Gold work on blades

[Mick]

This piece is a standard of the type of work done in Sumatra. This piece illustrates the type of preparation work done on the iron to help affix to gold to the blade. It is done similar to the Javanese work, but not as well. This allows for the entire gold cap to peel off easily once it starts to come loose so many of the old pieces are missing at least a part of the gold as this one. (It also allows the owner to easily strip off the gold if he comes on hard times which would explain some of the pieces that have had all of the gold removed.) Javanese work is applied as separate pieces which do not lend themselves to be as easily removal by accident.