Grandpa's Keris

kai · 18th January 2007, 08:16 AM

To me the blade doesn't look like it has been forged just before being picked up. I believe the workmanship on the prabot details is average at most for Balinese standards - it's a nice blade though! (I yet have to come across a genuine keris Bali blade which I don't like...

)

My best guess would be first half of the 20th century (19th c. seems also possible). I'd be interested to hear wether this piece shows any details which would specifically indicate 19th c. or otherwise.

Anyway, congrats Daniel - that's a really nice start for a keris collection!

Regards,
Kai

David · 18th January 2007, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kai

My best guess would be first half of the 20th century (19th c. seems also possible). I'd be interested to hear wether this piece shows any details which would specifically indicate 19th c. or otherwise.

This is a good question Kai, and it is not something which has been written up very much AFAIK. My reasoning for dating this one a little bit earlier might be completely off-base. I have noticed that pretty much all of my Bali keris tend to rise up in a slight curve at the tail end of the gonjo towards the body of the blade. This angle often follows though into forming part of the greneng. This gonjo, however, goes straight across. I have one older Bali keris that does this (could be early - mid 19thC), but i haven't seen it this way on 20thC Bali keris. Could be i just haven't seen enough. Of course, this gonjo is meatier than the one on my older keris, which seems more the style as we move towards the 20thC. Frankly not enough serious work has been done on how to date these keris. Maybe Alan has some ideas.
Kai, i agree that this keris is standard for Bali quality. There is nothing particularly extrordinary about it. But as you say, i love any genuine Bali blade and this one is certainly nice enough to hold on to.

Daniel · 18th January 2007, 02:48 PM

Thank you all for taking the time to post your opinions on this piece. I feel I have a much clearer idea now of what I have.

My Grandfather wasn't a knowlegeable collector, and brought back from his travels a whole mulligan stew of items including spear, blow gun, shields, and a variety of swords and knives. (unfortunately most of which was lost when my Grandma had a yard sale to get rid of "junk") But he had money to spend. This keris may well have been bought as a souvenier. I don't know.

I've had quite a bit of experience with metal finishing and patination--I've done some gunsmithing, antique restoration, etc. And I'm a pretty finicky craftsman. I think I can probably do the cleaning and staining myself. I don't assume it is a highly technical skill such as repolishing a Japanese blade. I'll do some research about the procedure and see what I can come up with. If I am successful, I'll post the results.

Thanks again for all your help.

DD

David · 18th January 2007, 04:42 PM

You might find this thread helpful. The hardest part is findind the arsenic trioxide. Other substances will darken a keris blade, but only arsenic will give you the correct colors, and even though, only if done properly. I would recommend that to make you initial attempts on some cheap blades, but even if you work on this one the process is, for the most part, reversable, as long as you don't seriously over-etch and eat away at the blade. That's kinda hard to do with pineapple juice or other fruit acids though.

http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000717.html

18th January 2007, 08:16 AM	#1
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	To me the blade doesn't look like it has been forged just before being picked up. I believe the workmanship on the prabot details is average at most for Balinese standards - it's a nice blade though! (I yet have to come across a genuine keris Bali blade which I don't like... ) My best guess would be first half of the 20th century (19th c. seems also possible). I'd be interested to hear wether this piece shows any details which would specifically indicate 19th c. or otherwise. Anyway, congrats Daniel - that's a really nice start for a keris collection! Regards, Kai

18th January 2007, 02:48 PM	#3
Daniel Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: California Posts: 16	Thank you all for taking the time to post your opinions on this piece. I feel I have a much clearer idea now of what I have. My Grandfather wasn't a knowlegeable collector, and brought back from his travels a whole mulligan stew of items including spear, blow gun, shields, and a variety of swords and knives. (unfortunately most of which was lost when my Grandma had a yard sale to get rid of "junk") But he had money to spend. This keris may well have been bought as a souvenier. I don't know. I've had quite a bit of experience with metal finishing and patination--I've done some gunsmithing, antique restoration, etc. And I'm a pretty finicky craftsman. I think I can probably do the cleaning and staining myself. I don't assume it is a highly technical skill such as repolishing a Japanese blade. I'll do some research about the procedure and see what I can come up with. If I am successful, I'll post the results. Thanks again for all your help. DD

18th January 2007, 04:42 PM	#4
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,211	You might find this thread helpful. The hardest part is findind the arsenic trioxide. Other substances will darken a keris blade, but only arsenic will give you the correct colors, and even though, only if done properly. I would recommend that to make you initial attempts on some cheap blades, but even if you work on this one the process is, for the most part, reversable, as long as you don't seriously over-etch and eat away at the blade. That's kinda hard to do with pineapple juice or other fruit acids though. http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000717.html