could I have missed it??
Anyways...congrats on a nice find. What are you going to wrap the hilt with?

Yeah, I too think this is the real deal. Not unknown that the pommel is pinned to the hilt - I have seen this before and in fact have the same treatment on my older one (very similar) - quality burled wood is difficult to carve and hard to come by in large sizes. A smaller example is easier to find and less costly.

Also, the blade carving does not bother me. I'll bet that a good etch might reveal a twist core in the middle.

Thank you gentlemen for all of your replies. This kris is so different from everything I've seen so far. I really wasn't sure what I had.

I'll probably wrap the hilt in some coconut fiber twine that was given to me by a kind forum member. Then I'll coat it with some black resin.

Here's the ebay auction that it came from. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN:IT&ih=016

Steve

Hi Steve,

I see from the auction link that there is also a scabbard to restore....!!! Very nice, show us the different fases of the restoration :)

Flavio

Even nicer you got a "wooden case" with it. Can you add some pics of that, it too looks like it's got some age. If the seller is correct & it came post war Japan it sure doesn't help figuring out where they came from. I agree with your observation that these are "different"; too bad they can't tell us their story.
The pommel fitting appears older then the fitting holding the baca-baca. While the gangya appears to have been made to hold a stirrup; I wonder if the original hilt/stirrup/fitting were damaged & repairs were made to save the original kakatua but added a new stirrup & fitting. From the looks it would have been a very old repair.
Wrapping it in abaca would likely be the last way it was while in use, but it also looks nice just the way it is. Sort of let's it talk about himself. Whatever you decide it'll have a great home & caregiver.

It may have also had a plain silver band or two in the middle......