Planning to make a wrongko

A. G. Maisey · 17th May 2017, 10:13 PM

It looks pretty OK Johan, not a real bad job at all. Room for improvement, certainly, but for a first attempt from a base of nothing, it comes close to brilliant.

HOWEVER

Wax is used to enhance and protect an already finished surface, it is most definitely not suitable as a finish applied to bare, unsealed, unfinished wood.

If you wish to correctly finish your wrongko you must now remove the wax, resand and whisker, then use Danish Oil or similar, or shellac as Rick has advised.

Wax by itself is NOT a finish.

The manufacturers of the wax you have used say as much, and I would be surprised if this is not also shown on your tin of wax:-

https://www.woodoc.com/en/products/woodoc-antique-wax

Johan van Zyl · 18th May 2017, 09:23 AM

After reading your post, Alan, I laughed at myself awhile. I admitted to myself for the umpteenth time that - verily - there does not exist a substitute for experience. Oh well, at least I did not do irreversible damage to the scabbard. When my dear wife's jobs are done, I can go the shellac way. (Searching for a Danish oil product was totally fruitless.)

This has been a wonderful experience for me, making the scabbard, and during all this time on this thread I have been the recipient of all your kindness, helpfulness and knowledgeable hints & advice. I thank you!

To end off the thread with a few philosophical words from me, I can say this home-made scabbard, however aesthetically imperfect as you all agree, does add character to my Bugis Riau keris. You will agree that if a person who truly knows kerisses looks at it for the first time, he is sure to remark that this scabbard, although a recent non-Indonesian replacement, was made specifically for this keris. I have a feeling that not very many antique kerisses in collections still have scabbards that they can call their very own.

A. G. Maisey · 18th May 2017, 12:48 PM

Johan, to remove the wax, try mineral turpentine + a small stiff brush + steel wool. There are special wax removing fluids, but I doubt that you will be able to get any.

17th May 2017, 10:13 PM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,048	It looks pretty OK Johan, not a real bad job at all. Room for improvement, certainly, but for a first attempt from a base of nothing, it comes close to brilliant. HOWEVER Wax is used to enhance and protect an already finished surface, it is most definitely not suitable as a finish applied to bare, unsealed, unfinished wood. If you wish to correctly finish your wrongko you must now remove the wax, resand and whisker, then use Danish Oil or similar, or shellac as Rick has advised. Wax by itself is NOT a finish. The manufacturers of the wax you have used say as much, and I would be surprised if this is not also shown on your tin of wax:- https://www.woodoc.com/en/products/woodoc-antique-wax

18th May 2017, 09:23 AM	#2
Johan van Zyl Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: I live in Gordon's Bay, a village in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Posts: 126	After reading your post, Alan, I laughed at myself awhile. I admitted to myself for the umpteenth time that - verily - there does not exist a substitute for experience. Oh well, at least I did not do irreversible damage to the scabbard. When my dear wife's jobs are done, I can go the shellac way. (Searching for a Danish oil product was totally fruitless.) This has been a wonderful experience for me, making the scabbard, and during all this time on this thread I have been the recipient of all your kindness, helpfulness and knowledgeable hints & advice. I thank you! To end off the thread with a few philosophical words from me, I can say this home-made scabbard, however aesthetically imperfect as you all agree, does add character to my Bugis Riau keris. You will agree that if a person who truly knows kerisses looks at it for the first time, he is sure to remark that this scabbard, although a recent non-Indonesian replacement, was made specifically for this keris. I have a feeling that not very many antique kerisses in collections still have scabbards that they can call their very own.

18th May 2017, 12:48 PM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,048	Johan, to remove the wax, try mineral turpentine + a small stiff brush + steel wool. There are special wax removing fluids, but I doubt that you will be able to get any.