AK with a temper problem

C

Conajohara

Joined
Dec 15, 2000
Messages
89
Hi all having a problem with a 20'' ang khol. I bought it years ago but never used it (I use my ganga ram for heavy work) Well i took it out to day and sharpened it then started cutting some dead oak limbs about finger thick the first cut put a really big fold in the blade about 5/16 wide and1/8 deep. I stopped cutting in shock! the fold bent out a full 1/16th to the side! I was abel to push it back into place pretty flat on my pick up bumper but now I cant use it like this can it be retemperd? The fold was about 3 and 1/2'' from the tip. Any one seen this problem the blade does not seem to have a hard section like my ganga ram or my WW11?
 
I wish you took pictures of it bent...
I would expect that near the tip or near the cho, but not on the sweet spot. Very weird!
 
Wow, I'm expecting the sky to start falling soon! A chipped Tamang and now a rolled AK? Soon doctors will be recommending INFI pacifiers for teething babies!
 
Conajohara said:
Hi all having a problem with a 20'' ang khol. I bought it years ago but never used it (I use my ganga ram for heavy work) Well i took it out to day and sharpened it then started cutting some dead oak limbs about finger thick the first cut put a really big fold in the blade about 5/16 wide and1/8 deep. I stopped cutting in shock! the fold bent out a full 1/16th to the side! I was abel to push it back into place pretty flat on my pick up bumper but now I cant use it like this can it be retemperd? The fold was about 3 and 1/2'' from the tip. Any one seen this problem the blade does not seem to have a hard section like my ganga ram or my WW11?
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Conajohara, you wrote: "Hi all having a problem with a 20'' ang khol. I bought it years ago but never used it"

Do you happen to remember how many years ago it was when you bought your Ang Khola?
Also what time of the year it was? The reason I ask is because a few years back during one of the government's times of upheaval that lasted considerably longer than most, And then Especially During The Time of Dasien that year there was a considerable time of kami hiccups that had Uncle Bill pulling his hair out!!! :( And IIRC it was a time when Uncle Bill was really stressing to everyone to be Sure Too Test Their Khukuri's according to the instructions and the same way he tested H.I. Khukuri's at random whenever a new shipment came in from Nepal...
But then Uncle Bill always did stress to all of uds all of the time that the time to at least give a brand new or even a used khukuri a rudimentary test within a few days of receipt just to possibly prevent these kinds of problems later on... :(

As to your question of re-tempering... Yup it could be as I had a Ganga Ram re-tempered back in that same time period but I don't know if Yangdu has anybody in the USA that can do it anymore. She will have to chime in from here to let you know what she's willing to do, if anything...:thumbup:


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The reason i asked if it was polished is that sometimes in the past we have had khukuri where the edge,about as deep as you're talking about, was apparently annealed a bit during the polishing process. Once i got out my ruler and marked off the dimensions you posted. It seemed to me that it was not too bad a roll on a 20" khukuri and you might be able to steel/sharpen it out and be O.K. It's happened before.

Is there any way you can posts some pics of the damage, even though you've straightened it?

If you truly feel it is defective send an email with pics to Auntie Yangdu at HIMIMP@aol.com
 
looks like there have been menny problems lately, on the hi web page it says that the HI cak is the probably strongest knife in the world? im realy starting to wonder?
im thinking of buying a big busse/scrap yard kind of knife for comparing:)
Hi service is very hard to beat thoug:)
 
boerboel84, reading comprehension is your friend;) Quoted from the OP "I bought it years ago but never used it."
Find us some"big busse/scrap yard" that can match size & weight with my 20" AK or M43 then I'll help you do some comparisons:D
The following is just a general reaction and not directed towards boerboel84 or Conajohara
I don't want to slag or deter anybody with a legitimate issue or concern from voicing it. Self introspection is one of the best ways to improve oneself or ones business. But just the same I don't want my customers taking out ads in the local paper to ask questions about my service. We here on the forum know a lot but Yangdu and Pala know more and can give an authoritative(replacement etc.) answer. I sure Yangdu would rather answer a polite question via email than have it hashed out in public here. I'm not saying we shouldn't discuss the failures because that would be counter productive to Himalayan Imports :cool:
Conajohara, sorry to send your thread off on a tangent. I'd file or use a course stone to take down some of the metal on the edge till it quits "rolling" it shouldn't be more than a millimeter or so. That's about what I had to do to get my latest polished blade in shape. Its time intensive to do but it is soooo worth it.
 
