Keris Hilt Repair Advice

C

Catmeowin

Joined
Dec 11, 2021
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8
I have a rather nasty crack in the hilt of my recently aquired Keris. I would like to repair it if possible. Any tips and tricks or should I just leave it alone? It is still somewhat functional. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Keris Hilt - Google Drive

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I imagine there might be restoration experts who would use steam to re-hydrate the wood, then use clamps to press the split shut with glue in it, but that's a rather advanced method.

A simple method for someone who isn't looking for a true restoration might be to inject wood glue into the split, repeating the process until the split is filled as the glue will contract and shrink as it dries. A hypodermic needle, one small enough to fit into the narrower splits, but large enough to allow glue to pass through would be my choice for the narrower portions of the splits.
 
It split as it dried and shrunk. If you steam it to swell it to repair it, it will shrink and crack again as it dries out again.

If it wasn’t so ornate I’d use epoxy, but it will be messy. The wood glue is probably the best solution, you can mix in saw dust to try to match the color.

Good luck.
 
If I could see the pictures, I could explain how to do it properly.
Most of these knives have buffalo horn handles, not wood.
 
It's definately wood. I did end up using epoxy for strength which came up ok, then used a mixture of sawdust and wood glue to fill the gaps and cover the epoxy in the large opening. Not perfect but it will do for now. I'll keep my eye out for some darker wood for a better match. Will probably end up buying a new hilt later on when I order a replacement Mendak. Thanks for the help 🙂👍
 
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