Pamor Staining in the UK?

[David]

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

Would gun black work? There is a gunsmith not far from were I live. I have a tombak I would quite like to stain now that I have cleaned it.

There are many sustances that will stain the iron of a keris or tombak...however, only arsenic will render it in the "proper" colors when done under the best of curcumstances. So in the end it will depend upon how much you feel obligated to maintaining the piece as it is traditionally supposed to look. For me personally that has some importance. For those who are not as much a stickler for authenticity other substances might do.