Archaic kris for comment

[kai]

Thanks for the additional pics, Xas!

I'd bet on it being a quenching line: It's (unusually) sharp towards the thinner edges while it get's a bit blurry in the thicker middle section. This behaviour would be expected due to different cooling rates. With a high polish and an etchant allowing fine resolution, the crystal structures forming this line might become visible.

BTW, the steel of the pattern welding seems to behave very close to the steel utilized for the edges (central layer). Possibly a steel that responds very well to quenching. (Or the bladesmith perfectly hit the sweet spot for quenching this blade!)

Regards,
Kai

[kai]

While I agree with Julien and other contributors that this blade certainly ticks at least some boxes regarding assignment as an archaic blade, I believe this might be a really well-crafted example from the revival period, possibly originating from the 19th century. Just a feeling that I'd currently have a tough time to support!

I'd posit that we need to research these blades in much more detail before we can establish defendable stylistic and technological trends (and/or possibly cultural differences), deduce key features to allow constructing a reliable evolutionary tree/network, and possibly identify individual pieces & even assign age estimates. Given the dearth of documented early pieces which could be used for dating, age estimates are likely to stay relative (younger/older) rather than real periods.

Regards,
Kai

[xasterix]

Kai- thanks very much for your thorough metallurgical assessment and your gut-feel on age estimate!

Interestingly, you're the second person to posit that it may be a "revival" blade; a good friend of mine who's a museum curator had the same view. Compared to other archaic krises I've encountered- this kris has a pretty solid and non-flexible blade. It also has heft, unlike archaic krises which are usually light (sometimes ridiculously so).

I agree with your quench-line theory- that would explain why a bit of pattern in one of the sides still managed to spill over the line.

[JBG163]

The best way to know would be to have it polished and etched. The difference of color would be blatant. I supposed earlier that it could be quench but, more test would be necessary to be perfectly sure.

Still, keeping it in his current state is also a good thing. Especially for datation. It's all a balance and up to you asterix.

My knowledge in Kriss isnt deep enough to assess a revival style. So i entirely relay on Kai for his datation

An impressive sword in any case

[xasterix]

Originally Posted by JBG163

The best way to know would be to have it polished and etched. The difference of color would be blatant. I supposed earlier that it could be quench but, more test would be necessary to be perfectly sure.

Still, keeping it in his current state is also a good thing. Especially for datation. It's all a balance and up to you asterix.

My knowledge in Kriss isnt deep enough to assess a revival style. So i entirely relay on Kai for his datation

An impressive sword in any case

I forgot that it was you that originally posited the quench-line theory- thanks for that again, and also for your kind words!

I'll be doing an FeCl etch in the near future- I'll update this thread by then with clear and close-up pics

[JBG163]

Originally Posted by xasterix

I forgot that it was you that originally posited the quench-line theory- thanks for that again, and also for your kind words!

I'll be doing an FeCl etch in the near future- I'll update this thread by then with clear and close-up pics

No need to clair i'm first or not . Just couldnt be sure with the current state.
If you plan to etch, a good préparation would probably be requiered as the bottom of the blade looks quite pitted.

Kai, do you have encountered any exemple with a quench line like this ?

[kai]

Hello Julien,

Kai, do you have encountered any exemple with a quench line like this ?

Not that I can remember, not that crisp and all over the blade, i believe.

And regarding the dating: As said, it's more of a hunch and needs serious research.

Regards,
Kai

[kai]

Hello Xas,

I'll be doing an FeCl etch in the near future- I'll update this thread by then with clear and close-up pics

I'm not a big fan of ferric chloride - etching with it tends to be quite brutal to the surface and it's acting so fast that fine structures tend to be missed.

If you intend to polish the blade anyway, a quick & dirty exploratory etch with FeCL3 could help to show some details before you start the actual polishing.

You need a good polish to reveal finer structures. And a gentle/slow metallurgical etch to bring out the details without dulling the surface. Arsenic trioxide used in a traditional rub-on fashion works as do a number of more available modern etchants. I'd probably lean towards warm sodium persulfate; I can't claim to have tested most etchants though - doing this side by side on a representative test piece is still on my ever-growing to do list.

Regards,
Kai

[David]

Originally Posted by kai

Arsenic trioxide used in a traditional rub-on fashion works as do a number of more available modern etchants.

Correct me if i am wrong here, but from my understanding arsenic trioxide isn't an etchant at all. It's function when used in the warangan mixture to stain a keris is that it turns iron and steel black while not effecting nickelous material in the pamor. That is how it raises the pamor pattern. It is the acid in the lime juice part of the mixture that acts as a gentle etchant.
I don't really know what causes the lines to appear in a twist core Moro kris, but if it is not the inclusion of nickel in the mix i don't think arsenic would be an effective way to raise the appearance of the lines in the twist.

[milandro]

Originally Posted by xasterix

I forgot that it was you that originally posited the quench-line theory- thanks for that again, and also for your kind words!

I'll be doing an FeCl etch in the near future- I'll update this thread by then with clear and close-up pics

Hello Xasterix, I was wondering wether you ever followed up with a FeCl treatment.

I am thinking of asking a blacksmith to do this with my Moro Maguindanao Kris and wanted to see what the effects are. I don't have the facilities to do this myself. How, if you did, did you you go about protecting the hilt from the FeCl?


I look forward to see your answer hoping that you get an alert from the forum after my quoting your post from last year

[kai]

Hello Milandro,

As mentioned above (post #21), I'm not favouring etching with ferric chloride. The stain will often exhibit pretty warm colors (i.e. rusty), sometimes after some time only.

Even if one has experience in its use on modern pattern-welded blades, there is a chance that leftover chloride ions will keep nagging on a blade, especially with antique blades that are more likely to have crevices from cold shuts, eroded surfaces, etc.

Pretty much all Moro aficionados are nowadays utilizing warm diluted acetic acid. While the resulting pattern will be more subdued, it certainly seems close enough to what real user blades probably looked like.

Regards,
Kai
(BTW, I see that I failed to answer David's post - will do ASAP)