Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

jagabuwana · 25th November 2025, 10:52 PM

Alan - got it, thank you for patiently answering my questions. But there is something I still don't understand because my metalworking knowledge is poor. Why could it not, or why should it not have a steel core if it is made of a homogenous material?

~~

Tatyana - these are the clearest photos of a full keris made of wootz that I have seen. Thank you for sharing this!

Both you and Alan raise good points that might support why wootz keris are rare:

1. No contrasting pamor. Given how much importance is given to pamor especially in in Jawa-Bali, it wouldn't make sense to use wootz.
2. Its mechanical properties are not well matched to what a keris needs.
3. It is not easy to work with.

So then why was wootz ever used at all? Alan has suggested that it might be due to a shortage of the usual materials available.

I'll speculate on another reason. Imported wootz originated from places that were known to have better forge technologies and better iron. Wootz then may have taken on the reputation of being the "better" quality steel, perhaps more expensive than local stuff, and so had a prestige associated with it. I have put better in inverted commas here on purpose seeing as one must always ask "better for what?". But I'm referring to perception of quality and prestige here. Admittedly I'm hingeing all my speculation on a particular translation of "malela" that was given by Dr Alex West in his thesis on the Bujangga Manik Sundanese manuscript which I've asked about in a separate thread - https://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?p=279782.

25th November 2025, 10:52 PM	#14
jagabuwana Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 295	Alan - got it, thank you for patiently answering my questions. But there is something I still don't understand because my metalworking knowledge is poor. Why could it not, or why should it not have a steel core if it is made of a homogenous material? ~~ Tatyana - these are the clearest photos of a full keris made of wootz that I have seen. Thank you for sharing this! Both you and Alan raise good points that might support why wootz keris are rare: 1. No contrasting pamor. Given how much importance is given to pamor especially in in Jawa-Bali, it wouldn't make sense to use wootz. 2. Its mechanical properties are not well matched to what a keris needs. 3. It is not easy to work with. So then why was wootz ever used at all? Alan has suggested that it might be due to a shortage of the usual materials available. I'll speculate on another reason. Imported wootz originated from places that were known to have better forge technologies and better iron. Wootz then may have taken on the reputation of being the "better" quality steel, perhaps more expensive than local stuff, and so had a prestige associated with it. I have put better in inverted commas here on purpose seeing as one must always ask "better for what?". But I'm referring to perception of quality and prestige here. Admittedly I'm hingeing all my speculation on a particular translation of "malela" that was given by Dr Alex West in his thesis on the Bujangga Manik Sundanese manuscript which I've asked about in a separate thread - https://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?p=279782.