Arsenic or realgar for Keris etching?

[ganjawulung]

Originally Posted by kulbuntet

This method your dont wanna get in to is called Nyek?

Dear Kulbuntet,
If you stain your keris like the way you paint something with warangan -- with for instance, paint brush -- then this method is called "nyek" (the "e" spelled as vocal "e" in "church", and "k" consonant as spelled as ending consonant "g"). This method of "nyek" is very popular among keris traditionalist (old people in the past) in Yogyakarta area, for staining old kerises. The result is not contrast if you compare with "soaking method"...

The other method, called as "koloh" method. Soaking the blade in "blandongan" (special place for staining kerises). Koloh method vastly used among keris people in Solo, East Java, Madura, Bali. More complicated than "nyek" method, because you must master each character of the warangan liquid. "Warangan galak" (quick reacting warangan liquid) is not good for blades with "pamor sanak" (?). But is good for blades with "pamor byor" (contrast pamor, with pamor material such as nickel -- bright type of pamor). For blades with "pamor sanak" then it is better if you use "warangan nom" (very soft warangan with very slow reacting of blackening the blade). Some staining specialist in Solo, sometimes push the blade with inner part of fingers (this practice of course, is dangerous...) to push the sanak pamor...

If you choose the "nyek" method, then you simply crushed the warangan, mixed it with "air jeruk nipis" (squeezed lime liquid), then brushed the blade with warangan. Of course, you must first "mutih" (brushed the blade with lime liquid and cream soap many time, then brush and brush with lime liquid until "white" as if it is painted with "metalic paint"...)

The "koloh" method is not that simple. The first absolute thing to do is "mutih" your blade perfectly, then soak your blade in "blandongan" with warangan fluid... It will waste your time, and you will fail, if you don't do the "mutih" process perfectly

GANJAWULUNG

[David]

Originally Posted by ganjawulung

If you choose the "nyek" method, then you simply crushed the warangan, mixed it with "air jeruk nipis" (squeezed lime liquid), then brushed the blade with warangan. Of course, you must first "mutih" (brushed the blade with lime liquid and cream soap many time, then brush and brush with lime liquid until "white" as if it is painted with "metalic paint"...)

Ganja, i am by no means a expert at staining blades. I have had fairly satisfactory results though. I am confused by what you call "mutih", firstly because it is the first i have heard of it and secondly because i do not know what you mean by "cream soap". I do, of course, get my blades "white" before i begin the staining processes. I am always interested in anything that can improve my results so maybe you could explain "mutih" further.

[ganjawulung]

Originally Posted by David

I am confused by what you call "mutih", firstly because it is the first i have heard of it and secondly because i do not know what you mean by "cream soap". I do, of course, get my blades "white" before i begin the staining processes. I am always interested in anything that can improve my results so maybe you could explain "mutih" further.

Please don't be confused with word of "mutih" in "fasting tradition" -- "pasa mutih" is only eating white rise -- without side-disk. But "mutih keris blade" is whitening-the-blade process (?). Of course, I don't create myself this mewarangi term. I think, every keris staining specialist in Solo, they know what "mutih bilah keris" (to make keris blade 'white', before staining process) is.

I am not a staining expert, though I can stain keris. But have no time to stain kerises by myself due to my limited free time. Usually I clean all of my keris blade, soak them in "blandongan" with coconut's water for couple of days. After one or two days, then I brush each blade with very soft tooth-brush, or other kind of soft brush with "air jeruk nipis" (squeezed lime juice) mixed with (Indonesian) cream-detergent (for instance, "Wing" cream detergent, or B 29) -- in the old days usually we used "buah kelerak" (certain fruit, traditionally used for cleaning batik clothes in Java -- some day I will photo this special fruit)... Just cleaning all the dirt, oil, and also rust from the blades, before the "mutih" the blade process.

