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Old 12th November 2005, 10:34 PM   #12
marto suwignyo
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Join Date: Jan 2005
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Regarding the questions raised by Mr. Pusaka.

Sharpness:- this a product of mechanical process ( sharpening on a stone) and blade geometry ( the angle formed by the two blade sides meeting at the edge) as well as the material use to make the blade. In old keris the blade very thin , usually, and also the edge usually not even which give serrated effect. Result is a blade that will cut skin easy but if this blade tested for cutting on rope or thin paper you will find that it not really sharp at all. What you have is perception that blade is sharp.
Keris that have been made as work of art or for purpose of dress often have not been heat treat and also not sharpen. Why should a maker risk the loss of many hours work which can occur if an unseen weld fault exists in the blade and it only become obvious when the blade is heat treat?Why should a blade that will not be used as a weapon be given a sharp edge?
Although keris used as a thrust weapon many keris made as weapon did have a sharpened edge.
The heat treat on any keris blade is not for the full length of the keris blade. On a Jawa blade it usually go to the end of the sogokan. On Bugis and Malay blades it sometimes go only to halfway up the blade or less.

Iron and steel:- old keris blades used iron for the outside layers of the blade; more recent keris blades often use mild steel for the outside layers of the keris blade. Iron does not have carbon and will resist rust better than steel. Mild steel only has low carbon content but will rust more easy than iron, especially if it is heat treat.The very oldest iron will be white and shiny if it file flat and polish. Take old iron and new steel, polish both and they will look similar.
The grainy or fibrous nature of some types of old iron make a very rough surface especially if the blade been cleaned many times. Iron like this has open grain structure so it easy for substance applied to blade to penetrate below outer surface of the iron. Warangan will penetrate a little and give deeper etch, oil will also penetrate and sometime after old blade cleaned you can still smell the oil in the blade. Actually iron like this not good iron because it shows that the maker of the blade did not wash the iron of impurity before using it to make the keris. Or at least he did not wash it enough.Mild steel is produce in factory with modern perfection and is very dense with tight grain structure.With repeated fold and weld even iron that start as very poor quality can be make dense and smooth and look almost like modern mild steel when it polish and stain.
All the sources of old iron use in making keris are not known but in Jawa traditional names are given to many kinds of iron and these names tell us that the iron from many different sources. Probably some iron smelted locally, some come into Jawa by trade. Keris have been found with blade made of wootz . In some 19 century and early 20 century books European writers say iron for keris is taken from Chinese tools. I think it will be safe to say that keris makers in the past will have act like smiths anywhere and use whatever iron they could get their hand on and most often not know where the original iron come from.

Pamor:- the word "sanak" mean "relation" or "relative" so if we say "pamor sanak" we mean the pamor material all related and not mixed with material that not iron. The word "pamor" mean "blend" or "mix". So pamor sanak make from all iron, just different kind of iron some white iron, some dark iron. Pamor luwu make from material from Luwu in Sulawesi like Mr. Nechesh already say. Pamor keleng really not quite right. The word "keleng" mean "black". Really is no pamor keleng, but is Mpu Keleng who tradition tell us from Pajajaran.Also is kelengan iron . This iron very black and have a very rough open grain . It is not good iron. Also in Malaysia people call a black keris, " keris kelengan ", but in Jawa we call keris like this "pangawak waja".

Empu:- I do not know any empu who still make keris. In modern time in Jawa was Empu Suparman(alm), Empu Pauzan Pusposukadgo, Empu Djeno Harumbrojo. Empu Suparman pass away in 1995, Empu Pauzan Pusposukadgo retire already some years, Empu Djeno Harumbrojo many people say can no longer work. There is story about somebody from Madura who become empu for Kraton Surakarta. Perhaps this only a story and not real.Some modern makers of keris from Madura and Jawa Timur make very, very good keris, but really these people are not empu. There are modern makers who still make keris with use traditional method, but if we want blade make with traditional method the cost many times the cost of blade make with modern method, and the blade make with modern method and blade make with traditional method really do not look so different when finished. To make a keris blade by traditional method take a very lot of time. Modern method is more quick. But if both blades finished, both look the same, if the skill level of both makers similar.
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