iskender, not necessarily. in the jungle, it's counter-intuitive to have a shiny blade. on some of the blades, they even have patterns, much like an indonesian keris. i'm posting one as an example. as far as barungs, kris and such, they weren't washed like the keris, although back in the old day, i was told that coconut oil was used to these blades. over time it etches the blade, bringing out the pattern. nowadays the most common acid that's used to bring out the pattern is your household vinegar...
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