Hello Ariel,
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Immediate question: I have several Indian and Afghani swords with significant losses of the mastique holding the blade and the handle together with the resulting wobbly-ing. Should I re-fill lost parts of it with a reasonably authentic compound ( old sealing wax based on genuine lac with powdered bricks and a drop of dark paint )? I have been hesitating doing it for several years already....
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Any traditional recipe should do, I guess: European cutler's resin, Indonesian, etc.: The Malay/Indonesian basic recipe is based on resin (most likely based on local availability more than anything else) and some bees wax (for adding elasticity) mixed with crushed bricks or some other filler; additional mineral pigments can be added to adjust color to taste. Avoid open flames and beware when heating the ingredients as well as the final mix - highly flammable and sticking to clothes and skin!
If you come up with any authentic Ottoman, Caucasian, Persian, Indian recipes, please share them here!
Often enough it already helps if you gently heat the blade until the old resin mix softens and with some pushing fills any gaps; filling any missing resin may help stabilizing things though. For full functionality, the aged mix has to be fully replaced.
Regards,
Kai