Bugis Keris?

blue lander · 18th May 2015, 02:52 PM

I don't see any worm holes anywhere else on the hilt or scabbard. Just some bumps and dings. The repair definitely doesn't fit the hole perfectly, you can see some wood filler around the edges. But they did match the contours of the scabbard pretty well, so somebody did put some effort into it.

Thanks for the steps on how to refinish the scabbard. Any advice on how to remove the paint from the blade itself? Alcohol and acetone aren't doing the trick. I'm going to try soaking it in hot soapy water next.

Edit: Hot soapy water is working ok, slowly but surely removing the paint
the steel of the blade is turning an odd shade of light green, though.

A. G. Maisey · 18th May 2015, 11:12 PM

There are various types of paint, and various ways to remove them, if you can identify the paint type, you simply use the appropriate paint remover.

However, if I was going to remove the paint, I'd use heat to blister it, then scrub off with a hard brush and mineral turps. After that I'd go over the blade carefully using magnification and a sharp pick, something like a saddlers awl, and make sure there was no paint left in the cracks. Then probably several soaks and rinses in mineral turps and a drench with WD40.

If you intend to go straight to a stain, you could use a vinegar soak after the paint was off, and omit the WD40.

18th May 2015, 02:52 PM	#1
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	I don't see any worm holes anywhere else on the hilt or scabbard. Just some bumps and dings. The repair definitely doesn't fit the hole perfectly, you can see some wood filler around the edges. But they did match the contours of the scabbard pretty well, so somebody did put some effort into it. Thanks for the steps on how to refinish the scabbard. Any advice on how to remove the paint from the blade itself? Alcohol and acetone aren't doing the trick. I'm going to try soaking it in hot soapy water next. Edit: Hot soapy water is working ok, slowly but surely removing the paint the steel of the blade is turning an odd shade of light green, though. Attached Images Last edited by blue lander; 18th May 2015 at 08:41 PM.

18th May 2015, 11:12 PM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	There are various types of paint, and various ways to remove them, if you can identify the paint type, you simply use the appropriate paint remover. However, if I was going to remove the paint, I'd use heat to blister it, then scrub off with a hard brush and mineral turps. After that I'd go over the blade carefully using magnification and a sharp pick, something like a saddlers awl, and make sure there was no paint left in the cracks. Then probably several soaks and rinses in mineral turps and a drench with WD40. If you intend to go straight to a stain, you could use a vinegar soak after the paint was off, and omit the WD40.