Shortening the pesi?

Lew · 29th September 2007, 02:43 PM

Question would it be proper to shorten the pesi in order to have the hilt fit properly?

Lew

Rick · 29th September 2007, 03:29 PM

Just personal opinions here Lew; I'd try to avoid doing that if only for the sake of preserving the integrity of the keris .

When I unmounted my anak alang blade I found that someone had started to try this; fortunately for me and the keris the hacksaw cuts were very shallow .

On the esoteric side I believe this would be detrimental to the powers of the blade; I've often heard that the base of power in a keris resides in the pesi .

Can the jejeran be drilled deeper instead ?

Rick

David · 29th September 2007, 03:55 PM

I tend to agree with Rick. I would certainly try to deepen the hilt hole before cutting the pesi. If there is no room on the hilt to do this i would probably consider finding a new hilt for the keris as the one on it would obviously not be right for the keris.

Lew · 29th September 2007, 06:34 PM

Thanks! It was just a passing thought

Lew

A. G. Maisey · 29th September 2007, 10:26 PM

Lew, in a general sense I agree with both Rick and David, but the there are other considerations.

The fact of the matter is this:- on a normal mid to low quality blade , I do not know one person in the keris world in Jawa who would hestitate for more time than it took to pick up a hacksaw, to shorten a pesi if a long pesi compromised the fitting of a hilt that he wanted to fit.

However, the first line of approach should always be to drill the hilt deeper. If the hilt is the correct type for the blade, there should not be an issue of the pesi being too long.But when you try to fit ,say, a Jawa or Bali keris to a Bugis hilt, then you have a problem. To a degree this problem can sometimes be reduced by bending the pesi to allow it to follow the curve of a Bugis hilt.

When you drill, it is very important to make sure that the hole does not go out through the back of the handle. I've seen literally hundreds of handles where this has happened, and I've done it myself. It helps to avoid this problem if you hold the hilt in your hand when you drill, rather than put it in a vice. With the handle in your hand, you can feel when the drill bit is getting close to the wood.

If a blade is of superior quality, then the preservation of the blade is prioritised, rather than the desire to achieve a visual effect. There is a solid commercial reason for this:- a prime quality blade with a shortened pesi is worth less than a prime quality blade with a complete pesi. The same parameter does not apply to ordinary blades.

There is an esoteric aspect also, however by the people I know who can be considered to really understand the keris, this is regarded pretty much as a matter of "what you don't know won't hurt you". In other words, if you have some sort of belief in the power of a particular keris and you don't know that the pesi has been shortened, for you, that keris has not got any decreased power.

Henk · 30th September 2007, 08:58 AM

Lew,

If you have more of such passing thoughts, just sit in a corner and wait till they're gone

You had the comments of Rick, David and Alan. They said enough.

I know some Dutch fellow collectors who always start to look at the pesi. When the pesi is damaged or broken or even restored because the blade is so old and the pesi is gone, due the centuries of etching, they consider the whole piece as worthless. Reason for that is the esoteric side of keris Rick mentioned.

Isreena · 25th October 2007, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOUIEBLADES

Question would it be proper to shorten the pesi in order to have the hilt fit properly?

Lew

If you asked me? In my sincerest opinion it is certainly "NOT" proper. Allow me to put it in a simpler note in hope that it would be easier for the common mind to understand and accept?

"Question would it be proper to shorten your size ten feet in order to have a pair of a size 5 shoe to fit properly?"

Definitely A BIG NO! NO! if you asked me

I hope this would help to answer your question/doubt nicely?

29th September 2007, 02:43 PM	#1
Lew (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: East Coast USA Posts: 3,191	Shortening the pesi? Question would it be proper to shorten the pesi in order to have the hilt fit properly? Lew

29th September 2007, 03:29 PM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,262	Just personal opinions here Lew; I'd try to avoid doing that if only for the sake of preserving the integrity of the keris . When I unmounted my anak alang blade I found that someone had started to try this; fortunately for me and the keris the hacksaw cuts were very shallow . On the esoteric side I believe this would be detrimental to the powers of the blade; I've often heard that the base of power in a keris resides in the pesi . Can the jejeran be drilled deeper instead ? Rick

29th September 2007, 03:55 PM	#3
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,023	I tend to agree with Rick. I would certainly try to deepen the hilt hole before cutting the pesi. If there is no room on the hilt to do this i would probably consider finding a new hilt for the keris as the one on it would obviously not be right for the keris.

29th September 2007, 06:34 PM	#4
Lew (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: East Coast USA Posts: 3,191	Thanks! It was just a passing thought Lew

29th September 2007, 10:26 PM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,697	Lew, in a general sense I agree with both Rick and David, but the there are other considerations. The fact of the matter is this:- on a normal mid to low quality blade , I do not know one person in the keris world in Jawa who would hestitate for more time than it took to pick up a hacksaw, to shorten a pesi if a long pesi compromised the fitting of a hilt that he wanted to fit. However, the first line of approach should always be to drill the hilt deeper. If the hilt is the correct type for the blade, there should not be an issue of the pesi being too long.But when you try to fit ,say, a Jawa or Bali keris to a Bugis hilt, then you have a problem. To a degree this problem can sometimes be reduced by bending the pesi to allow it to follow the curve of a Bugis hilt. When you drill, it is very important to make sure that the hole does not go out through the back of the handle. I've seen literally hundreds of handles where this has happened, and I've done it myself. It helps to avoid this problem if you hold the hilt in your hand when you drill, rather than put it in a vice. With the handle in your hand, you can feel when the drill bit is getting close to the wood. If a blade is of superior quality, then the preservation of the blade is prioritised, rather than the desire to achieve a visual effect. There is a solid commercial reason for this:- a prime quality blade with a shortened pesi is worth less than a prime quality blade with a complete pesi. The same parameter does not apply to ordinary blades. There is an esoteric aspect also, however by the people I know who can be considered to really understand the keris, this is regarded pretty much as a matter of "what you don't know won't hurt you". In other words, if you have some sort of belief in the power of a particular keris and you don't know that the pesi has been shortened, for you, that keris has not got any decreased power.

30th September 2007, 08:58 AM	#6
Henk Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,209	Lew, If you have more of such passing thoughts, just sit in a corner and wait till they're gone You had the comments of Rick, David and Alan. They said enough. I know some Dutch fellow collectors who always start to look at the pesi. When the pesi is damaged or broken or even restored because the blade is so old and the pesi is gone, due the centuries of etching, they consider the whole piece as worthless. Reason for that is the esoteric side of keris Rick mentioned.