Upkeeping of Keris

Jayaningkurnia · 23rd April 2026, 04:00 AM

Thank you Alan for your wisdom - I forgot about the human side of the equation, i.e. the socio-cultural value of the keris/pusaka as a medium to transfer life lessons and to perpetuate certain cultural ceremonies that has great benefit beyond just the basic action performed during these rituals.

I suppose jamasan ceremonies (which is often done is large groups) is one of the few times in the old days when pusaka are unsheathed and the wider members of the family (or even the community) are able to see/handle them and start to develop curiosity and learn about them.

For my own purpose, this is a good reminder to make the process of upkeeping the keris a communal one if possible, so more people are exposed to tosan aji and hopefully start learning; but likely will keep away from the actual actions that might corrode/damage the bilah unnecessarily.

Thank you for sharing your oil mix. I was warned out of using high concentration of organic essential oil by a chemist friend (keeping it below 15% - except for stable/binder natural oils) as it might react with the steel/iron; that's why when I saw your mix in one of the earlier threads I was confused about the 40% sandalwood oil. But now it makes sense since the one you use is synthetic.

May I know the plastic you use to wrap the keris? Is it like cling films that is wrapped around the blade or more like a sleeve? Do you wrap the keris immediately after oiling or air-dry them first? Is keeping them flat/lying down greatly affect the condition (vs standing up?)?

Apologies for the barrage of questions - presently I only clean and oil once a month, air-dry them overnight and keep my krisses standing on blawong and jagraks/ploncons as I like being able to see them.

23rd April 2026, 04:00 AM	#3
Jayaningkurnia Member Join Date: Nov 2025 Location: Singapore Posts: 18	Thank you Alan for your wisdom - I forgot about the human side of the equation, i.e. the socio-cultural value of the keris/pusaka as a medium to transfer life lessons and to perpetuate certain cultural ceremonies that has great benefit beyond just the basic action performed during these rituals. I suppose jamasan ceremonies (which is often done is large groups) is one of the few times in the old days when pusaka are unsheathed and the wider members of the family (or even the community) are able to see/handle them and start to develop curiosity and learn about them. For my own purpose, this is a good reminder to make the process of upkeeping the keris a communal one if possible, so more people are exposed to tosan aji and hopefully start learning; but likely will keep away from the actual actions that might corrode/damage the bilah unnecessarily. Thank you for sharing your oil mix. I was warned out of using high concentration of organic essential oil by a chemist friend (keeping it below 15% - except for stable/binder natural oils) as it might react with the steel/iron; that's why when I saw your mix in one of the earlier threads I was confused about the 40% sandalwood oil. But now it makes sense since the one you use is synthetic. May I know the plastic you use to wrap the keris? Is it like cling films that is wrapped around the blade or more like a sleeve? Do you wrap the keris immediately after oiling or air-dry them first? Is keeping them flat/lying down greatly affect the condition (vs standing up?)? Apologies for the barrage of questions - presently I only clean and oil once a month, air-dry them overnight and keep my krisses standing on blawong and jagraks/ploncons as I like being able to see them.