Interesting keris making video

[David]

Gold is a highly symbolic metal in most cultures. That the smith uses gold is not really an indication that the gold has any practical application in the forging process though.

[A. G. Maisey]

I do not know Bp.Basuki personally, and I have never met him.

Because of my lack of personal knowledge of this gentleman I will not make any comment in respect of the man himself nor his work. In this case, I do not believe that repeating the comments, or the reporting, of other people would be advisable in this Forum.

[Pusaka]

Originally Posted by David

Gold is a highly symbolic metal in most cultures. That the smith uses gold is not really an indication that the gold has any practical application in the forging process though.

True, most cultures symbolically see gold as a metal of the Sun because of its colour and link it with long life because it never rusts. If we think of a keris as being a talisman/amulet its all about producing a material which can receive and hold the charge

[Richard Furrer]

Originally Posted by Pusaka

True, most cultures symbolically see gold as a metal of the Sun because of its colour and link it with long life because it never rusts. If we think of a keris as being a talisman/amulet its all about producing a material which can receive and hold the charge

Good point well made.
Ric

[A. G. Maisey]

Here is a link to Part II of the keris making video, it has only been available for a few days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmZ1...5WlX4Baza6YidT


Pusaka:-

could you tell us exactly what words you heard at 1.56 of Part I of the video that you believe indicated that meteorite was included in the material used? Thanks.

[Pusaka]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Here is a link to Part II of the keris making video, it has only been available for a few days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmZ1...5WlX4Baza6YidT


Pusaka:-

could you tell us exactly what words you heard at 1.56 of Part I of the video that you believe indicated that meteorite was included in the material used? Thanks.

He said something that sounds very similar to meteor...yo-metero

Also I had read some articles which had talked about keris he made with meteorites

http://www.fotografer.net/forum/view.php?id=3193791562

http://teknologi.news.viva.co.id/new...ra-deteksinya-

[A. G. Maisey]

Thanks Pusaka.

Yes, at the moment there are more than a few people who have used meteoritic material, or who claim to have used meteoritic material to make keris. Frankly, I have difficulty in understanding why everybody thinks its so special, because its not --- apart from the mystical belief thing.

I was welding meteoritic material --- actually, consolidating small pieces of Arizona meteorite --- back around 1987 or '88, and then I worked with Pandai Keris Yantono in producing a couple of keris with meteoritic pamor. It is possible these may have been the first keris of the modern era that used meteoritic material as the pamor. Its not difficult to weld, not much different to welding ordinary iron and nickel, but it does require more than 7 welds before its clean enough to use.

In any case, I don't have any problem with accepting that Bp. Basuki may have used meteoritic material --- Pandai Keris Yantono was very probably his teacher so he would have had the basics. My only question is where the video commentary says that meteoritic material was used in the keris in the video.

There may be a word that sounds similar to the word "meteor", but what we would need to hear is something like "sela asal langit", or maybe "sela saking langit". Don't forget, this is not Bahasa Indonesia, it is Krama Inggil.

I have had two native speakers of Javanese listen to the section of the commentary between 1.50 and 1.60 several times each to see if they can identify mention of anything that we might be able to interpret as "meteor", but regrettably neither are speakers of Krama Inggil so although they understand the commentary better than I do, their understanding is far from perfect. My son-in-law can speak Krama Inggil, but he's in Solo and I'm in Australia, and I won't be seeing him until December.

Since none of us can understand perfectly what is being said, why not just ignore the commentary and accept the video for what it is:- a very entertaining essay on forge work, certainly incomplete, and leaving a lot to the imagination, but entertaining none the less.

Additional comment:-

just read this:-

http://teknologi.news.viva.co.id/new...ra-deteksinya-


and found something interesting --- well, interesting to me, anyway ---


at the end of this article are two little pictures of five keris in a ploncon.

That picture has been lifted from my site.

Not the first time my site has been pirated by people in Indonesia, Solo tourist office lifted something I wrote and included it in their blurb. I don't really mind this, but it would be nice if people asked first, before just taking.

Anyway, here is the pic in full:-

[Pusaka]

A.G. Maisey,

My interest in the video really hinges around the exotic blend of metals used to make the pamor, for some reason I find the concept of unusual metallic blends in addition to ceremonies preformed most interesting.

There is nothing special about meteorite Iron chemically, its just a lump of Iron-nickel but we must put ourselves in the place of people who's only way to categorise metals or different Irons types was where it came from, its taste, its smell, its color, its texture and its sound.

A good keris is one that is physically well formed, has a good pamor and when struck rings like a bell. Since I am not qualified in this sound Science I cannot say if a keris made from unusual metallic blends inc meteorite, gold,silver,brass etc might be endowed with a quality of vibration that sets it aside as being something special or not.

What I can say is that for a people who traditionally followed a Vadic tradition a keris that when struck produced the AUM sound would be something very special!