Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

A. G. Maisey · 24th November 2009, 11:17 PM

What you've laid out is pretty much as things are, in my understanding.

I tend to avoid the use of the word "combat" associated with keris, because I feel that with many native speakers of English "combat" conjures up mental visions of associations with war, and I don't think that that is really a very accurate portrayal of the role of the keris. Perhaps we could refer to these "combat" keris as you yourself have done, as "weapon grade keris".

I think it is probably true to say that most current era Javanese and Madurese keris are not heat treated. The heat treat only consists of quenching with a keris, so it doesn't help resilience at all, quite the contrary, but it does allow the quenched part of the blade to hold a sharp edge for longer than an unquenched blade would do.

I do not believe it is possible to give you a definitive answer as to when the general practice of heat treatment of keris on Jawa came to an end. It can still occur in the case of a privately ordered keris. The price charged for that keris will be a lot higher than for an unquenched blade, usually at least double and this will multiply when the pamor is a complex one, because there is the risk that an unseen flaw could cause the weld joints to open up when the blade is quenched, and it will need to be made again.

I think it might be possible to say that generally speaking most keris made prior to WWII were heat treated, and most keris made after WWII were not heat treated. That's about as definitive as I'd like to get.

24th November 2009, 11:17 PM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	What you've laid out is pretty much as things are, in my understanding. I tend to avoid the use of the word "combat" associated with keris, because I feel that with many native speakers of English "combat" conjures up mental visions of associations with war, and I don't think that that is really a very accurate portrayal of the role of the keris. Perhaps we could refer to these "combat" keris as you yourself have done, as "weapon grade keris". I think it is probably true to say that most current era Javanese and Madurese keris are not heat treated. The heat treat only consists of quenching with a keris, so it doesn't help resilience at all, quite the contrary, but it does allow the quenched part of the blade to hold a sharp edge for longer than an unquenched blade would do. I do not believe it is possible to give you a definitive answer as to when the general practice of heat treatment of keris on Jawa came to an end. It can still occur in the case of a privately ordered keris. The price charged for that keris will be a lot higher than for an unquenched blade, usually at least double and this will multiply when the pamor is a complex one, because there is the risk that an unseen flaw could cause the weld joints to open up when the blade is quenched, and it will need to be made again. I think it might be possible to say that generally speaking most keris made prior to WWII were heat treated, and most keris made after WWII were not heat treated. That's about as definitive as I'd like to get.