View Single Post
Old 4th December 2004, 09:14 AM   #5
Henk
Member
 
Henk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 1,209
Default

Wolviex,

It is always pleasant to have some experts around you to decide and to discuss. The only restoring I would like to do on such a piece is the traditional etching with warangan to get up the pamor. It can be smashing such a result. I brought some rusty kerisses to a friend of my who can do the washing. When you see the keris without rust completely white metal and then the warangan doing its job and the complete unexpected pamor coming up, that's exitement.

The one Rick is showing us is mounted as a dagger. The mounting is probably maduran. Yours was mounted as a spear. Considering the patina of the scabbard it is certainly not younger than late 19th century. There are carved examples of these scabbards known but this scabbard is the most usual one. At the top and at the bottom it had a cord with a knot like you see on european military sabres. The blade could be older because the mountings where often replaced. The wooden parts where rotting away in your hands as they use to say. You can see at the edges and the blade itself that this washing with warangan was frequently done. The surface of Rick's tombak is smoother. Rick's one is younger but is also dated.

Nice tomback too, Rick!!

Last edited by Henk; 4th December 2004 at 09:29 AM.
Henk is offline   Reply With Quote