Ambon Keris for interest

[Battara]

That’s the problem with even a light acid like vinegar, it will still eat into the metal. I agree with a good polishing.

[kai]

Hello Jose,

That’s the problem with even a light acid like vinegar, it will still eat into the metal. I agree with a good polishing.

Polishing a porous blade like this is a tough task and often results in very unevenly polished surfaces (or removal of quite a lot of "healthy" metal).

Moreover, this keris originates very likely from SW Sulawesi and the local collecting community favors only etching the blade with mild acids without any polishing. One might argue from museum specimens that this practise may not be any ancient custom. However, any serious restoration work on this blade will be an uphill battle.

This is a rather small and probably fairly old blade - I'd suggest to leave it alone (after completely removing the rust).

Regards,
Kai