[A. G. Maisey]

Yes Detlef, I agree totally, that is why I wrote:-

"---That gold may not get through a soak---"

I have found that the most reliable way in which to find out if the gold is firmly attached is to go ahead and soak the blade in some sort of acidic bath:- if the gold is still in place on the blade when you take it out of the bath you can bet that it is firmly attached.

But jokes aside, with any gold on blades, especially the sort gold we find on keris blades, it is best to be super cautious. It can sometimes be a good idea to clean mechanically first, then follow up with very selective and cautious brushing of the acidic medium.

Another way to tackle the problem of cleaning gold ornamented blades is to paint over the gold with nail polish, but this is not recommended unless the gold does look to be pretty secure. The polish comes off easily enough with acetone.