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Old 28th January 2019, 09:45 PM   #10
David
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Nova Scotia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
Jean, the top of this pendok should not be filed down to follow the curve of the gambar , rather, the very slight step from the gambar face down to the foot of the gambar that joins to the gandar should be deepened very slightly and the step itself inlet to accept the top of the pendok. By deepening the front of the gambar foot & the gandar it would be possible to pick up a couple of millimeters to allow the pendok to be moved back, and this, combined with the deepening of the step should give sufficient depth to permit acceptance of the edge of the embossing by the gambar. The back of the gandar will then sit proud of the pendok, it will need to be filled, I prefer a very thin sliver of bambu for this, but layers of cloth or even a piece of cardboard will do the job.
I still would not personally be in favor of removal of any of the wood, though i do see how this method could indeed work. I do wonder, however, how the finished product would look seeing as how the top right leaf of the flower sits right at the top edge of the pendok. It seems to me that it might look awkward if pushed up closer to the gambar.
Quote:
Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
As David has pointed out, for craftsman living in a Western society, a new collar would not be too difficult to make. But I do not know what sort of western craftsman could do this job, I doubt that a fitter/machinist would be appropriate, nor a tool maker, possibly a sculptor, or perhaps a jeweller. But what would the cost be? Western pay rates are very much higher than pay rates in Indonesia. I believe that if any of us wanted to fit a new collar, we would need to make it ourselves. I have done similar work to this in the past, it is a lengthy, fiddling job and requires a lot of patience.

To make a new collar (lis) would be my second choice if I were to be doing the work myself. Obtain a small block of silver slightly larger than the gap to be filled and carve it to fill the gap. It would need to be a very neat fit to the wood, the height of the face of the collar above the pendok would be only about one to two millimeters, the junction of collar and pendok would be undercut to permit a very small acceptance of the top of the pendok, and the cross section would be "D" shaped.
I honestly don't know what you would consider too much money, but i certainly know a silversmith who easily do this work for a reasonable cost. I would image i could get this done for well under $100 and on a keris that i care about i would not hesitate to spend that for such a repair.
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