First Keris

[kai]

Regarding the sepokal, like Alam Shah had said, I am not too sure whether that is a true blue Bugis or a keris from other regions, looks like a sepokal though.

It is a Sepokal but I assume that he's referring to the pieces produced by Maduran bladesmiths these days - at least that's what came to my mind...

BTW, I don't like the Jawa-style etching&staining on a Sulawesi-style blade (nor Sumatran, Malayan, Bali, etc. for that matter ): The heavy warangan can be easily toned down by soaking in coco nut water but I'd also suggest some gentle polishing to get a smoother surface (assuming this is a recent piece and there is enough substance to the blade to work with). While old Bugis-influenced blades often have topographic relief from repeated cleaning/etching, they still tend to have a smooth surface rather than the "porous" finish in keris Jawa.

Much more important would be a decent fit to your scabbard though - any pics? (Kampung.net is still down, I guess? Searching this forum and Alam Shah's website will turn up quite a few pics though to get a better feeling how Bugis blades are supposed to fit.)

Regards,
Kai