A potential new HI product?

Hello forumites,
as this subject is about me and a kukri i tried to sell, i thought it would be a good idea to post here.
Thank u spiral for posting my responce to simon, it was my mistake to sell it to him and he was quick enough to sell it to someone else. The choice of course being careful, sure, for anyone intressted i can send emails i have received from many of my buyers in true bliss and sadisfaction if u want, specially for my potential future buyers to be assured.
the kukri discused above, the original thread of this post, stamped with george barnsly & sons, etc... is as far as i know a original piece, it is known that during and pre ww1 kukris to a lesser extent were made in Sheffield among other places in the UK.

"It may even have once been an actual longleaf military khuri. But, it has been broken, reground, rehandled; and essentially used as raw material for a new knife of questionable quality."

If it was a actuall longleaf military kukri that has been broken, reground, rehandled and messed around with then George Barnsley & Sons (along with many other stamps indicating the time period etc) did a bloody good job putting thier original stamp on it and the overall condition of the metal of this kukri is perfectly forged, the sharp side of the blade perhaps someone tried to sharpen it without having the correct knowledge of the metal in hand. Ive seen beautiful old kukris become messed up when unknowledage people try to sharpen them, this kukri is far from that, though i do admit that there is something very unusuall about it, adding more intresst to it as far as im concerned and making it more of a mystery.
Its not ur regular kukri metal, its not made by a regualar kukri kami either but by one of then Britains most famous knife and tool maker companies.

"Doubt it; back in the times before WW1, Britain had a lot of seriously good engineering and toolmaking companies."

George Barnsley & Sons being one of them...

If it a bayonnet etc that has been reground and messed around with i would be highly suprised, specially as i bought this kukri some years back from a very reputable knife dealer in the UK.
There is also the stamp on the handle (S. TUCKER, etc) relecting its age. Im in contact with the Gurkha Museum to see if they can find out any information about this person.

I have been collecting kukris for most of my life, i received my first kukri already as a baby and as i came of age my intresst grew and i have found, owned and seen some of the most amazing kukris in this world.
its my personal belife that this is a private purchaed officers kukri from the early 20th century, that it does not have a cho is not what makes it a kukri or not...there have been kukris made currently, in WW2 and WW1 among other periods without a cho. ill be happy to upload pics if people are intressted of kukris without cho.
The cho is specially let us remember both a useful meachnism and a mark reflecting the hindu origin
The cho, the mark at the end of the blade is both a religious symbol and useful mechanism that would allow blood to drip of instead of reaching the hand and grip. It symbolises several things;
- Cows hoof as the cow is a holy animal for the Hindus, not to kill a cow with this knife, Gorkha actually means protector of the Cows.
- Shivas trident, Lord Shiva is one of the most powerful gods of the Hindu pantheon and the Lord of Destruction, invoking his power and blessings in times of trouble.
- Half Moon, a symbol of creation, of the light and life while also being a symbol of Nepal along with the Sun.

Until the at least partion in 1947 the gurkha regiments received the top cream of the officers corps from sandhurst from britain (unlike today), it was a big honor to be an officer in one of the most famous and awarded regiments of the british indian army. It is known that officers had unconventional kukris made, privately purchased, before departure or during leave for their personal use. A officer would not often have to take his kukri out though which could to a certain degree explain the squarish handle, yet a blow with this kukri a head would fall of easily.
But little do i know about kukris my friends....if it has been tossed around with then i know more now....
cheers, vk
 
I find this thread has drifted into the abyss. Bringing up old threads that are better left forgotten doesn't serve much purpose. I thought the intent of the thread was to discuss the khuk pictured in post #1 not pontificate and muck rake.
 
Just wondered if the apparently weight-forward design (perhaps vk could confirm on that?) with the cutting edge where it would be on a one-handed axe - but that edge being both longer and more curved than that of the axe - would make it a useful tool, less likely than an axe to twist in the hand, and perhaps safer in use than a machete....
Good point was made about the oldie's handle, it does look like a bit more rounding in its profile would be more comfortable.
Also thought its less "combative" or "martial" appearance compared to a conventional kukri might be a marketing plus point.
 
Spiraltwista: No I am definately not Simon, and although I have done some reading here I must have missed all the threads about Simon using multiple names etc. I wasnt aware of all the fuss that has been going on. My warning was an honest attempt to inform about a misdeed, but now it seems there wasnt any. In a way I am glad because I was about to buy from Tora, but now I`ll pass.

I apologise to the "Buddhanourth" (khukuriwallah), it wasnt my intention to miscredit you. And yes I agree that you should have gotten a fair chance to give your version at the ToraForum.

:)
 
Keith_H said:
ok, thanks, what is the tradition/purpose behind the notch? :)
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Hi keith,

i think the consensus is that

1. it's traditional, it's inclusion is traditional, but the form does not necessarily correspond to the type of kukhri, ie. each kami can make his own variant, either open, or closed, with the little protrusion of various shapes, etc. they do basically have similar forms tho.

2. some say it's religious, a hindu symbol, the kamis do bless each batch of kukhris in a hindu ceremony... some christian fundamentalist groups call it the cloven footprint of the devil and grind it off.

3. the kami's were asked and they do not know what it's there for or where/why it developed, they just know they need to put one on a kukuhri, lost in time and word of mouth as there appear to be no written references anywhere.