To do the "mutih" the blade job, usually I mixed squeezed lime juice with cream detergent (this is of course, a contemporary way in Solo, Jogya, Jakarta and else where in Jawa) then brush and brush the blade again. Sometimes, I used the very soft ashes -- mixed with squeezed lime juice/cream detergent. Please, not to strong brushes with ashes... just to remove oil residue of the blade. The finishing process of "mutih" the keris blade is brush and brush the blade with squeezed lime juice only, until become "white".

To do the best "koloh" method staining job, you need to do the "mutih" process perfectly. Usually, I do this process by myself, then I give the further process of staining to some staining specialist -- in Jakarta, or in Yogyakarta and Solo.

Keris staining specialist in Solo, usually they have their formula of warangan fluid. Mixing warangan fluid, is also not as that simple. It needs month of making "warangan jadi" (ready to use warangan) -- in at least two different characteristic (sorry for explaining in English badly, David). Strong mixture -- in our colloquial slang, we call it "warangan galak" and the soft one as "warangan nom".

To make "warangan nom" become "warangan galak", then just put more crushed warangan, and also more lime-juice. The process sometimes take quite a long time...

Once again, I apologize, I can not explain to you clearly...

GANJAWULUNG

[A. G. Maisey]

I also am no expert on the staining of keris, but I have been staining keris since I was about 17 or 18, and I am now 68. That's a pretty long time. I taught myself to stain keris by reading descriptions in books written during colonial times by British people who had visited, or who were resident in Malaya. Before I ever went to Indonesia I knew three different methods, and of these I had found that the most effective did not involve arsenic at all, but used sulphur, salt and rice water.

The first lessons I had on staining keris in Jogja came from an old gentleman who was introduced to me as "Romo Murdo". From him I learnt a very quick and easy way to bring a blade back to an acceptable condition with very little effort. This method is the basis for the brushing method that I recommend to people who want to know how to stain a keris. However, my recommendations incorporate things that I did not learn in Jogja.

After this Jogja lesson I then learnt other ways of using warangan and of staining keris; some of these ways were variations of the Romo Murdo method, others were considerably different, such as the soak method.I learnt these varying ways over a very long period and from a number of people in Solo and Malang.Often my lessons came in disjointed sections, and the people I learnt from were totally unaware that they were teaching me.

Pak Parman taught me the very best method. It is produces excellent results, is virtually fail proof, but has high potential for danger.

In all methods, one thing is absolutely certain:- the end result depends very much on the surface preparation before staining commences.

Pak Ganja has explained his approach.

Pak Parman taught me only to scrub to whiteness with cleaning ash (abu gosok) and coconut husk; use of water as the lubricant is preferred, and after the blade is white, lime juice without warangan is used to sensitise the blade for the initial warangan application. I have used this cleaning method many times, and it is effective.

In Australia I do not use ash, nor coconut husk to get the blade white. I use sink cleaner such as Ajax, and steel wool or scotchbrite pads. I feel that these materials probably give a better result than the ash and coconut husk.

Whatever is used is probably not at all important.What is important is that the blade surface must be absolutely spotless, especially in the depressions and grain openings found in old blades, if you do not get rid of dirt and residual rust completely you will finish up with green or yellow discolouration under the apparently black surface.

If you want to see how good a staining job is you must take the blade into direct sunlight and look at it at an angle so that you can see into the stain. I examine in this way every blade that I pay to have done, and I usually reject at least 50% of those blades. If you only look at a blade in indirect light you cannot see the imperfections in the staining. If you look at it inside a building, you will never see anything.

A really good staining job takes a long time to do, and can require adjustment of contrast even when it is seemingly finished. It is an art, and in my experience very few people can practice this art effectively.

However, almost anybody can get a decent result just by following instructions and using common sense.

[David]

Thank you so much Alan. Though i cannot really tell until i make my next attempt, i believe the little tips you have given here will improve my staining skills a good 50%.

[A. G. Maisey]

You do a pretty fair job as it is , David.

You know, you can sometimes return a dirty old blade to almost good just by washing it with dishwash detergent and a hard toothbrush. Just wash it at the sink with hot water, blow dry with a hairdryer after patting dry with a lint free cloth, and then drench with WD40.

