Palembang Keris

Pendita65 · 7th February 2026, 11:16 PM

Mr. Maisey and the others,

thank you for your thoughts and sharing them, i normally use citric acid solution and never used vinegar, i bought today household cleaning vinegar so i will test it. I used electrolyse in the past when i was restoring old woodworking tools and it works, but i prefer citric acid. I know that electrolyse can have influence on the steel of springs it will weaken them so that's the main reason for me not to use it on a keris. I also know that it can be done with laser but i am also affraid it will damage the blade more than a citric acid colution. I have a few other blades that i will test with the vinegar and see what it brings before i use it on the Palembang.

Thanks again and regards,

Martin

A. G. Maisey · 8th February 2026, 12:06 AM

Any acid will do the job Martin, I used to use pineapple juice, which was truly excellent, but this was more than 20 years ago when I was able to buy big tins of fresh, natural Australian pineapple juice, then the local company was bought out by a big multi national, now the pine juice sold by that same company is reconstituted from concentrate brought in from Brazil & maybe some other places. This garbage is undrinkable & does a lousy job of cleaning ferric material.

Some people in Solo do use citric acid.

I have also used tomato juice, it does a good job but it is too expensive.

Yes, the electrolytic method can have negative effects on steel, according to AI.

Thinking back, I believe the first rusted keris blade I cleaned was done with muriatic acid --- another name for hydrochloric acid that was used by plumbers --- it was not kind to the blades. After that I used vinegar, then I used pineapple juice, then I went back to vinegar. I've tried various things over the years, but these days I always use plain old household vinegar, probably because it is easy & cheap. I've got several blades in vinegar right now in fact.

David · 8th February 2026, 03:17 PM

Alan, i believe you used to advocate that after the acid process (whether vinegar, pineapple or whatever) that a slurry made from baking soda be applied to neutralize the acid. Since i saw no mention of this step in this thread is this something you still suggest?

A. G. Maisey · 8th February 2026, 07:40 PM

It is perhaps wise to "kill" any possibility of acid remaining on a blade, other people in the West who clean rusted artefacts with acid do recommend this, & I sometimes do it, sometimes not.

I've pretty much stopped doing it with keris, because for a while now I have immediately followed the clean by staining, & I'm only doing 1 or 2 blades at a time, however, with damascus I have always done it, & I continue to use bicarbonate of soda as a neutralising agent after an acid clean or stain of damascus.

I really don't think it is absolutely necessary with keris & similar artefacts, but recently I have taken to washing keris & etc with dishwash liquid under running warm water, using a soft toothbrush.

In fact, I do not follow hard & fast rules, & I do not treat any of this stuff as if it were rocket science, I do things as I feel about the object.

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7th February 2026, 11:16 PM	#1
Pendita65 Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 165	Mr. Maisey and the others, thank you for your thoughts and sharing them, i normally use citric acid solution and never used vinegar, i bought today household cleaning vinegar so i will test it. I used electrolyse in the past when i was restoring old woodworking tools and it works, but i prefer citric acid. I know that electrolyse can have influence on the steel of springs it will weaken them so that's the main reason for me not to use it on a keris. I also know that it can be done with laser but i am also affraid it will damage the blade more than a citric acid colution. I have a few other blades that i will test with the vinegar and see what it brings before i use it on the Palembang. Thanks again and regards, Martin

8th February 2026, 12:06 AM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,193	Any acid will do the job Martin, I used to use pineapple juice, which was truly excellent, but this was more than 20 years ago when I was able to buy big tins of fresh, natural Australian pineapple juice, then the local company was bought out by a big multi national, now the pine juice sold by that same company is reconstituted from concentrate brought in from Brazil & maybe some other places. This garbage is undrinkable & does a lousy job of cleaning ferric material. Some people in Solo do use citric acid. I have also used tomato juice, it does a good job but it is too expensive. Yes, the electrolytic method can have negative effects on steel, according to AI. Thinking back, I believe the first rusted keris blade I cleaned was done with muriatic acid --- another name for hydrochloric acid that was used by plumbers --- it was not kind to the blades. After that I used vinegar, then I used pineapple juice, then I went back to vinegar. I've tried various things over the years, but these days I always use plain old household vinegar, probably because it is easy & cheap. I've got several blades in vinegar right now in fact.

8th February 2026, 03:17 PM	#3
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,285	Alan, i believe you used to advocate that after the acid process (whether vinegar, pineapple or whatever) that a slurry made from baking soda be applied to neutralize the acid. Since i saw no mention of this step in this thread is this something you still suggest?

8th February 2026, 07:40 PM	#4
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,193	It is perhaps wise to "kill" any possibility of acid remaining on a blade, other people in the West who clean rusted artefacts with acid do recommend this, & I sometimes do it, sometimes not. I've pretty much stopped doing it with keris, because for a while now I have immediately followed the clean by staining, & I'm only doing 1 or 2 blades at a time, however, with damascus I have always done it, & I continue to use bicarbonate of soda as a neutralising agent after an acid clean or stain of damascus. I really don't think it is absolutely necessary with keris & similar artefacts, but recently I have taken to washing keris & etc with dishwash liquid under running warm water, using a soft toothbrush. In fact, I do not follow hard & fast rules, & I do not treat any of this stuff as if it were rocket science, I do things as I feel about the object.