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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
20 inch Ang Khola just arrived - waow!
- Thread starter snowwolf
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"Maybe I should post this one in another thread....
This massive AK has a lot of steel, I was curious about the temper and how the Kamis managed to quenched it.
So I did a nasty thing... A blade to blade test against SK5 which will range from 58 to 65 RC.
Left SK5, Right Ang Khola. I don't know about the rest of the blade but the area I used (1cm away from the notch) was significanly softer than the SK5. Both pictures are looking at the same thing under different light.
Don't get me wrong, this is with supermacro. The dents are very small. I didn't ruin this art piece. But the result is rather interesting and doesn't surprise me.
What is the supposed to be RC on these AK? My guess is low 50's
That SK5 ding looks more like a chip than a fold. That is consistent with what I have seen with another popular production "Khukri". I know it was self induced but Im seeing this more and more with the so called SK5 and carbon V. As much as I used to like those "ceramic" blades they are reinforcing my choice of deferentially hardened blades. You simply cannot roll those SK5 edges. They break concoidal like glass and cannot be repaired without grinding half your blade away. There is no possible way that SK5 blade would survive my neck of the woods! It would look more like a sawblade after a few months. I think you will agree after some use with you AK. You made a good choice. Congratulations! BTW that type of ding in an HI blade can easily be flattened out and reformed without loss of metal because it didnt chip away. Allows for less grinding if any and longer blade life!
snowwolf
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Ndoghouse - Very interesting observations. I didn't see it that way first. A closer look with a magnifier confirms what you are saying. The SK5 did chip away.
"BTW that type of ding in an HI blade can easily be flattened out and reformed without loss of metal" Oh... Oups, this is not how I approached it.
Now I'm curious... How would you reform without loss?
"BTW that type of ding in an HI blade can easily be flattened out and reformed without loss of metal" Oh... Oups, this is not how I approached it.
Now I'm curious... How would you reform without loss?
snowwolf
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Don't hold your breath - I did mentioned it was too big to be practical for me. So it is very unlikely going to be a workhorse but I really like the handcraft. Plus the macho inside me will be proud to show it off.
Hey Crocodile Dundy, you think this Bowie of yours is big... Here's mine
Hey Crocodile Dundy, you think this Bowie of yours is big... Here's mine
And if you decide you dont like it ...well....PM.me
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Lay it flat on an anvil and slowly tap the back of the ding working toward the edge until you get it flat to match the rest of the edge. Takes a bit of practice but easy to learn. If it is actually rolled over on itself I have a piece of copper I use to unroll it until it can be flattened without folding it over. Once you learn where the different working parts of the blade are then rolling edges will be a thing of the past but I have done it. Probably many ways and many objects you can use but thats what I do. A small ball peen hammer works great. Chipped sk5 will look flat grey and grainy when broken. You can tap out that little ding in you HI but you have to live with a chip on the SK5 or file around it. I hit little rocks all the time (unintentionally of course) with the tip of my blades so being able to peen them out without filing is important to me.
Im just playing with ya about parting with your blade. Im totally with ya! Im just jealous you got one and I dont:thumbup: I do have a Giant Chitlangi Bowie so that proves I dont have low T
Im just playing with ya about parting with your blade. Im totally with ya! Im just jealous you got one and I dont:thumbup: I do have a Giant Chitlangi Bowie so that proves I dont have low T
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You should get you a KLVUK to play around with. They are amazingly well built and balanced very nicely. You dont have to worry about scratching them up and you can keep your Manly 20" monster nice and pretty!!:thumbup: I have a KLVUK from a recent DOTD and was really surprised at how well it performs. I had no problem batoning through a pile of oak for firewood. They are light enough to pack anywhere as well. When I got my first (or was it second?) Khuk I put it to the test on a hard fire baked piece of red cedar and rolled the edge of my Chitlangi in two places. Was my ignorant mistake because then I didnt understand or read the "how to and care etc." section in the stickies of this forum. It made me sick to my stomach when I saw what I had done to such a beautiful knife. I rolled it back out and flattened it out on my anvil and did have to file it a bit and you cant even tell i did it now. Yes it is probably weaker in that spot but it doesnt matter because thats not the spot I was supposed to be chopping with anyway. If I was chopping at the sweet spot I never would have dammaged it.
snowwolf
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^I'm not yet familiar with the terminology. The villagers seams to be available in all kinds of shape and forms. Do you have something specific in mind?
I really like the full tang versions. Something similar to the Bone cutter shown in 11/20 DOTD.
I really like the full tang versions. Something similar to the Bone cutter shown in 11/20 DOTD.
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Sorry man! Should have pointed ya to one! Heres the one I bought recently! They are not on the website but are sold on DOTD. These are not polished out and still have the forging scales on them. Less labor so less cost! Structurally same as all the others! Built like a tank! Hope this helps.
