I perhaps should have elaborated when I was referring to its state of preservation. My apologies for vagueness, David. In retrospect it may have made my last post seem pointless.
You are right in that Moro Kris were not as routinely or as deeply etched as their cousins, the keris.
I cannot speak for others who have posted, but by "preserved well" I personally was referring to two things.
The first is the shape that we find these in when in the ownership of people who bring these pieces back with them from the Philippines. I have seen a lot of twistcore blades brought back that have been taken to a belt sander in order for it to have a more shiny finish, fitting more western tastes/sensibilities about what a blade ought to look like. As a result, not only is the pattern obscured but unfortunately what also occurs is a loss of steel and the original blade geometry. The fullers (more specifically the narrow fullers you typically see outlining the twistcore pattern going down the length of the blade) become more shallow or in worst-case scenario all but disappear. I cannot speak to how common this is in reality but I have encountered my fair share of these intentionally worn down pieces. Makes me sad every time I come across one.
This piece seems to have no evidence of this having occurred, as well as a minimal amount of spot corrosion due to neglect of (although there are some small spots) or lack of oiling/cleaning the blade.
Perhaps I chose my words unwisely. By "Preserved well", I meant "undamaged by owner ignorance and/or neglect"
If assuming this is how other (some, not all) twistcores originally were in terms of geometry (Although I admit this is a big assumption), it makes me wonder about some other pieces I own and the extent of their modification after being brought back as souvenirs (I have one that is particularly thin that I assume was taken to a belt grinder)
This in and of itself is difficult to explain, perhaps I will update this thread soon with illustrations elaborating about what I mean when I refer to its 'geometry'.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by David
Pepper, have you considered giving this blade a light vinegar etch to bring out the twisted core pattern? It's a rather gentle process that would not damage the blade and it would certainly look cool if that pattern stood out more.  |
I've been delaying doing so for long enough. Spunjer has graciously shared his etching method with me (it seems like ages ago when this occured), so I think it will see a vinegar etch soon enough