Could you post the picture of fold blade, conajohare
 
I think I got it in 2003 ? Sorry I do not have a way to make pictures, it looked like a half moon pushed out to the side it was easy to push the fold back in with the edge of my bumpper and did not chip or crack this morning I smothed it out with a big ball bearing by tapping it on a piece of h beam.
I get the impression that some people feel its a minor thing but I actually use my knives for work every day on my farm not just recreation I was cleaning up a huge oak tree limb that fell on my chicken coop so it was a pretty agravating thing to have happend as I am pressed for time and had to drive back for another tool.
As for bringing it up on the forum I thought thats what it was for. I bought it over the phone from Bill I have bought all mine this way as im not a computer person but I do not recall being told to test it so this may have been before the political trouble.
 
boerboel84 said:
looks like there have been menny problems lately, on the hi web page it says that the HI cak is the probably strongest knife in the world? im realy starting to wonder?
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?? I got the opposite impression. When I think of how many CAKs are out there and the amount of use they get doing work far more difficult that than just about any other knife can handle, its amazing to me that there have been so few complaints over the years. That really is testament to what great tools they are. Each one is forged & hardened by hand & therefore a bit different than all the others so I'd expect to hear about way more problems than I do. Those HI kamis really know their stuff & put a lot of soul into each blade. I'm totally impressed that their CAKs are out there doing so many really big jobs while reports of problems are so rare.
 
Conajohara, Uncle Bill would not want you to have the fold blade Khukuri for your collection. Send it back to HI with return postage of $20 and I will send you a replacement.
 
Wow, that's great service.
Funny to read about a folded section of blade because when using a Condor stainless machete this weekend, the same thing happened to me.
 
Just wondering, how many of you would send back a kukri that you ordered on the phone personally from UB? I might just shine it up and put it on a stand.

Bill
Virginia
 
shortwinger said:
Just wondering, how many of you would send back a kukri that you ordered on the phone personally from UB? I might just shine it up and put it on a stand.

Bill
Virginia
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If it is a problem that is covered by the warranty, there is no reason not to send it back. If you paid for it, and it has a warranty covering that damage, sent it back.
 
The Man In Black, not a slight just trying to answer your question. To some of us there is more intrinsic value in this blade because of its personal history with Uncle Bill Martino than just the money in the steel of the blade. HI Khukuri's are awesome choppers I find excuses to use them but that's not why I buy them. Figure that out and you'll understand shortwinger's question.
 
Man in Black,

Normally, I make it a policy to buy the best. Not always the most expensive or the most fashionable, the best. So I make no excuses for quality.

It seems that most people that fall in love with the kukri will have a display model or two (or 23, Warty!) and in this case the fact that it was purchased directly from UB would make that kukri valuable to an HI aficionado. It simply cannot be replaced. That was at the heart of my question.

Now if a person just popped on the forum once to buy the kukri, only buys one, never gets into the history or the flavor of it and is exclusively looking for one single user, then sure send it back for a replacement. That is what HI (the business) is all about.

I'm sure that kukri would make one hell of a feeding frenzy for that day's DOD!!!

Bill
Virginia
 
oldschool45 said:
The Man In Black, not a slight just trying to answer your question. To some of us there is more intrinsic value in this blade because of its personal history with Uncle Bill Martino than just the money in the steel of the blade. HI Khukuri's are awesome choppers I find excuses to use them but that's not why I buy them. Figure that out and you'll understand shortwinger's question.
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I do not see the point of paying all that money for one, then putting it on a wall to look at. But thats just me.
 
Yvsa said:
But then Uncle Bill always did stress to all of uds all of the time that the time to at least give a brand new or even a used khukuri a rudimentary test within a few days of receipt just to possibly prevent these kinds of problems later on... :(
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Yeah Yvsa speaks the truth. I thought about mentioning that in the Tamang thread.

Really the Kamis do a good job for the way they do it. But there's really no way that khuks can be 100% consistently tempered using the rough way they do them.

So like Yvsa mentions about Uncle Bill, usually within a week of purchase I always try to take my khuks out and try them on some oak.

Warning. If you chop a 2x4, or some pine, or anything else there's a really good chance that you could encounter some oak later and chip your blade if it's not tempered right.

When you get your khuk you want to take it out and try it against the hardest dryest wood availble in your area. Also try to make sure you are striking blows in all areas of the sweet spot because the brittleness can be in an area you aren't striking. Try to give a slight twist too to put some sideways force on the blade.
 
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