Bugis keris

[Bill]

There are some things that are odd with this keris. As Tom pointed out, repeated washing should have left the edges uneven. The keris seems petite, just to thin. The ganja seems to be original, just bent. Where the mendak touches the ganja there is a perfect indention so it fits perfectly. The indention is the same as the height of the characters, too much of a coincidence. A likely senerio: old blade damaged by etching or rust or combination of both; heavy filing to remove damaged edges. The top of the ganja worked to add the characters; small amounts of gold added for effect or even gilding that fell off. Holes filed to cover up damage or to add to the "speciality" of the keris. The sampir fits well, so it must have been made for the blade after its "makeover". The groves are filled with rust and the ganja is too. I have it soaking in pinnapple juice, after I clean & oil it, I'll post some more pics. Even though I think the keris has been "doctored up", I still like it.