You may look for a Chiruwa Ang Khola. They are on the website and are normally available anytime.
You may look for a Chiruwa Ang Khola. They are on the website and are normally available anytime.
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Bawanna
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I felt the same way but they have worked for 100's of years without issue. Many here actually prefer them for numerous reasons.
Easing the shock a bit when chopping. Some prefer to replace a tang grip claiming it's easier. I would prefer to replace a full tang myself but I've done a couple and they aren't that bad.
More and more I'm finding it really don't matter that much to me. In the back of my head I still lean towards Chiruwa or full tang, upbringing I guess.
Easing the shock a bit when chopping. Some prefer to replace a tang grip claiming it's easier. I would prefer to replace a full tang myself but I've done a couple and they aren't that bad.
More and more I'm finding it really don't matter that much to me. In the back of my head I still lean towards Chiruwa or full tang, upbringing I guess.
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Yeah I dont trust small hidden tangs in my two Katanas as well. But the ancient Japanese Samurai did and they were more experienced than me and used them way more often. They would have realised any weaknesses and if full tang would be better they would have implemented it (I hope)
I'm an engineer and like overbuilding things especially when there's a chance of something pointy and sharp flying around.
But no matter how scared I am, these designs have been proven to work for a very long time. I guess I have to learn to trust them more
I'm an engineer and like overbuilding things especially when there's a chance of something pointy and sharp flying around.
But no matter how scared I am, these designs have been proven to work for a very long time. I guess I have to learn to trust them more
snowwolf
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Yeah I dont trust small hidden tangs in my two Katanas as well. But the ancient Japanese Samurai did and they were more experienced than me and used them way more often. They would have realised any weaknesses and if full tang would be better they would have implemented it (I hope)
I'm an engineer and like overbuilding things especially when there's a chance of something pointy and sharp flying around.
But no matter how scared I am, these designs have been proven to work for a very long time. I guess I have to learn to trust them more
Thank you guys for the comforting points.
The weight balance in a Katana is critical, it is also light and fast. The tang matches it.
I don't want to think of what could happen if this massive 4 pounds AK blade splits from the handle while swinging it around.
snowwolf
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Speaking of which. When I wrote 4 pounds... That was a seat of the pants enthusiastic guestimate.
Surprisingly my 20" AK is in fact pretty light according to the standards (3 to 4 lbs depending on the Kamis) .
I just weighted it and it doesn't hit the 3lbs mark on the scale.
You're right to be cautious. I imagine one of the first things they teach in katana school is to stay out of the path of your own blade. Same for khukuri school.
That said, the tang of most HI khukuri models goes all the way through the handle and is peened over the keeper at the end. Even if the handle were to crack there's almost no way the blade could fly loose. It's much more likely that a person would lose his grip on the handle and the whole knife fly loose (which is one of the reasons for the flared butt.
I am also partial to the look of the chiruwa-style handle, but I have both kinds and wouldn't worry about either type of handle failing in hard or extended use. I believe that Nepalese farmers mostly use the rat tail type of tang, which only goes partway into the handle, and those knives probably get much more use than 95 percent of HI customers would need.
You're right to be cautious. I imagine one of the first things they teach in katana school is to stay out of the path of your own blade. Same for khukuri school.
That said, the tang of most HI khukuri models goes all the way through the handle and is peened over the keeper at the end. Even if the handle were to crack there's almost no way the blade could fly loose from the handle. It's much more likely that a person swinging a heavy khukuri would lose his grip on the handle and the whole knife fly loose (which is one of the reasons for the flared butt).
I am also partial to the look of the chiruwa-style handle, but I have both kinds and wouldn't worry about either type of handle failing in hard or extended use. I believe that Nepalese farmers mostly use the rat tail type of tang, which only goes partway into the handle, and those knives probably get much more use than 95 percent of HI customers would need.
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I didn't post it yet (want to finish it first) but I disassembled a 100+ year old longleaf Kukri. The blade was wiggling 1mm and I like my things to be perfect. Simply out with the blade and new epoxy in there and thats it?
I warmed the blade, frooze it, wiglged it in all directions, had it in a vise and pulled full force etc.
Nothing worked and it was already kind of lose when I started.
Anyways I gave up and boiled it for 5 mins. The glue was still sticky but slowly I could pull it out.
The tang doesn't even go all the way through the handle its only 3 inch sticking in a 4.75 inch handle.
HIs hidden tangs go through all the way and should be even stronger.
I warmed the blade, frooze it, wiglged it in all directions, had it in a vise and pulled full force etc.
Nothing worked and it was already kind of lose when I started.
Anyways I gave up and boiled it for 5 mins. The glue was still sticky but slowly I could pull it out.
The tang doesn't even go all the way through the handle its only 3 inch sticking in a 4.75 inch handle.
HIs hidden tangs go through all the way and should be even stronger.