keris for comment

Paul B. · 6th December 2019, 12:13 PM

Old topic but I'd like to join in because I have seen several (Bali) wrangka's with this brown striping (always back side) and wonder where this comes from?

Here is another poor quality pic I have found.

Jean · 6th December 2019, 01:38 PM

IMO this dark strip occurs because the carver used the outer rim of the elephant tusk which is more prone to decay especially on the back side which is in contact with the skin (traditional Balinese wear high in the back) or clothes. It may disappear or fade by applying a tooth whitening agent.
Regards

A. G. Maisey · 6th December 2019, 06:31 PM

Yes Jean, it is the outer "skin" of the tusk, or at least this is what I have been told by carvers in both Solo and Bali.

Jean · 6th December 2019, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Yes Jean, it is the outer "skin" of the tusk, or at least this is what I have been told by carvers in both Solo and Bali.

Thank you Alan. This is very detrimental to the aspect of the wrangka, can it be corrected without having to sand it according to your experience?
Regards

A. G. Maisey · 7th December 2019, 12:35 AM

Jean, my experience in this area is nil.

However, my uninformed opinion is that if we were to try to sand it out, we would destroy the flow of the wrongko, this darkness is on the reverse side of the atasan anyway; personally, I don't think it looks too bad. I'd simply accept it as a feature of the particular keris, neither desirable nor undesirable.

Jean · 7th December 2019, 09:36 AM

Thank you Alan. If I ever face such a situation, I would try to whiten the ivory by applying a concentrated hydrogen peroxyde solution.
Regards

GIO · 7th December 2019, 04:28 PM

IMVHO the hilt is not ivory but buffalo horn. The tranlucent aspect occurs frequently in such material. A hilt with same material and very similar color was shown recently on ebay. As to the origin I think that Lombok is an acceptable option.

6th December 2019, 12:13 PM	#1
Paul B. Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 205	Old topic but I'd like to join in because I have seen several (Bali) wrangka's with this brown striping (always back side) and wonder where this comes from? Here is another poor quality pic I have found. Attached Images

6th December 2019, 01:38 PM	#2
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	IMO this dark strip occurs because the carver used the outer rim of the elephant tusk which is more prone to decay especially on the back side which is in contact with the skin (traditional Balinese wear high in the back) or clothes. It may disappear or fade by applying a tooth whitening agent. Regards

6th December 2019, 06:31 PM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	Yes Jean, it is the outer "skin" of the tusk, or at least this is what I have been told by carvers in both Solo and Bali.

7th December 2019, 12:35 AM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	Jean, my experience in this area is nil. However, my uninformed opinion is that if we were to try to sand it out, we would destroy the flow of the wrongko, this darkness is on the reverse side of the atasan anyway; personally, I don't think it looks too bad. I'd simply accept it as a feature of the particular keris, neither desirable nor undesirable.

7th December 2019, 09:36 AM	#6
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	Thank you Alan. If I ever face such a situation, I would try to whiten the ivory by applying a concentrated hydrogen peroxyde solution. Regards

7th December 2019, 04:28 PM	#7
GIO Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 328	IMVHO the hilt is not ivory but buffalo horn. The tranlucent aspect occurs frequently in such material. A hilt with same material and very similar color was shown recently on ebay. As to the origin I think that Lombok is an acceptable option.