Another restoration question - help me, experts!

[GIO]

Originally Posted by S.Workman

I have finally gotten everything I need to restore my keris, but I have run into another issue. This keris:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18521
is now rust free, and the metal is actually a lovely, sparkling silver, almost like schist, and the pamor, which I had thought non existent, is shining through. I have high hopes, but when I take the blade out of my acid solution, it develops a very fine yellowy - red rust within minutes or seconds. Can I apply my warangan directly over this, or will I get an ugly rust reaction? If I can't apply directly on this, how can I suppress the reaction for long enough to get an application on?

The light rust patina is not a problem. Once you have eliminated all the deep rust, cleaned the blade from oil and grease and dried it, you can start with the warangan. Since the warangan contains lime (or lemon), this will immediately eliminate the yellowish patina of rust on the blade.
Remember that etching a blade is not an exact science: the results depend upon the weather conditions, quality of the arsenious mineral, and first of all (at least in my opinion) type of iron. According to several experts, a bright sun would help, but, according to my experience, I cannot confirm this.
A friend collector has made an etching in a cold winter, and, he told me,
with unexpected good results.
Don't get discouraged if the first attempts will not be satisfactory. Try again and again. Once, after endless treatments with warangan, I decided to give up and I rinsed the blade in water. At this point the pamor immediately appeared ! I am still astonished.
We are all interested in seeing pics of the results, even if unsatisfactory.
Good chance