Restaining kris?

A. G. Maisey · 7th November 2011, 01:31 AM

Ron, with staining it doesn't matter if you make a mess of it, because you can just clean it off and start again.

One of the keris I made myself, I spent more than 3 days on. I was not going to be satisfied with anything less than perfection.

I reckon I must have cleaned it off with steel wool and powder sink cleaner (Ajax) at least 10 times before I got a result that could not be improved on.

Spunjer · 7th November 2011, 02:52 AM

Lol, thanks for the confidence, Alan. I've etched countless moro and filipino swords, some came out excellent while others turned out not so good. My guess is it should be the same process, no? All i've got on hand are white vinegar and FeCl.. i'll see what happens

A. G. Maisey · 7th November 2011, 03:33 AM

Ron, if all you need is to see the pattern, ferric chloride is quite OK, and takes about 5 minutes. I've done literally hundreds of mechanical damascus blades, and if you've used the stuff previously, its easy.

Doing a proper, high quality, traditional stain on a keris blade is a totally different ball of wool.

On an old, previously stained blade, it might only take an hour or even less, on a newly made blade, a recent blade, a blade that has required intensive cleaning, a blade with a complex pamor, a blade with unusual pamor material --- and other unmentioned conditions --- the time used to achieve a satisfactory result can amount to quite a bit. I usually allow a day per blade, and hope it won't run into more. If you want a perfect result, then it is definitely going to take longer, maybe a lot longer.

7th November 2011, 01:31 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,085	Ron, with staining it doesn't matter if you make a mess of it, because you can just clean it off and start again. One of the keris I made myself, I spent more than 3 days on. I was not going to be satisfied with anything less than perfection. I reckon I must have cleaned it off with steel wool and powder sink cleaner (Ajax) at least 10 times before I got a result that could not be improved on.

7th November 2011, 02:52 AM	#2
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	Lol, thanks for the confidence, Alan. I've etched countless moro and filipino swords, some came out excellent while others turned out not so good. My guess is it should be the same process, no? All i've got on hand are white vinegar and FeCl.. i'll see what happens

7th November 2011, 03:33 AM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,085	Ron, if all you need is to see the pattern, ferric chloride is quite OK, and takes about 5 minutes. I've done literally hundreds of mechanical damascus blades, and if you've used the stuff previously, its easy. Doing a proper, high quality, traditional stain on a keris blade is a totally different ball of wool. On an old, previously stained blade, it might only take an hour or even less, on a newly made blade, a recent blade, a blade that has required intensive cleaning, a blade with a complex pamor, a blade with unusual pamor material --- and other unmentioned conditions --- the time used to achieve a satisfactory result can amount to quite a bit. I usually allow a day per blade, and hope it won't run into more. If you want a perfect result, then it is definitely going to take longer, maybe a lot longer.