keris for comment..

zartane · 11th October 2007, 06:52 AM

well, i manage to bargain it from a friend of mine.. didn't have the chance to polish the swasa.. maybe i will n post some pics after polishing..

BluErf · 11th October 2007, 05:03 PM

I think the swasa accents (except maybe for the side eye-lashes) on this hilt are attached using adhesives instead of swasa pegs. So be careful when you polish the swasa accents. Depending on the age of the work, the adhesive securing the swasa pieces to the hilt may have become weakened and may drop off. And if that happens, please don't use superglue to reglue the pieces. Wood glue may not be the best to hold the swasa onto the wood, but it certainly is very safe and reversible, and will last for a while.

zartane · 12th October 2007, 12:41 PM

BluErf, where can i find this swasa pegs?? are there any particular product?? and yes, i did polish the swasa accents, and yes, one of them came off.. i should have read your post before doing so.. at least i did not use the super glue (i was planning to use super glue tomorow, luckily your comment was on time!!)

Therefore I thank you very much for your kind advice!!

Battara · 12th October 2007, 04:53 PM

Actually, swassa has to be made from scratch - it is a mixture of gold and copper for the most part, but must be played with and mixed specifically to match the color of the original swassa. It is expensive, but a friend and I have made it in the past.

A. G. Maisey · 12th October 2007, 10:39 PM

I reckon that if was going to use an adhesive to put those pieces of metal back in place, I'd be using either damar or shellac. Button shellac would be the easiest to obtain, and to use. Just heat the piece of shellac over a candle, smear a little bit onto the wood, then have two candles burning at the same time, heat the shellac on the wood over one candle, and the metal fitting over the other, and press the metal into place.To make sure the metal went fully into its correct position, you heat the metal over the candle when it is on the wood, and then press it into place. The excess of squeezed out shellac can normally just be scraped off with a thumbnail, or a little piece of pointed wood, the candle soot can be wiped off with turps.

BluErf · 13th October 2007, 02:13 AM

The swasa pegs were used in the past to nail the accent pieces to the hilt. They're made by the goldsmith commissioned to put the accent on the hilt. As such, they're not made for sale. I suppose it could always be commissioned now.

Anyhow, no one has used swasa pegs to secure the accents on tajong hilts in recent years, as far as we know. Swasa pegs are thin like needle, and hammered into the hilt. How the goldsmith did it is a bit of a mystery, as you could imagine, the needle-thin peg would bend quite easily if hammered slightly off-centre.

zartane · 13th October 2007, 11:54 AM

what does a peice of button shellac looks like? can i get it from any hardware store?

Battara · 14th October 2007, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BluErf

Swasa pegs are thin like needle, and hammered into the hilt. How the goldsmith did it is a bit of a mystery, as you could imagine, the needle-thin peg would bend quite easily if hammered slightly off-centre.

Actually BluErf, swaasa is very hard compared to gold or even silver. I have made swaasa nails before and they are very tough. I think it is the copper content.

11th October 2007, 06:52 AM	#1
zartane Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 38	well, i manage to bargain it from a friend of mine.. didn't have the chance to polish the swasa.. maybe i will n post some pics after polishing..

11th October 2007, 05:03 PM	#2
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	I think the swasa accents (except maybe for the side eye-lashes) on this hilt are attached using adhesives instead of swasa pegs. So be careful when you polish the swasa accents. Depending on the age of the work, the adhesive securing the swasa pieces to the hilt may have become weakened and may drop off. And if that happens, please don't use superglue to reglue the pieces. Wood glue may not be the best to hold the swasa onto the wood, but it certainly is very safe and reversible, and will last for a while.

12th October 2007, 12:41 PM	#3
zartane Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 38	BluErf, where can i find this swasa pegs?? are there any particular product?? and yes, i did polish the swasa accents, and yes, one of them came off.. i should have read your post before doing so.. at least i did not use the super glue (i was planning to use super glue tomorow, luckily your comment was on time!!) Therefore I thank you very much for your kind advice!!

12th October 2007, 04:53 PM	#4
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,272	Actually, swassa has to be made from scratch - it is a mixture of gold and copper for the most part, but must be played with and mixed specifically to match the color of the original swassa. It is expensive, but a friend and I have made it in the past.

12th October 2007, 10:39 PM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	I reckon that if was going to use an adhesive to put those pieces of metal back in place, I'd be using either damar or shellac. Button shellac would be the easiest to obtain, and to use. Just heat the piece of shellac over a candle, smear a little bit onto the wood, then have two candles burning at the same time, heat the shellac on the wood over one candle, and the metal fitting over the other, and press the metal into place.To make sure the metal went fully into its correct position, you heat the metal over the candle when it is on the wood, and then press it into place. The excess of squeezed out shellac can normally just be scraped off with a thumbnail, or a little piece of pointed wood, the candle soot can be wiped off with turps.

13th October 2007, 02:13 AM	#6
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	The swasa pegs were used in the past to nail the accent pieces to the hilt. They're made by the goldsmith commissioned to put the accent on the hilt. As such, they're not made for sale. I suppose it could always be commissioned now. Anyhow, no one has used swasa pegs to secure the accents on tajong hilts in recent years, as far as we know. Swasa pegs are thin like needle, and hammered into the hilt. How the goldsmith did it is a bit of a mystery, as you could imagine, the needle-thin peg would bend quite easily if hammered slightly off-centre.

13th October 2007, 11:54 AM	#7
zartane Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 38	what does a peice of button shellac looks like? can i get it from any hardware store?