Gold overlay Balinese style.

[Daniel Houwer]

Gold overlay,

Sometimes I really get to do some interesting work. This here is a Balinese Kris that belonged to someone wealthy once.

The present owner is a Kris expert and he cleaned the rusty blade. In the last century this Kris has lost a lot of its beauty and the gold on the snake’s crown. He asked me to renew it like I did one before. I milled down pure gold sheet to about 0.07mm to fit on to the crown.


To get a nice fit with the mask itself I used a strip of lead and a Teflon mallet to knock the gold better into place. For the fine place’s I used the Lindsay with nice and smooth surfaced bit to accurately hammer the gold in thru the lead. After that I use different sices of burnishers to push the gold into the space beneath it. Because I was not alowed to take any metal of the Kris away I suggested to use mixtion to serve as something to help keep the gold in place. I would have rather had that I could make some undercut's to fold the gold into.



Next time I will have to do the eyes and the bottom bit and burnish the whole to a even better shine.

[Barry Lee Hands]

Very interesting , thanks for showing us that. What exactly holds the gold in place when you are finished? Thanks, Barry

[Daniel Houwer]

Hy Barry,

I think the gold would (should) be held in place by folding it over and behind the figure. The last one I did was pretty well undercut or the gold could fold over the crown in such way that it would hold itself. This one had not to much undercut groove's to put the gold into. And because I was not alowed to remove any kris material we used Mixtion (a solution to hold goldleafe in place) to be sure that if the gold did not get enough hold on its own the mixtion would. I do think I would have prefered slightly thicker gold sheet and permission to cut some groove's behind the figure.
Anyways I was told that the balinese kris gilders used even thinner gold sheat going to gold leaf and allso glue of some kind. So I think this is a nice mix between two world's keeping the blade as original as possible.

[mckeenh]

Nice technique. Do you mainly do engraving or are you into antique restorations? I always like the asian influence in knives and swords.

Neil:yesnod:

[Daniel Houwer]

Neil,

I am a goldsmith and diamond setter and repair and restaurate jewellery.
Engraving is quite new to me exept that I have been using gravers for the last 15 years but mainly for setting stones.
For the hobby I have a group (Historical Metalgroup Kinheim) that is busy with experimental archaeology bordering on reenectment (I hate that word).
We try to work metal like they would/might have done in different time periods. Our main thing is early iron smelting furnaces but bronzecasting from the bronze age unto the eleventh century and blacksmithing from early age until the eleventh century. My interests are wide spread concerning metal and mostly the roots of my profession and its way up to present day's.

But I am engraving now whenn I can find the time or get the job. But I am not an engraver by far yet. Never will be a proffessional one to but will be able to do some nice engraving in time.

The restauration of the kris is just by chance. We (my wife and I) have about thirty odd Krisses and know some people and so on.
Knowing a litle or more about a lot of facets of goldsmithing or metalworks helps a lot.

Greetings

Daniel

[PatP]

WOW!! That is absolutely amazing.

[Daniel Houwer]

Part two.



After this I will have to do the eyes and tail and maybe the lips of the Naga.

Greets,

Daniel

[mckeenh]

Dan, It is nice to meet another multifaceted person, sometimes I feel the Jack of all trades and master of none, machine work, Blacksmithing:yesnod: , blade forging, gunsmithing and engraving sometimes seems like I never land in one place, but I think I found a home in engraving and will persue it as long as I can. Keep posting, you instill some creativity in me.

Neil

[Daniel Houwer]

Hi Neil,

I thought you where a millipead as well.
I have been refered to as "materialist". Alas not as in rich but as someone who can work with a lot of materials
Quess its true but it provides a problem. You are never a specialist.
Must be that there are to litle day's in a week
And even so, I am specialised in repairs and restaurations of jewelery and setting stone's but the first part is not really what I want to be doing for the rest of my life and the setting I want to change into working with the Lindsay and Microscope. So I am student again.

It is nice to be vercitile but to what end. I sometimes find it hard to be confident enough to ask a fair price for what I do. They should teach that in school!
For a hobby I have a Historical Metalgroup and tonight whe where working in a set of cooking hooks found in Dorestad in Holland dating back to 900 ad.
Without that hobby I could engrave a lot more. Wish I could be as devoted to one thing as much as some as the great engravers here.
oops, I hope my wife doesn't read this, I believe she needs some time every now and again :willy_nilly:

Greatz,

Daniel

[SVD]

Daniel

Somebody was asking about damascening in a thread somewhere. Would you say that this is essentially an example of that technique? You are applying an extremely thin sheet using just the surface roughness to hold it in place...

I've often thought that I could get a lot more done if I could just do away with one of two things that take up so much of my time: work and sleep.

[Daniel Houwer]

Hi Steve,

This would have been Damascening if the surface of the metal was roughend up. But this surface is smooth. Some egg yoke glue is used.
Gonna have to try that technique someday.

I've often thought that I could get a lot more done if I could just do away with one of two things that take up so much of my time: work and sleep.

I so much agree!!!