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Ikula Knife
This Ikula (Ikul) knife was produced in the mid to late 19th century in the Kuba Kingdom along the Sankuru River in central Africa. The Ikula knife was worn on the right hip by all Kuba men, in public and particularly during ceremonies.
The Ikula knife was introduced as an emblem of peace in the 17th Century by King Shyaam a Mbul aNgoong. It replaced a different kind of lethal iron throwing sword, symbolising the end of a long period of war. British Christian missionaries obtained the object after 1878 and brought it back for museum display.
Part of the pommel was intentionally removed to allow the object to lie flat on a table/for display. This part was subsequently lost. There was an unknown accretion disfiguring the appearance of the blade; likely an adhesive residue from fixing the knife to a display.
Treatment:
◦ Dry cleaning using a soft bristled brush, an air puffer was used to direct the dirt away from the object.
◦ A poultice of acetone was required to remove the accretion on the blade.
◦ Industrially Denatured Alcohol (IDA) was swabbed along the blade using a cotton bud, wire wool and wooden tools (toothpicks) under microscopy to remove corrosion.
◦ Thin layers of balsa wood were used to recreate the pommel. The first layer was adhered using Paraloid B72, all following layers were adhered together using neutral pH adhesive. After consolidation with 5% Paraloid B72 in acetone the wood was shaped and sanded with progressively finer grades of sandpaper, finishing with 1800 grade micro-mesh.
◦ Golden Acrylics paints were colour matched then applied using an assortment of sponges to imitate the original dappled wood appearance. The metal inlays were painted as thin lines using a liner brush and a toothpick.
◦ A thin coating of micro-crystalline wax in white spirit was applied to the blade to prevent further corrosion.
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