This is a simple thing to do, but it really can bring a lousy looking blade back to life. Sure, it won't be as good as a complete clean and stain, but it can improve a blade enormously.

[ganjawulung]

.. And for 'traditional staining' in Jawa, not only the preparation of "mutih" the blade is absolutely important, but also the formula of mixing the ready-to-use warangan. (The art is here. I have certain friends in Solo who has private empirical solution to make a better warangan, such as -- mixing the warangan with 'spoiled rice', and so on). According to my experience -- and also my keris-stainer friend in Solo -- warangan liquid made of (we call it) "warangan apotik" (literally means 'drugstore arsenic' or chemical arsenic), usually is quick reacting but more corrosive. After couple of months stained with "warangan apotik" then usually the edge of the keris usually "ngrikit" (corroded). Maybe because of the purity of the arsenic.

That is why in Yogya and Solo, people still prefer to choose "natural arsenic" or we usually call it "warangan". Traditionally used by our ancestor in the past. Usually, chinese warangan (imported from China). Even we don't use local (Indonesian) warangan, because of the worse quality then the chinese...

The impurity of the arsenic in warangan, maybe the clue... Not too corrosive as "warangan apotik"...

GANJAWULUNG

[kulbuntet]

Dear GANJAWULUNG,

I thought it was the other way around?

SIRAMAN (BATHING) METHOD
There are other types of bathing:
1. Nyek, a mixture of citrus with warangan and cemengan (darkened aste water of marangi). Whitened keris are sun dried between 8 and 11 in the morning. After keris is warm, fingers are dipped into the mixture and pressed into tosan aji from hilt to tip until the tosan aji becomes black. Then, water is poured to the tosan aji and brushed with ash. This step is called dikeplok. Then the blade is brushed carefully so the black layer stays. Next, tosan aji is wiped and sun dried. This process is repeated until desired result is acquired. Next, tosan aji is washed with ash to remove the citrus acid. Then washed with clean water and sun dried. After tosan aji is dry, it is oiled.
2. Blonon (koyoh), similar to nyek, but, tosan aji is not pressed with fingers but brushed to apply warangan. After tosan aji is dark, it is immediately being dikeplok with ash. This process is repeated until the ornaments boldens.
3. Koloh, using other place, whitened tosan aji is dipped into citrus warangan mixture with cemengan. After a few minutes, tosan aji is lifted and dried. Then, water is poured and dikeplok. The process is repeated and tosan aji is not sun dried. The key factors of the success of this method lie on the keplok step. The black color on iron can slowly sink in to the iron.

regards

Edit,

I think i may understand what GANJAWULUNG means with the term corrosif (pls correct me iff im wrong!). Not corrosif as in acid, but like in reactable. I does react to the iron. The blacker the iron becomes, the ticker the reacted layer of iron. The more the iron is "eaten"(reacted to a arsenic iron compound). Iff you do this every year, like in surra month usual is... in years it will eat a piece of your keris...

[kulbuntet]

I do hsare your opinion about that diffrent blades (pamor technices+material) need diffent aproach. Yes a new blade with pamor neckel/nickel/titanium or something that is pure. Needs a more stong solution, now since that AsS or As2S3 do not solve as good than As2O3(20Gr/l) And trioxide is wtronger to react.. beter to use trioxide. But with old blades as pamor Luwu and Pramamban beter to use less strong solution, realgar does the job good engouh. Just need to give it more time. My experience with realgar is that the solution does need time too to get on strenght.

here some pic of my just finished blade. Hope the pice are good enough

notice the bath on the left.




BTW, this is ther Yogja Keris with the square peksi!

[David]

Originally Posted by kulbuntet

I do hsare your opinion about that diffrent blades (pamor technices+material) need diffent aproach. Yes a new blade with pamor neckel/nickel/titanium or something that is pure. Needs a more stong solution, now since that AsS or As2S3 do not solve as good than As2O3(20Gr/l) And trioxide is wtronger to react.. beter to use trioxide. But with old blades as pamor Luwu and Pramamban beter to use less strong solution, realgar does the job good engouh. Just need to give it more time.