4. we sometime joke and say it's the sight used to aim while throwing the kukuhri boomerang fashion. (it isn't - no one in there right mind would throw away there last ditch weapon, especially when it's not designed for throwing)

5. lots of people say it's there as a blood stop to break the flow of blood down the blade, allowing it to drip off before it makes your hand slip. i never got one that bloody, so cannot say if it works. doesn't explain the closed type chos tho. it does serve as a reference point that you are about to slide your delicate fingers down onto the sharp bit it you are heading that way. you won't slide your hand past the cho a second time ;)

6. anyhow, takes your pick, one of the above, some of the above, all of the above or even none of the above are just as likely. the HI kamis always put one on a kukhri, tho some models inspired by western movies may not have them. european prototypes may or may not have them as they were not made by nepali's brought up in the tradition.

ed: just found this thread over on the int. kukhri research site:

Linky

shows a few cho-less knives from a combined anglo-indian-sikh-gurkha paratrooper engr. unit

those have a more fluid and rounded grind to the edge as well as a more rounded handle....
 
spiraltwista said:
Sure Simon was caught trolling using multiple identies, heres Cougars Banning.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=354254&highlight=sirupate

Heres a thread by Munk discusing it. titled. "The Great Troll Road; pay at the gate." {7.24.2005]

Quite an eye opener if you dont know Simon as well as I do....

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=357388



Simon was banned for this thread amongst others.


http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=355292&page=10

Spiral
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Thanks spiral

didnt know it was like that:(
 
Thanks Kronckew! I was just going to take photos of one of those! saves me setting it up, Id forgoten that thread!

Cheers, Dave.

Spiral
 
I cannot believe I read all this drivel.
 
spiraltwista said:
Thanks Kronckew! I was just going to take photos of one of those! saves me setting it up, Id forgoten that thread!

Cheers, Dave.

Spiral
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You are welcome. :)

Fiddleback said:
I cannot believe I read all this drivel.
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cocomen69 said:
Thats funny, thats the same thing I thought after I read it too...
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it's like when i take the doggies for their evening walk down the local woods, you sometimes have to step over and ignore the deposits left by others before you, trying to not let yourself get dirtied by them as you look for the flowers along the way. the daffodils are there in all their beauty if you don't concentrate on the mucky bits. sometimes they are hard to avoid tho, and sometimes my companions leave their own stinky deposits, but since i like them, i ignore them.
 
Don't you listen to these devious fellows, the cho has many practical uses.

#1 - If you tie a string to the cho and lower the khukuri to about 2" off the ground and then twist the string, the khukuri can be used to trim the grass, like a weed wacker.

#2 - In the old days, khukuri were also used by Nepali Sailors. A chain went thru the cho and a piece of meat hung from the cho as well. The khukuri was originally a fishing hook for Nepali Killer Whales and the (now endangered) Nepali shark.

#3 - When Nepali soldiers were camped out, they often hung their khukuris together from the braches of trees. They would clang against each other, suspended from cords by the cho, and create a beautiful lullabye in the breeze. (like western windchimes)

#4 - When the Ghorkas were not fighting, they often played polo. A khukuri, when attached to a staff at the cho, makes an excellent polo stick. These days, I hear they are doing more field hockey. Watch the shins !


#5 - When the bushes get too thick, two khukuris can be bolted together through the cho and turned into a pair of large shears.
 
DannyinJapan said:
#2 - In the old days, khukuri were also used by Nepali Sailors. A chain went thru the cho and a piece of meat hung from the cho as well. The khukuri was originally a fishing hook for Nepali Killer Whales and the (now endangered) Nepali shark.

.
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Theres still a a shark or 2 out there in the kukri world Danny! ;)

But you forgot to mention the Royal Nepal Navy & also their infamous sea roving pirates also wire the kaudi/cho together 4 at a time & use them as anchers & sky hooks before boarding the Afghan & Bhutan navy ships.

But I digress....

Spiral
 
Dear forumites,
thanks for ur understanding, humor and a great discussion!!! good laughs in this serious knife world is great! back to knifes..kukris...
I compared the sheffield kukri to a ww2 officers sirupate kukri that has a cho overall in the same length... (as we know there are several styles of kukris, sirupates being traditinaly one of the slim styles). I put the two kukris on top of each other, first so the tips meet and secondly the handles.
1. tops/tips, the width and length of the blade is about the same but begins to differs at the angle where the sirupate follows traditional pattern more so of course while the sheffiled continues in more ovalic form, overall max difference was ca.3 cm......just before handles.
2. similarly from tip to tip having the handles in the same position ontop of each other there is a difference of about 5 cm....
3. lead to more interst i compared the sheffield with a maharaja of jodhpur kukri, often attributed to the 1st ww as they would have somewhat of a better match in time period.
when compared at the handle the i was amazed to see how closely the sharp edge of both them similar, of course the MoJ kukris is more traditional yet the basic out carving is very similar and they only differ about 1 cm at top.
when held at both kukris tops and examined the idfference at the clsoest to where the handle starts is 2 cm...
i hpe this helps some of u to make some more sense....
obviously a british made kukri in 1st ww era is gonna be different, it was not made by a nepali kami but by a british knife maker. In ron flocks book British and commnwealth Military Knifes, in the section about Kukris, i suggest u look at plate 3, 4, 5 and see 3 great examples of british made kukris all without cho and not following 100% traditional pattern, they like the sheffield are more straight and ovalish in the top ridge....
i wished i could upload pics somehow here and i could scan it....
cheers, vk
no hard feelings, just good laughs!
 
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