moro kris arrived

[Ian]

Hi Tom,

Nice work on the clean-up. As to whether the hilt originally had a crest, this can be hard to determine sometimes, especially from pictures. I have not seen a "crestless" kakatua hilt that showed no evidence of damage or recarving of the hilt. The crest seems to have been a vulnerable part of the pommel and susceptible to breaking off. It's possible that your kakatua hilt never had a crest, but that would be a first in my experience. Perhaps a crest was sometimes removed for comfort or ease of use.

Your pommel lacks the common side panels and I think the size of your kakatua crest argues for early-mid 19th C dress, but the blade could be older.

[tom22]

Originally Posted by Ian

Hi Tom,

Nice work on the clean-up. As to whether the hilt originally had a crest, this can be hard to determine sometimes, especially from pictures. I have not seen a "crestless" kakatua hilt that showed no evidence of damage or recarving of the hilt. The crest seems to have been a vulnerable part of the pommel and susceptible to breaking off. It's possible that your kakatua hilt never had a crest, but that would be a first in my experience. Perhaps a crest was sometimes removed for comfort or ease of use.

Your pommel lacks the common side panels and I think the size of your kakatua crest argues for early-mid 19th C dress, but the blade could be older.

Hi ,Thanks Ian
It cleaned up quite well though was carefull not to over clean it , i never thought that it may of been recarved and now seems very possible as you have said , i have found a picture of a similar example which i will post , thanks for the info