New Moro kris

[apolaki]

Hi Kai,

I was thinking of trying to submerge the blade alone in a vertical container of vinegar. Of course I would wrap the hilt and try not to get any on it in the process.

I am cleaning a heavily rusted Indonesian keris with vinegar bath and it is working great!

I was wondering, is the hilt of a Moro kris not removeable by simply twisting off? Are the clamps securing it in some way?

Thanks again for your insight!

Originally Posted by kai

No worries, it survived about 100 years and if you keep any humidity low, rust will progress only slowly. However, any red rust (and many metallurgists will probably extend that to all kind of iron oxides) should be removed as thoroughly as possible.

It's much easier to work on the blade if you can detach it - however, this can get quite tricky with Moro kris due to the clamps. Otherwise a lot of care is needed to work around the clamps at the base of the blade and to avoid soaking the hilt...

As a first step, I'd vote for scrubbing the blade with very fine steel wool; wash with detergent and hot water. This often will be enough to bring out some laminations. There probably will be some more stubborn patches of rust which can be targeted with repeated application of vinegar (2-10% acetic acid); also polishing steps can help between the etching attempts.

Bring on some pics from during the prozess for further suggestions.

Regards,
Kai