New Moro kris

[Ian]

I agree with Kai. A Maguindanao example, but age is hard to tell. The blade needs a good clean. Looks as though you have some active rust in places that needs prompt attention. Etching the blade might show a nice pattern but hard to say from its present appearance. Look forward to seeing more pics after you've had a chance to work on it a bit.
Regards, Ian.

[apolaki]

Hi Kai & Ian,

Thank you for your comments. Can you both reference a tutorial how to clean rust and general cleaning for Moro kris? Unfortunately, I am a beginner collector and don't have much experience at all with that nor etching.

Perhaps there is some links to videos or prior posts on instructions.

Also what details on the blade indicate active rust and how long would it take to cause irreparable damage?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Ian

I agree with Kai. A Maguindanao example, but age is hard to tell. The blade needs a good clean. Looks as though you have some active rust in places that needs prompt attention. Etching the blade might show a nice pattern but hard to say from its present appearance. Look forward to seeing more pics after you've had a chance to work on it a bit.
Regards, Ian.

[kai]

No worries, it survived about 100 years and if you keep any humidity low, rust will progress only slowly. However, any red rust (and many metallurgists will probably extend that to all kind of iron oxides) should be removed as thoroughly as possible.

It's much easier to work on the blade if you can detach it - however, this can get quite tricky with Moro kris due to the clamps. Otherwise a lot of care is needed to work around the clamps at the base of the blade and to avoid soaking the hilt...

As a first step, I'd vote for scrubbing the blade with very fine steel wool; wash with detergent and hot water. This often will be enough to bring out some laminations. There probably will be some more stubborn patches of rust which can be targeted with repeated application of vinegar (2-10% acetic acid); also polishing steps can help between the etching attempts.

Bring on some pics from during the prozess for further suggestions.

Regards,
Kai

[apolaki]

Hi Kai,

I was thinking of trying to submerge the blade alone in a vertical container of vinegar. Of course I would wrap the hilt and try not to get any on it in the process.

I am cleaning a heavily rusted Indonesian keris with vinegar bath and it is working great!

I was wondering, is the hilt of a Moro kris not removeable by simply twisting off? Are the clamps securing it in some way?

Thanks again for your insight!

Originally Posted by kai

No worries, it survived about 100 years and if you keep any humidity low, rust will progress only slowly. However, any red rust (and many metallurgists will probably extend that to all kind of iron oxides) should be removed as thoroughly as possible.

It's much easier to work on the blade if you can detach it - however, this can get quite tricky with Moro kris due to the clamps. Otherwise a lot of care is needed to work around the clamps at the base of the blade and to avoid soaking the hilt...

As a first step, I'd vote for scrubbing the blade with very fine steel wool; wash with detergent and hot water. This often will be enough to bring out some laminations. There probably will be some more stubborn patches of rust which can be targeted with repeated application of vinegar (2-10% acetic acid); also polishing steps can help between the etching attempts.

Bring on some pics from during the prozess for further suggestions.

Regards,
Kai

[kronckew]

Originally Posted by apolaki

...

I was wondering, is the hilt of a Moro kris not removeable by simply twisting off? Are the clamps securing it in some way?
...

Moro kris hilts are not necessarily round like Indonesian keris, and the bac-baca clamps run back under the grip wrappings on purpose to hold the grip on when swung in anger, unlike a keris meant just for thrusting and also for easy removal of the hilts. The grip might even be glued on, so unless you can remove them without breaking them, and re-attach them and re-wrap the grips as you found them, it might not be worth removing them, If you use acid (vinegar or other) to remove the rust, don't forget to neutralise the acid with a baking soda solution wash.

[apolaki]

I am currently submerging blade alone in vinegar diluted to 5% acidity in a vertical tube. I am noticing black color forming along both sides of blade. The middle section still had original color intact. Is this damage or normal?

How long should I keep kris in this solution?

[kai]

Sorry for not getting back earlier!

Did you manage to remove hilt and clamps?

The dark edges are normal: The steel “slorok” will react quite strongly with the vinegar.

Make sure not to overdo the exposure: At this stage, it’s best to remove the blade repeatedly, thoroughly scrub it and search for remaining specks of rust which should be loosened manually. Soak again and repeat the process until no more rust shows up. Try to keep soaking time short and some gentle polishing in between won’t hurt IMHO.

Let’s see a pic taken with flash when you believe you’ done!

Regards,
Kai