Keris to ID

[A. G. Maisey]

Conduit --- even if a hilt is fixed with Super Strength Araldite, it can still be removed with heat and patience.

I'm pretty sure i have detailed at length how to go about this, and other people have commented also, so a bit of time looking at old threads might be of assistance.

I can see something in between the mendak and the bottom of the hilt, can you tell us what it is?

The cracking in the hilt might be due to expansion of the pesi caused by rust, and if that is the case pure brute strength is going to cost you that hilt, but localised heating of the sorsoran directly below the pesi and repeated gentle attempts at turning & pulling the hilt will usually cause the hilt to loosen, I like to put the blade in a bench vice for this, make sure to use newspaper around the blade to pad & protect it before clamping into a vice, alloy jaw liners too, if you have them. Put it in the vice sideways, not vertical. I use a gentle propane flame for heat. If you have a hot air blower that can give a small, localised patch of heat, that is good too.

If the pesi is rusted and expanding, it will only get worse, so it is best to get that hilt off and then do whatever repairs are necessary. This is a pretty decent keris, it is worth the effort to preserve it.