New Moro kris

[kai]

Hello Detlef,

I do like the really old blade - nice style and good scrollwork! BTW, what's the blade length?

Is this later pommel style more common in the upriver region rather than downriver? OTOH, since the crest obviously got broken off, it may have been sanded down from more elaborate kakatua forms; the angular grip seems to be a later development on Mindanao though.

The lamination is existent but will need some time until the blade is clean and I have time to etch the blade.

The blade looks clean enough for an etch already. However, make sure to clean the cold shut at the tip thoroughly or you will see active rust creeping out of it rather sooner than later...

If you were feeling adventurous (or bored ), you could try to get the hilt off: Due to the attachment strips running outside the ferrule, there's a good chance that you can detach the asang-asang and hilt without any damage. Of course, this will make cleaning and etching the blade much easier. More important would be IMHO that you could try to reattach the hilt with the attachment strips running inside the ferrule which should look a lot nicer.

Regards,
Kai