Another FF Praise thread [w/ pics]

T

tychoseven

Joined
Aug 9, 2005
Messages
317
I came home from work yesterday, and the triangular package was waiting for me. As I unwrapped the newspaper and drew the khuk from its sheath, only two words came to me.

Oh wow.

I gave it a few swings and silently whistled in awe. The lines, finish, balance... superb. This knife doesn't scream "quality", it fairly roars. By comparison my village WWII feels like a stone hammer. It isn't fair to compare those two, but you get what I'm saying.

Here's a picture of the 17" Foxy Folly and my 16.5" Village WWII, both by Bura. Oh yes, and my fingerprints are all over that lovely blade. I cleaned things up some more for the other pics.


This one's a nicer shot of the FF.


And here you can see my reflection in the blade. Lets you see the fullers very clearly.


Today I'm going to be doing a lot of work with it, stress testing and fixing the cracks in the handle, sharpening, polishing, etc. My only complaint is that the chakmak and karda don't fit well in the scabbard. The loops are very loose and I have to stick them way down into the sheath so that they bind between the pieces of wood. But that's minor and I don't mind fixing it on my own, along with the tiny cracks in the handle. I'll probably post some action shots later in the week, if there's demand for such. Overall I'm very well pleased, and Bura, Yangdu, and everyone who helped design and make this beauty have my sincerest thanks.

-Tycho-
 
excellent pics!

stunning khukuri, wouldn't you agree?


I like it because it's a good balance of beauty and function. But that's also why I like the YCS so much.


Dont' forget to dunk that handle in some oil...(mineral, linseed, etc.)
 
Certainly, Dan. Stunning is a great way to put it.

It spent the night submerged in mineral oil, but the cracks didn't seem to close up any. However, they are now darker and that makes it easier to see them. I think I'll fill them with some 2-ton epoxy, but I think I should wait for most of the oil to be absorbed/evaporate. Will the oil will affect the epoxy's bonding, or no?

-Tycho-
 
Thanks for the pics, Tycho. I'm definitely going to have to chop something with mine once Dan finishes convexing it.

Bob
 
Magnificent. These are looking uniformly excellent.

Anyone else a little anxious to start seeing etch pics and field reports? (Hint, hint.)
 
Tycho, you got a nice peice of wood there on that FF. Mine is a darker chandan, but still very pretty. That wood is more like that seen on the Salyans, with more gold in it. Really nice. Mine has a couple of tiny cracks in it as well, so please share any info you get on the best way to fill them. I thought of using epoxy, but don't want to leave any film on the outside, so will need to wipe the surface down quickly.

Thanks for the nice pics.

Norm

P.S. Anyone else notice that the buttcap on the FF's from the last batch of 22 are thicker, with different style keepers than the prototypes? Ad's looked like this one as well.

Dan, you had both sets, did not you notice that, or is it just the angle of the picture?

Thanks for any info.
 
Satori said:
Magnificent. These are looking uniformly excellent.

Anyone else a little anxious to start seeing etch pics and field reports? (Hint, hint.)
Click to expand...

My last etch attempt (vinegar) didn't go so well. I'll give it a shot though, and maybe go on a hike tomorrow and collect some wood with the FF. I'll give the handle a few days to absorb the excess oil inside the cracks, and then I'll start filling with epoxy. I found a great thread on crack repair here, but I think you've seen it, Svashtar.

-Tycho-
 
Rusty used to use the super glue gel for the larger cracks not suitable for epoxy.

Edit:
Guess I ought to clarify that a little.:) Rusty would put several coats of super glue gel in a crack letting each one dry thoroughly of course before the next layer. It takes a while but worked for him.
After it was built up to level or a little more then Rusty would sand it down and reoil the wood or polish the horn.
 
Yvsa said:
Rusty used to use the super glue gel for the larger cracks not suitable for epoxy.

Edit:
Guess I ought to clarify that a little.:) Rusty would put several coats of super glue gel in a crack letting each one dry thoroughly of course before the next layer. It takes a while but worked for him.
After it was built up to level or a little more then Rusty would sand it down and reoil the wood or polish the horn.
Click to expand...

Thanks Yvsa. The cracks on mine are so fine, and centered right around a very pretty (and very hard) knot of chandan, that I could probably ignore them. I thought I might just mix up some epoxy and push it in with a small putty knife, and them immediately wipe up the excess on the wood surface with my trusty super citrus stuff.

Although as Uncle Bill used to say, these cracks are probably not going anywhere...

Regards,

Norm
 
[/em regret]

That's a beautiful blade...

"I came home from work yesterday, and the triangular package was waiting for me. "


Anyone else get diasappointed when their khuk comes in a non-triangular box?
 
Yvsa said:
Rusty used to use the super glue gel for the larger cracks not suitable for epoxy.

Edit:
Guess I ought to clarify that a little.:) Rusty would put several coats of super glue gel in a crack letting each one dry thoroughly of course before the next layer. It takes a while but worked for him.
After it was built up to level or a little more then Rusty would sand it down and reoil the wood or polish the horn.
Click to expand...

Pappy also used to swear by it for cracks in horn handles. The apparent "brand of choice" was BONDINI. Picked up a bottle of it the other day at Wally World to fix one of my handles. Reading off the package; "Works on Oily & Dirty Surfaces". Yup, that's the stuff.

Sarge
 
I'll have to get me some of that. I soaked the handle in mineral oil the first night, and by the looks of it I'll be waiting a while for it to dry :(
Epoxies aren't meant to be used on oily surfaces, according to what I've read. I guess that's why we have BONDINI!

-Tycho-
 
tychoseven said:
I soaked the handle in mineral oil the first night, and by the looks of it I'll be waiting a while for it to dry :( -Tycho-
Click to expand...

Might try "degreasing" with some alcohol. The Bondini definitely works, just squared away the knife handle I mentioned earlier, and it's good to go. :thumbup:

Sarge
 
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