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Old 18th October 2010, 04:36 AM   #18
A. G. Maisey
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Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,697
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Imas, the advice you have already been given is all good, solid advice, depending upon circumstances and the type of weapons involved, however this field of S.E.Asian edged weaponry is my special field and I am at variance with most of what has already been said, as your request for advice does apply to a particular type of weaponry.

If I had these and I intended to delay restoration for a few months I would:-

1)--- drench the blades with WD40 and allow those blades to dry off

2)--- all except the keris would then be sprayed with a good natural wax furniture polish, I favour " Maveer" by Kiwi

3)--- store out of scabbards and wrap in plastic to prevent contact with any cellulose surface such as cardboard or wood; wrapping in any type of cloth is a very bad idea as cloth can absorb moisture from the atmosphere, the same as wood and cardboard, and can cause rust; if you choose not to wrap in plastic, try to ensure that the blades are not in contact with any cellulose surface.

4)--- store the wrapped blades in a cardboard box and cover to protect from dust, store the scabbards either on top of the blades or in a separate box and cover to protect from dust, store the boxes in a dry place.

5)--- with the keris I would do nothing, I'd leave it in the scabbard and untouched; you will need to do a complete clean and stain anyway, and a few more months after years of neglect will make not the slightest difference.

6)--- Renaissance wax is a very good product, but it is not the only micro crystalline wax on the market, and in my experience, all waxes are best suited as preservatives for smooth polished blade surfaces, not for the rougher surfaces we find on S.E.Asian weaponry. I personally prefer Antiquax when I use a wax.

The important thing in the situation in which you find yourself is that you do no harm to the pieces. They have been neglected for a period of time already, a slight delay before restoration doesn't really matter. The recommendations above are for procedures that will just give you a breathing space before you can do the restoration.

Silica gel is a good idea. I store all my stock in cardboard boxes, and all my collection in either chests or chests of drawers, I have big bags --- like one kilo bags --- of silica gel in most of of my storage spaces.
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