Info Needed On Tombak

A. G. Maisey · 13th April 2018, 12:41 AM

This is actually a pretty fair old tombak Robert, in fact you've done quite well.

As for me doing it, that is not really practical, I live in Australia, and the type of job I do is far too expensive for a tombak like yours, Australian hourly rates are nowhere near Indonesian hourly rates, then there is shipping cost. But I would be prepared to guide you if you wished to attempt the job yourself.

I may be able to provide a pic of the type of dress I'm talking about, at the moment I do not have time to look for an image.

Kai, I no longer use pineapple juice for cleaning, the tinned stuff is rubbish, the stuff I can produce myself from fresh pineapple and then strain is too expensive and too much trouble. These days I use ordinary white cooking vinegar. It usually takes upwards of a week in vinegar to get a blade clean. I lift and brush and rinse once or twice a day during this soak.

The reaction you describe that occurs with some blades during the cleaning process is common, it usually happens with old blades and it would probably take place with Robert's tombak. The reason I dislike using this as a 'shortcut' clean + stain method is because there is invariably residual rust left on the blade that has been coloured and hidden by the stain. The finished job looks more or less OK, but it is only a short term fix that improves appearance, it does not get rid of all the rust and it does not provide the protection of a new, competent, stain job.

I use the word 'competent' because a lot of the commercial work done here in Jawa is very similar to the method you describe. In fact, most of the people who do stain work in Solo do not like it if you present them with an already cleaned blade to stain, simply because they take the inadequate shortcut method that you describe and then charge top price. I doubt that many collectors can tell the difference between a good, professional warangan job, and a 'quick fix'.

13th April 2018, 12:41 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	This is actually a pretty fair old tombak Robert, in fact you've done quite well. As for me doing it, that is not really practical, I live in Australia, and the type of job I do is far too expensive for a tombak like yours, Australian hourly rates are nowhere near Indonesian hourly rates, then there is shipping cost. But I would be prepared to guide you if you wished to attempt the job yourself. I may be able to provide a pic of the type of dress I'm talking about, at the moment I do not have time to look for an image. Kai, I no longer use pineapple juice for cleaning, the tinned stuff is rubbish, the stuff I can produce myself from fresh pineapple and then strain is too expensive and too much trouble. These days I use ordinary white cooking vinegar. It usually takes upwards of a week in vinegar to get a blade clean. I lift and brush and rinse once or twice a day during this soak. The reaction you describe that occurs with some blades during the cleaning process is common, it usually happens with old blades and it would probably take place with Robert's tombak. The reason I dislike using this as a 'shortcut' clean + stain method is because there is invariably residual rust left on the blade that has been coloured and hidden by the stain. The finished job looks more or less OK, but it is only a short term fix that improves appearance, it does not get rid of all the rust and it does not provide the protection of a new, competent, stain job. I use the word 'competent' because a lot of the commercial work done here in Jawa is very similar to the method you describe. In fact, most of the people who do stain work in Solo do not like it if you present them with an already cleaned blade to stain, simply because they take the inadequate shortcut method that you describe and then charge top price. I doubt that many collectors can tell the difference between a good, professional warangan job, and a 'quick fix'.