Authenticity Of Keris

[DAHenkel]

Originally Posted by Sakhti777

Your keris could be new or maybe ancient, no one knows, because till now I dont see anybody in this forum sending the right photos of original k.buda, mostly alarmed with assumptions without even seeing or owning one or may I say refrain to send one scared of being denied and condemned.

Nobody is condemning anybody here Sakhti - take my opinion or don't but please don't assume I don't know anything about what I'm talking about because I don't post photo's. There are plenty of photos of legitimate, provenanced keris of this sort out there. If you've got the time to scan and post them, please feel free. I however don't have that kind of time.

Originally Posted by Sakhti777

I am sure the smith can produce uneven effects on a new blade any time.

And I am quite sure that this is in fact impossible, or very nearly impossible to recreate natural blade wear properly. Acids like HCL attack the entire surface of the blade. In the above example there is little or no pitting whatsoever. The surface of the blade has been more or less uniformly eaten away, leaving only the wide cratering effect that gives an almost flint blade-like appearance.

However, whether in relic or in archaeological conditions, rust attacks the surface of the blade irregularly. While surface rust may cover the entire blade, deep pitting only occurs where the rust is able to take root and eat deeply into the blade. Thus, the pitting will be irregular. In traditionally kept keris, where rust may have occurred on occasion and then arrested subsequently through cleaning the pitting will be highly localized and relatively minor in extent. The surface wear will be limited to the effects of warangan and other caustic substances used to clean and patinate the blade. Also, rust and wear will have a tendency to work along weld lines and even get in underneath the surface of poor welds, creating buckling.

While a metalurgist or someone with a background in metalurgy (Empu Kumis?) might be able to speak to this in more technical teminology and eplain the underlying reasons for how pitting and wear occurs, most of us have to rely on experience. Judging a blade is often the combination of many different inputs. Weight, feel, workmanship, etc. etc. Often the faker gets some things right but then blows something or another.

I'd say it is extraordinarily rare that a faker does get it all right and creates the type of work that will confuse an experienced collector or scholar. For the most part the fakers cannot afford to put the kind of effort needed to create a convincing piece of work. Its far easier and cheaper to create fakes that will take in the gullible and unsuspecting and mass produce them cheaply.

I would once again encourage anyone who has not done so to read back through the archives for relevant information. Many of us have been at this for 5 or more years and it is not easy to re-write everything each time the subject comes up.