Arjan, as I have already said, I have no desire to argue against personal preference, if your personal preference is for dirt, then I support without question your right to wallow in dirt.
I would also comment that I did not compare ethnographic objects with furniture, however, had I done so, this would have been a very valid comparison, as furniture is one of the defining items of any culture, and ethnography is not limited to the primitive.
My mention of furniture was to demonstrate the correct usage of the word "patina", I was not in any way drawing a comparison between furniture and anything else.
In respect of the use of steel wool.
I think David has probably corrected your misunderstanding here, but I will comment further. 0000 steel wool is a very fine grade of wool, it has very little cut, and it is quite safe for an experienced person to use on most surfaces. For example, the finish of a quality piano could have 32 or more layers of polish, if that piano has not been well maintained some of that finish might be cracked, but often those cracks do not extend all the way through the finish, so it becomes necessary to remove a little of the outside polish. This is not a job for an inexperienced person, but a craftsman undertaking such a restoration would use 0000 steel wool in preference to a cloth rubber, simply because of economics of time. Once the necessary cut has been achieved the final polish would be with a different medium. Please note here that I am talking about very much finer work than is ever necessary with the polished wooden surfaces of weapon scabbards.
0000 steel wool does produce a faster result when it is necessary to cut back a surface, and there are other agents that are used by craftsmen that also have an abrasive effect, such as pumice, rottenstone, even toothpaste and talcum powder, but a degree of experience with these materials is necessary before they can be used safely and to maximum effect. The advice I gave to Detlef is the product of my own 50 odd years involved in the restoration and finishing of wooden surfaces, and the foundations for that experience came from 3 generations of cabinet makers.
People who collect keris do so for a number of reasons, it is not just as "keris lovers", nor as people who regard the keris as an art object. However, of those who do regard the keris as an art object, it seems that the vast bulk of these people want their art objects in absolutely immaculate condition. Where they acquire a very good keris that is in very poor condition, invariably that keris will be restored, it will never be left in a deteriorated condition and with an uncleaned and unstained blade.
Arjan, I respect your personal standards and personal preferences, and I would never argue against your right to hold these standards and preferences, but your position is very much at variance with the ethic of keris culture.
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