A pair of new khukuris

ferguson

ferguson

Joined
Feb 21, 2001
Messages
4,238
These two were found on Ebay, and came from a gentleman in Great Britain. One is bone, one is wood. Both are about 18.5" long, and weight about 1 lb. The spine is just over 1/4" thick. They ring like a bell when pulled from the scabbard, or struck with your finger. The bone handled one looked like it had been used as a garden implement and had very bad dings in the edge. I know you're not supposed to modify an old khuk, but it hurt my heart to see the gapped up blade, so I sharpened them mostly out. The engraving is deep and well done. Bolsters are brass. Buttcap on the wood handled is probably aluminum. Brass buttcap on the bone. Karda and chakma are fairly well made, with attention to detail. Also included are button hooks (I guess?) a tiny chisel, and two very well made and very functional tweezers. The tweezers are properly ground and work as well as anything you can buy in a drugstore today. Quality of the steel in the blades seems good and hard.

Thanks for looking
Steve
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Originally posted by sams
The cho's look different, ?
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This quick and blurry :rolleyes: pic shows them better. They are similar.I suspect that they were made in the same shop, if not by the same kami.
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Thanks for looking.

Steve
 
WOW

What a great looking pair. The wealth of detail is so similar, the same guy must have made both--or one is a deliberate copy of the other.

Great job snagging those, looks like fine craftsmanship.

Interested if JP has any comments.
 
Double Wow.
Very nice.

They would look great displayed together.
 
Originally posted by ddean
Double Wow.
Very nice.

They would look great displayed together.
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Double Ditto!!!!:D

Very beautiful and very interesting set!!!! They sorta remind me of the GRS.
Love that inlay And the Bone handles!!!! Interesting that the karda and chakma on the bone set have different shaped handles while the wood set has both the same configuration, ainnit?;)
The wood handled khuk has wood that looks like what we were getting on the Shop 1 and early Shop 2 khuks.
I still think it's some variety of Rosewood. Any other opinions on that?:D
 
Be yooo ti ful!
And so are the designs in the blade. Even the tit (teat for the pc inclined) in the cho is pretty.
 
Steve, nice buy on 2 kukris, but not a matched pair. Maybe the pix are distorting the size but the bone handled piece looks much longer.
Also note the engraving on the spine...quite different. The tweezers are different, the grips on the small tools are different, the bone handle does not have the finesse of the wood grip with the aluminum inserts and buttplate. The cho is a very nice example of a well made blade, but not rare and not neccesarily the same kami, but definitely from the same area. Both are 20thc pieces and are good examples of late trousses. They certainly cleaned up nicely. Do you have photos of them prior to your restoration?
 
Originally posted by JDP
Steve, nice buy on 2 kukris, but not a matched pair. Maybe the pix are distorting the size but the bone handled piece looks much longer.
Also note the engraving on the spine...quite different. The tweezers are different, the grips on the small tools are different, the bone handle does not have the finesse of the wood grip with the aluminum inserts and buttplate. The cho is a very nice example of a well made blade, but not rare and not neccesarily the same kami, but definitely from the same area. Both are 20thc pieces and are good examples of late trousses. They certainly cleaned up nicely. Do you have photos of them prior to your restoration?
Click to expand...

Correct John,
Not a matched set, just a pair, meaning two. Length on the wood is 18 1/4". Bone is 18 3/4. Width of the wood is 2 3/4", bone 2 1/2". Not putting these forth as rare, special, old or historically significant. I just like them.:)
Picture by seller.

Steve
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Steve, great job nabbing those. I love that blade shape. HI needs to make a model like that. Course, I'm not sure the kamis can make one that size, that's only 1/4 inch thick. Probably afraid we'd break it.
 
Steve,
I think you have 2 nice kukris and liking them is the highest priority! You are well on your way to a fine collection with the pieces you have shown and now are into trousses. They are a unique segment of the kukri's history and I find a lot of information in them. You may want to consider having the the other tools made for each to complete the beautiful restoration you've started. Did either knife have their pouch? Here are 4 groups of the different tools.
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Thanks John,

Neither had the tinder pouch. There seems to be a place for one, but I don't know if ther ever was one. It would be kinda tight.

Thanks for the pics of the tools.

Steve
 
Steve,
There is a pocket for the pouch. These trousses always had one. I can send you the examples that go with these tools if you'd like.

It looks tight because that leather always shrinks and closes whether it's 50 years old or 200 if not used. Start prying open that slot gently and it will open up for the new pouch you're going to get made.
 
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