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Originally Posted by FilAmfighter1
...not sure if you class it a knife or short sword the blade length is 14 /12 inches, base width is 3.5 tip width is 3/8 inches handle is 4 1/4 inches. Please help me ID where the this blade is from and roughly how old. It is a forged damascus.
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Generally speaking keris are referred to as "daggers", though some indeed reach lengths that could qualify as "short swords". Yours could either be from Bali or Lombok, but from the form of the sekar kacang at the front of the base of the blade i am leaning towards Lombok. It is sometimes very difficult to distinguish between these two origins. This is actually a bit short for keris from this region which are often between 16-18 inches or longer.
Age is always tricky and your photos are not helping clarify very well, though there is some obvious age and i would say 19th century is a fair guess. The kendit (belted) pattern on you hilt is a desirable catch when true and not painted on. Yours appears to be a true pattern. It's a little beat up, but the wood should respond well to some cleaning and oiling and the blade could use a good bath and toothbrush scrubbing in some pineapple juice.
When photographing keris it is helpful to get directly over the top of it so as not to distort the features perspective-wise. Its also better to arrange your blade point up in the frame to orient it best for assessment.
Nice flea market find...
