Planning to make a wrongko

[A. G. Maisey]

Johan, you might find that scrapers will be useful in shaping the contours.

The typical cabinet scraper is a piece of rectangular steel about 6'X3", but for concave and convex surfaces you can make your own scrapers from pieces of heavy tin can, just cut the needed shape with tin snips.

I use old pocket knives a lot as both carving knives and as scrapers, the castrating blade on 3 blade stock knife makes a very good detail scraper.

Pieces of glass are also useful as scrapers.

[Gustav]

Johan, just one remark regarding the line you have drawn on Gambar/Sampir with pen - if that's the line you later intend to carve - it shouldn't be parallel to the central axis of the whole sheath (the sheath will then look stiff), it should fall a little bit inwards. At which angle - you should esthetically decide it, considering all other angles of outlines of your Sampir, and also hilt of your Keris when sheathed. They all as ensemble should be in a state of a floating harmony.

[A. G. Maisey]

Second attempt.

For comparison.

[Gustav]

Yes, three sheaths in Sulawesi style.

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes Gustav, they might well be Sulawesi, frankly, I cannot with any certainty distinguish between any of the Bugis scabbard styles. If I look at the Ahmad Ubbe book I see a great variety of styles that have all been identified as "South Sulawesi", or "South Sulawesi + (some other location)" and all given the name of "jonga-jonga". This great variety of styles includes scabbards that I cannot distinguish from the one that you have shown us.

The overall style of all the scabbards that Ahmad Ubbe shows is very similar, but whereas the indented line that on your scabbard tilts in, and on my scabbards is more or less parallel with the rear edge of the gambar, on Ahmad Ubbe's examples is subject to variation in both angle and style.

I would be the first to admit that I have never done any in depth study of Bugis-style keris. I have never visited the Bugis cultural areas, I have never done field research on any keris except Javanese, Madurese and Balinese, so I do not hold any firm opinions on anything to do with Bugis-style keris. I do know as personal friends, several Bugis people, and they have family keris (which again show a range of stylistic variation) but regrettably they know nothing at all about keris.

Because of my lack of knowledge in this regard, I find it somewhere between extremely difficult and impossible to give a precise geographic point of origin for any Bugis style keris.

If I look at the keris shown in Ahmad Ubbe's book, what I see are keris that have been identified by acknowledged authorities in the field of Bugis keris study, as "South Sulawesi", yet those keris vary across the entire span of Bugis-style keris. I am only talking about the keris here, that is, the blade alone, not the dress.

I really do envy those people who can give a precise geographic point of origin for a Bugis-style keris and its dress.

[Johan van Zyl]

More progress has been made (see two pics). The project still looks ugly in its lack of completion, but I hope to remedy that as well as possible with painstaking work. I know that I am not able to live up to the high standards you all have brought forward in your advice and pictures for my benefit, but I think you will come to realise that it was not possible for the likes of me (not an experienced carver, not having a real scabbard to copy) to deliver a product even remotely equal to a true Bugis keris wrongko. For starters, the wood does not even come close to timoho or kemuning. But I know that I am doing what I can and learning all the way. Please note that the the gambar I am wresting from the unyielding wood has got a mind of its own, and although I frequently compare my work to your pics, it is turning out somewhat different! Please forgive me.

[kai]

Hello Johan,

No worries, I'm confident it will look much better, finally!

What you are experiencing is the "spirit of the wood" and an experienced carver would take this into account when selecting and during carving wood. Just try to go with the flow as best as you can...

The upturned stern still needs quite some wood to be removed and also the whole piece could become more thinner, especially just right of the socket for the stem. I'd also make the notch on the left less substantial (if you compare it to the examples, this does run almost the whole length and is fairly shallow groove).

Tropical hardwoods tend to have very large pores and it will be wise to fill them before the final polishing steps. Any surface treatment (boiled linseed oil, shellac, wax) will make the wood looking much nicer than in its current raw state! Is the crosspiece teak?

BTW, don't forget to wear a mask to avoid wood dust (many timbers are proven or suspected to be carcinogenic).

Regards,
Kai