Old keris Iron Vs modern keris

nechesh · 12th November 2005, 08:20 PM

Hi Pusaka. To the best of my knowledge (hopeful more knowledgeable minds will correct me if i am wrong) Pamor Sanak has no nickelous material in it so that when the blade is stained by arsenic treatment there is very little contrast in the pattern. Sometimes there will be slight contrasts due to the different types of iron used. While i am sure you will find that old empus may have at times used 7 metals to form a keris i don't believe this could ever be counted as a rule and you will find slightly different processes and techniques used by different empus throughout time. Pamor Luwu refers to pamor material collected on Sulawesi (Celebes). This was once a very popular source for nickelous pamor. I don't think there was ever a natural source for nickelous pamor in Jawa before the Prambanan meteorite fall in the late 18th century. That material was considered quite special and reserved most for court pieces. I don't have reference books available, but if memory serves Pamor Luwu had about a 4% nickel content while the Pamor Prambanan was up towards 9%, producing a higher contrast when stained. I am not familar with Pamor Keleng, but perhaps others have heard of it.
By your own standard the keris you posted in before and after poses probably should not be considered modern.

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12th November 2005, 08:20 PM	#8
nechesh Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 940	Hi Pusaka. To the best of my knowledge (hopeful more knowledgeable minds will correct me if i am wrong) Pamor Sanak has no nickelous material in it so that when the blade is stained by arsenic treatment there is very little contrast in the pattern. Sometimes there will be slight contrasts due to the different types of iron used. While i am sure you will find that old empus may have at times used 7 metals to form a keris i don't believe this could ever be counted as a rule and you will find slightly different processes and techniques used by different empus throughout time. Pamor Luwu refers to pamor material collected on Sulawesi (Celebes). This was once a very popular source for nickelous pamor. I don't think there was ever a natural source for nickelous pamor in Jawa before the Prambanan meteorite fall in the late 18th century. That material was considered quite special and reserved most for court pieces. I don't have reference books available, but if memory serves Pamor Luwu had about a 4% nickel content while the Pamor Prambanan was up towards 9%, producing a higher contrast when stained. I am not familar with Pamor Keleng, but perhaps others have heard of it. By your own standard the keris you posted in before and after poses probably should not be considered modern.