18" Villager Ang Khola by Bura

[bwray]

I was lucky enough to win the title khukuri from Yangdu's Deals for 1/09 while I was right in the middle of a thread discussing the merits of the 18" AK vs. the 18" GRS. Well, I don't have the GRS yet for comparison, but I like this knife. It arrived Tuesday after being ordered on Monday . . . that's fast! The blade is very sharp right out of the box, typical of the unfinished variety. The process of polishing frequently seems to dull the edge. Weight and balance are just about ideal for my idea of a heavy duty one handed chopper.

The handle is a little large for me. I plan to take it down a bit and remove the ring that is about 60% back from the blade end. The ring is too far forward to comfortably fit between my third and forth fingers and too far back to fit between the second and third. So a little customizing is in order. Also, I like satin finishes, so I will work the blade over with a maroon scotch brite pad. Great knife. Thanks Yangdu!:thumbup:

 

[munk]

Sounds great. What was the weight on that?



munk

 

[Fiddleback]

Nice snag. I don't have a villager yet, but its on my list. Test it out and let us know how it bites.

Post some pics.

 

[bwray]

Weight is 28 oz Munk. Plan to try it out as soon as I finnish touching up the edge a bit. Bite report to follow Andy.

 

[munk]

That's great. 28oz. Perfect blade for carrying out of doors. Looks better than a firearm in those jurisdictions which frown upon same, and will provide emergency usefulness as well as daily camping chores.


My baby GR is 31 oz, I think. Believe it or not, just a few more ounces really tells upon my belt by the end of the day. That's me.



munk

 

[bwray]

Took a medium ceramic rod to the blade followed by a little steeling. Very sharp. While admiring my handiwork I managed to put a 1/4 in. cut in the third finger of my left hand. A little warning from Mr. Murphy; "Next time it could be the whole hand turkey!"

Subsequently attacked (very carefully) an old very dry 2x4 with the AK. Cut through quickly with bite depths of up to 1", and I am not an experienced user. I agree on the outdoor carry usefulness of the blade Munk. I see three possibilities right away: 1) blind construction too deep in the woods to carry any bulky readymade alternative; 2) emergency shelter construction in case you don't make it back to your wheels before dark; 3) could probably quarter an elk by chopping through the ribs adjacent to the spine. I quartered a deer once by sawing through the entire length of the spine with a bone saw. Ugh! Way too much work.:thumbdn:

 

[Fiddleback]

I'm sure you just meant to "bless" your blade...right?

Sounds like a winner. Pics...

 

[bwray]

Yes, but next time I'd rather use holy water.

 

[munk]

I've been lucky in that I don't get cut much. Yangdu told me she was cut not long ago while preparing a khuk for sale. On her leg. It happens. Let's keep it on the 'oops' level.



(and not the 'oh my God')


munk

 

[bwray]

Nice snag. I don't have a villager yet, but its on my list. Test it out and let us know how it bites.

Post some pics.

Okay Andy, better late than never. I had to acquire a new digital camera because my wife fell down in the snow with hers....she's O.K. but the camera no longer works. Before taking any photos I slimmed down the handle and removed the ring with a Delta SA150 belt sander using a 100 grit belt. The wood (Hill walnet) was then smoothed up with a maroon Scotch Brite pad and several coatings of plain old lemon oil were applied to retard drying; not fancy but it will do for now. Finally, the blade was given a good scrubbing with a 7446 Scotch Brite "blending hand pad", which, according to 3M, is intended for blending away scratches in stainless steel. No polishing was attempted below the bevel, because that area will be frequently rescarred by sharpening and steeling.

Given that this khuk is intended as a working tool rather than a display model, I'm pretty pleased with the results. The smaller handle (about the size of a hammer or hatchet grip) suits me because it allows for more flexibility in the wrist and, consequently, more chopping power delivered on target. This is a khuk for worry-free use and abuse. I must admit that I have a hard time getting around to actually using the well finished models. Eventually, I'll have to get over that.

 

[hollowdweller]

Excellent size on the handle. :thumbup:

 

[Bri in Chi]

Hope you kept the 'egg' shaped cross-section, at least

 

[hollowdweller]

Hope you kept the 'egg' shaped cross-section, at least

I like to make the bottom of the handle kind of wedge shaped so it fits into the bend of my fingers and the back part more rounded. :thumbup:

 

[Bri in Chi]

I agree, Jim. Whatever feels right in your hand is good. I also like the ring, but I suspect that a day of hard chopping would raise some blisters from it. Any comments from other choppers?

 

[munk]

I get blisters from the handle ring. Then the skin toughens in those places and it's alright. That's when I'm cutting a lot of wood; when I haven't for awhile, I sometimes get them back.


munk

 

[bwray]

Ordinarily I would not remove the ring, but this one happened to be right where my third finger wanted to go. Except for an M43, my other khuks all have the rings and I am not tempted to remove them. Generally, the rings help me index on the grip.

 

[hollowdweller]

I like the ring. As long as it is in the right place. The one on my 15" GRS is in the wrong place.

This is my favorite handle. They are about as narrow as that slimmed down AK handle, but they have that big swell at the butt that you can kind of use as a pivot when swinging and also it keeps the thing from flying out of your hand even better than the reg HI type handle. I remember a while back there was a WW2 or something that had a Chitlangi handle on it and I regretted not having the funds at the time because I thought the wide bell like Chitlangi handle would allow you to swing it like one of the below:

 

[bwray]

Nice set of blades hollowd. Is one of those an 18" GRS? That's what's next on my burn a hole in your pocket list.

 

[hollowdweller]

Nope. 3 different sizes of GK bonecutters.

I would love to see HI make a blade like these. GK is pretty much out of business.

The feel is a lot like a GRS but the handle is different and the tip is blunter so it's even easier to cut with the tip and the curve is like a Foxy Folly, more toward the cho.

They are villager type finish, can you see the hammer ripples in the blades? Sorry for the crappy pixxxx.

Here's a better pic of them along with some other stuff, from left to right

12" AK Villager- Some sort of neat thin, old khuk I got off ebay(same type flared handle), 16" GK Bonecutter 17" BGRS 18" BGRS Villager, EDMF Khukuri- YCS, Sgt Karka Special, and 24"(I think) GK Bonecutter.

 

[stevomiller]

Bwray, I like the way you made it work for you. Some of the handles are awesome as they come, and others just don't fit right. Good job!

Hollow, I didn't realize you had so many bone cutters, or that they had even offered them in more than one size. BTW, have you used that big Sgt Karka? Looks pretty cool to me.