Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Titanium in kerises

Neo · 15th March 2011, 03:22 PM

Just had a discussion with some friends over the presence of Titanium in old kerises. Well, we don't have much material to study other than the Arumbinang research couple years ago. Obviously the popular perception is that Titanium is a superior metal and hence a keris with Titanium should be better.

Well, we debating about that notion. A friend said that the old keris makers didn't know that the ores they work with already contain Ti - it's just a coincidence. Another argue that the kerises found with titanium are typically the well made ones, so the mpu probably intended to include Ti in their work(of course they don't know Titanium back then, it's basically whatever natural material with Ti as they knew it back then).

I am thinking that unless the Ti is totally melted and therefore alloyed well with the rest of the blade, having Ti in a keris is pretty much useless. If any, it will only make the blade more fragile due to some impurity in the form of huge Ti crystals trapped in iron-based alloy. Titanium in keris will only make the keris better if the mpu could melt it blend it well with the rest of the keris.

What do you guys think?

15th March 2011, 03:22 PM	#1
Neo Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 59	Titanium in kerises - so what? Just had a discussion with some friends over the presence of Titanium in old kerises. Well, we don't have much material to study other than the Arumbinang research couple years ago. Obviously the popular perception is that Titanium is a superior metal and hence a keris with Titanium should be better. Well, we debating about that notion. A friend said that the old keris makers didn't know that the ores they work with already contain Ti - it's just a coincidence. Another argue that the kerises found with titanium are typically the well made ones, so the mpu probably intended to include Ti in their work(of course they don't know Titanium back then, it's basically whatever natural material with Ti as they knew it back then). I am thinking that unless the Ti is totally melted and therefore alloyed well with the rest of the blade, having Ti in a keris is pretty much useless. If any, it will only make the blade more fragile due to some impurity in the form of huge Ti crystals trapped in iron-based alloy. Titanium in keris will only make the keris better if the mpu could melt it blend it well with the rest of the keris. What do you guys think?