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Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
In my experience, nothing but freshly squeezed tahitian limes will provide the fluid that you need.
In Jawa they are not called Tahitian limes, but that's what they are sold as in Oz. In my previous house I had my own tree and harvested and prepared the juice when the limes came on, then I saved the juice in the deep freeze immediately, this worked OK too.
You need to squeeze the limes, then strain the juice, then filter through clean cloth, I use an old, worn linen handerchief.
As David has said, keris staining is a very delicate process, and not real easy to get a decent result. As with any skill, it takes time to learn.
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I am sure that has a lot to do with it, also my arsenic is not what it should be. I am using artists orpiment, which is arsenic trisulphide. It ought to be arsenic trioxide, but I found an old materia medica book online which details how to convert it by roasting. Since the orpiment is one tenth the price of normal arsenic trioxide, this makes sense, but it's tricky work and not the safest. If I am pleased with the results, I will take the time to detail the process, but if it doesn't work, I will have to buy the right stuff, and it's not cheap.