Stamp on a Klewang

[werecow]

Originally Posted by ruiter58

I will check this balancing point later on other klewangs too

I'll add a data point (and some pics while I'm at it). I can't give you the same precision, as my calipers have no battery, but I have one of the unsharpened Hembrug M1913 marechaussee (I think?) klewangs with the steel scabbard and leather grip. Scabbard and sword both marked 644. Crown over Z on outside of the blade. Chromed, by the looks of it. Measurements are approximately (to within 0.5mm or so):

Weight klewang: 654 grams
Weight scabbard: 630 grams
Blade length: 62cm
Blade width at the base: 3.3 cm
Blade width at 15 cm from the base: 3 cm
Blade width at 10 cm from the tip: 3 cm
Blade thickness at the base: slightly over 4 mm
Blade thickness at 15 cm from the base: slightly over 3.5 mm
Blade thickness at 10 cm from the tip: 3 mm
Basket thickness: 1.5 mm
Grip width at the widest point of the bulge: 3.6 cm
Grip thickness: 2.8 cm
POB: 14.5cm from the guard

Feels very light, especially compared to cutlasses of comparable length. In fact, it's significantly lighter than your examples in spite of being unsharpened, and the blade is somewhat thinner so I'm hoping that does not call into question it's authenticity.

[ruiter58]

I found the following information in the “Klewang, Catalogue of the Dutch Army Museum” by J.P.Puype and R.J. de Stűrler Boekwijt. (I think this Catalogue/Book is a must for any European klewang collector)
Klewang catalogue nr.78 is a 99,9 % similar klewang. As the catalogue is bi-lingual (Dutch and English) I will just type over the information given.
Quote: “Klewang made for the Indonesian Army, or T.N.I., probably in or after 1946. Owing to their improvised appearance and often slipshod engineering quality, most early klewangs T.N.I. are suspected to have been handmade under rather primitive circumstances. The hilt basket of this example has been manually sawn from a sheet-steel plate and blade was manufactured by grinding down, again by hand, the leaf-spring of an automobile. The scabbard, of flexible leather, and with a brass chape with two drainage holes at the front, was probably made by the Indonesians in it entirety. The grip scales and their rivets were probably taken from a N.E.I. Marechaussee sword M1911. The top of the guard is stamped ‘PolTa No 58’ which may mean ‘Polisi Tentara’ i.e. Army Police or MP. The blade bears on the reverse an indigenous maker’s mark consisting of a hammer over an anvil with the letters ‘P B’ underneath, the entire logo being surrounded by a halo. The letters possibly stand for ‘Pabrik Industri Angkatan Darat’ or, literally translated ‘Industrial Factory of the Army’ a rather grand name for what probably was a clandestine workshop in what were still the Dutch colonies.” Unquote

Underneath a picture of the hilt basket.
Quote: “Note the hand-sawn and hand-beaten, sheet iron hilt basket” Unquote

As for the 99,9 % => My example is missing the chape and both the grip scales and rivets are not from the M1911. I think that, when this klewang was made, the supply of spare parts was already completely used.
As I stated in my previous post, at first glance you can see it is much more coarser and way less “finished and smoothed” than f.i. the Hembrug M1911. But the Hembrug is mass produced on machines that produced constant (high) quality blades and all other parts, put together by highly experienced and skilled workers and inspected before delivery by specialized inspectors.

Now, realizing the klewang is completely handmade, starting with the spring-leaf of an automobile and a piece of sheet-iron, I can only take of my hat in respect for the manufacturers and their skills and say that I am the proud owner.

We also have even more search options now to find anything about the Hammer and Anvil maker mark history

[ruiter58]

Hello werecow,

I think you have a nice example of the Hembrug built M1913 and it looks original to me. It does not have the KM mark but does have all other marks.
Please look at a discussion in an earlier thread on this forum about a klewang being a Police klewang or a Marechaussee klewang. Yours is a M1913 Marechausse klewang.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ferrerid=29063

Hope the link works...

Kind regards,
Ron

[werecow]

Originally Posted by ruiter58

Hello werecow,

I think you have a nice example of the Hembrug built M1913 and it looks original to me. It does not have the KM mark but does have all other marks.
Please look at a discussion in an earlier thread on this forum about a klewang being a Police klewang or a Marechaussee klewang. Yours is a M1913 Marechausse klewang.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ferrerid=29063

Hope the link works...

Kind regards,
Ron

Hi Ron,

Good to hear, thanks! I've found that thread in the past and IIRC that is indeed one of the ones I used as a reference when I bought it to help narrow down the model. This forum is very useful!