Just a thought. Can't the strength of the solution be adjusted based on the amount of arsenic used in the solution. As2O3 is stronger than realgar, but if you use less in your solution than your solution should be weaker, right?
Thanks for showing us part of your process Michel. I like your home made staining trough. Frankly i am picking up a tip or two from all these different methods which i believe will be helpful to my process in the end.

[kulbuntet]

Originally Posted by David

Just a thought. Can't the strength of the solution be adjusted based on the amount of arsenic used in the solution. As2O3 is stronger than realgar, but if you use less in your solution than your solution should be weaker, right?
Thanks for showing us part of your process Michel. I like your home made staining trough. Frankly i am picking up a tip or two from all these different methods which i believe will be helpful to my process in the end.

Hi David,

Yes of coarse, your thinking is correct. When i make a solution i make it as a stock solution... this means as strong as it can get and put a bit extra in it, to lay on botom of the yar( see pic one left top). Let it stand for a year. As you can see on the pic, my bath is almost black coloured. It was a year ago just yellowish (lime juice colour). The warangan need to solve slowly, because i must be extraced from the mineral.

These stock solutions are so strong that even with colder temperature it wil darken a blade, but not with good results.. when you want to do some work.. just dillute it a bit, when stil to stong a bit more.. dilluting a solution is posible and wil keep the solution good to go.. but when to weak.. put more in.. normal.. but before it wil work.. one year later. The use of trioxid is easy because it wil work when you make it.. because the faster solving of the salt (As2O3).

Another tip!, i dont trow away anny thing... same for the waste water. It holds a bit or warangan, so i recycle it it it gets stronger, than it can be used to dillute or vaporised bath. Or for slow washing realy old blades.

[A. G. Maisey]

A.--- An old Madura blade, arsenic trioxide, stained about 1965.

B.--- An old Sumatra blade, stained in about 1960 with sulphur, salt, rice water.

C.--- An old Bali blade, arsenic trioxide, stained about 1962; this blade was extremely corroded and had deteriorated badly prior to the clean and stain.

D.--- An old South Sumatra blade, arsenic trioxide, stained about 1974.

E.--- An old Surakarta blade, arsenic trioxide, stained about 1978; this blade was purchased from an English dealer and is attributed to Wirasukadgo.

F.--- An old Bali/Lombok blade, arsenic trioxide, stained about 1970.

G.--- An old Peninsular Bugis blade, stained with warangan in Jogjakarta in 1972 by Romo Murdo; this was a "quick fix" stain, not a proper clean and stain.

H.--- An old Jawa blade (Senopaten), stained with warangan in Jogjakarta in 1978; this is a standard commercial stain.

I.--- A keris made by Empu Suparman in 1982 and stained by him using warangan.

J.--- My first attempt at pamor in a keris blade, made in 1980 before I was taught by Pak Parman, this stain was done with arsenic trioxide.

K.--- My first attempt at pamor in a dagger blade, made in 1980, this blade is the same construction as a keris, with a steel core and pamor of nickel and iron on its faces, the blade has not been stained but only etched with dilute hydrochloric acid.

K1.--- Close up of K.

L.--- A dagger of damascus which I made in about 1985, this is made of wrought iron and 01 steel, it was etched with hydrochloric acid, stained with ferric chloride, then washed with white wine vinegar.

L1.--- Close up of L1.

Looks like they've been posted here in a very disordered fashion, guess you'll just have to look for the titles.

[A. G. Maisey]

I had 14 pics but could only upload 12 at a time, so here are the las two:-

L.--- A dagger of damascus which I made in about 1985, this is made of wrought iron and 01 steel, it was etched with hydrochloric acid, stained with ferric chloride, then washed with white wine vinegar.

L1.--- Close up of L1.