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Old 1st October 2018, 11:48 AM   #4
Roland_M
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Quote:
Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
Roland, there are several timbers that can look like the example of which you have posted images.

The effect of grain being influenced by shifting light is called "chatoyancy", ie, like a cat's eye, in English, and "nginden" in Javanese.

Trembalu is the wood that would first come to mind, but trembalu is normally a lot more subtle than this, a wood that has seen a lot of recent use is akasia, and more recent again is "trembalu jawa", which is a trade name, I do not know the correct name for it.

The actual colour you see in the wrongko you have is probably the result of rubbing oil and a natural stain made from red berries into the wood before it was finished with shellac. Trembalu is naturally lighter than your material seems to be, as is trembalu jawa, akasia is often very similar in grain, but more towards yellow.

I cannot suggest a source. Virtually all the woods that were traditionally used for keris dress are almost impossible to obtain these days, new types of wood appear in the market constantly, but to get any of the old traditional woods it is normally a matter of placing an order and waiting. During the last 20-25 years I have waited anything up to 5 years to get a piece of burl teak suitable for a ladrangan wrongko.
Hello Alan,

thank you very much for your words and the information about Trembalu Jawa wood. I think i have to look now for another type of wood.
Shellac provides a very beautiful finish on wood, if it is well done, which is not too simple. But on my Waranka was a nasty and poorly painted modern lacquer. I prefer a natural finish with oil and wax, since it brings out more of the structure of the wood, while shellac makes everything flat and even, but this is just my personal taste.

Best wishes,
Roland
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