[Sajen]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

I have seen this in a number of Javanese blades.

I have also seen at least one blade where the tang was inserted into the blade base, and erosion had exposed part of the tang; I have also seen a very old blade where the tang had been inserted into the blade base and it is now loose. These two examples are in my possession, but I have not seen them for a while, and I do not know precisely where they are. In both these blades the tang material appears to be the same as the blade material.

I am not altogether certain that these methods of fixing a tang to the blade are repairs. I strongly suspect that these tangs were fixed in this way at the time the blade was made.

When a blade was made in accordance with traditional requirements, it was made to a specific formula which involved length as well as mid blade width. There are a number of ways to approach this creation of a numeric value attached to the blade, but the blade value always needs to be balanced to the requirement for the person the blade was made for.

I do not know, but I strongly suspect that this method of tang fixing was used when material in the forging from which the blade was made, was insufficient to permit a tang to be forged from that forging. In an ideal world, this would, of course, not occur, but in virtually all human endeavour there is an economic bottom line.

There are a number of ways to repair a broken keris tang, all of them much more simple, much more cost effective, and much stronger than this inlet method of fixing a tang.

Thank you very much for this information!

Regards,

Detlef