Bali Keris #3

A. G. Maisey · 13th June 2014, 12:04 AM

A couple of little comments.

In Jawa two part epoxy adhesives such as Araldite have been used in the restoration of keris since these adhesives became available.

The usual method of use is to mix the adhesive with iron filings and to coat the base of the blade and the bottom of the gonjo, fit together, wipe the excess clean and then fix.

The reason for using the adhesive is to prevent, or at least delay, the future attack of corrosion between the gonjo and the wilah.

Javanese dealers are very, very clever with the use of this Araldite+iron filings and in my experience most will not hesitate to fill holes in a blade, such as the erosion holes in sogokan, with this mix. You may never know that you have a blade with this sort of repair, or you may find out many years after purchase. If the job has been well done it is extremely unlikely that you will detect the repair without a microscopic inspection.

In fitting a gonjo I have never seen an original gonjo fitted with multiple pins, as GIO has shown. In my experience, the use of more than a single pin complicates the job and makes precise alignment difficult. The usual Javanese method is a single pin on the buntut urang side of the pesi.

The pin used to fit a gonjo should be cut square and tapered and fitted into a tapered square cut hole. You cut the square hole to accept the pin with a jeweller's file, you make the pin by using a jeweller's file.

Another way of fitting a gonjo is to make the hole in the gonjo a very neat, press fit to the tang, then tighten the gonjo around the tang with a hammer and punch.

Aluminium jaws for a vice are more effective and long lasting than wood, but for a quick fix, folded newspaper works well.

13th June 2014, 12:04 AM	#18
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	A couple of little comments. In Jawa two part epoxy adhesives such as Araldite have been used in the restoration of keris since these adhesives became available. The usual method of use is to mix the adhesive with iron filings and to coat the base of the blade and the bottom of the gonjo, fit together, wipe the excess clean and then fix. The reason for using the adhesive is to prevent, or at least delay, the future attack of corrosion between the gonjo and the wilah. Javanese dealers are very, very clever with the use of this Araldite+iron filings and in my experience most will not hesitate to fill holes in a blade, such as the erosion holes in sogokan, with this mix. You may never know that you have a blade with this sort of repair, or you may find out many years after purchase. If the job has been well done it is extremely unlikely that you will detect the repair without a microscopic inspection. In fitting a gonjo I have never seen an original gonjo fitted with multiple pins, as GIO has shown. In my experience, the use of more than a single pin complicates the job and makes precise alignment difficult. The usual Javanese method is a single pin on the buntut urang side of the pesi. The pin used to fit a gonjo should be cut square and tapered and fitted into a tapered square cut hole. You cut the square hole to accept the pin with a jeweller's file, you make the pin by using a jeweller's file. Another way of fitting a gonjo is to make the hole in the gonjo a very neat, press fit to the tang, then tighten the gonjo around the tang with a hammer and punch. Aluminium jaws for a vice are more effective and long lasting than wood, but for a quick fix, folded newspaper works well.