About Kris, Malaysia

A kris is can only be made by an empu, a revered artisan who is also endowed with magical powers.

Once an empu selects a day to begin the task, he fasts and prays, warding off evil spirits and wining the favors of the demit, or good genies.

To forge a kris blade, the empu alternates one layer of steel with two layers of special iron extracted from a meteorite. This is necessary for the pamor, or silvery marbling of the blade. The layers are forged together and flattened. To obtain a particular pamor, the empu twists the two halves of the steel bar separately. This is repeated as many times it takes to get the desired effect. The sequence of layering, bending, beating and forging forms a number of layers. Generally, a good kris has 64 layers of iron and pamor. It is said that some have thousands.

The blade is forged into its final shape, straight or curved, then given ribbing and tang. Using very fine files, grindstones, and chisels, the ribbing is heightened, relief created on the blade, and the ricikan (the characteristic teeth or projections on a kris) is chiseled. Finally, the emput makes the ganja, or base, and tempers the blade by bringing it to red hot and immersing it rapidly in coconut oil.

The entire process can take months, partly because the empu will only work on days that he considers favorable. The blade is considered incomplete until it is merged with the handle and the sheath, and the owner has made offerings and contacted the spirit of the kris by dream.