Bill: Replacement Kardas and Chakma's ?

Thomas Linton

Thomas Linton

Joined
Jun 16, 2003
Messages
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Bill, for those of us who collect old Khukri's, does HI sell replacements for the often-missing Chakma's and Kardas, preferably with wood handles "in the white"? Of the twelve vintage Khukris' I have acquired over the years, only two were not missing one or both accessories.

(Also, any hints on removing "old-trunk-in-the-basement" odor ? It's REALLY bad in one that just arrived from Austria via EBay. The hardened motor oil came off but the stink lingers on.)

Thank you,


TAL
 
removing the odor:

on the blade - use some metal polish to get it clean and then wax it to give it an odor that's nice. ;)

on the handle - don't use mineral spirits or turpentine or gasoline - that will take the color and finish off many khuks. Instead use a little acetone, or just start addind an oil finish - it will mask the odor.

in the sheath - I used baking soda with a little water and fashioned a cleaning device out of an old wire hanger and a rag. Scrub it real good and be sure to rinse it good, too! If you are sparing with the water, it won't warp it or take too long to dry.


0.02
 
Thanks for the ideas. The problem is pretty exclusively down inside the sheath -- like something down there ready to reach out and KILL!!! -- a really lethal mildew stink. I tried Lysol spray, but it only covers up temporarily.

TAL
 
If you have some old khuks and want replacement kardas, Atlanta Cutlery is selling them for $1.25 apiece for up to nine, and $1.00 apiece for ten or more. Apparently these are the kardas which were originally with the old khuks they recently imported from Nepal. The khuks are being sold for the most part without scabbards or kardas/chakmas, so I presume the scabbards disintegrated leaving a pile of khuks and kardas.

These kardas aren't on their website, so I called them at 1-800-883-0300. The item number is 1-130 on page 27 of their recent catalog. Don't know what shape they are in, but I ordered 20 and should have them by the end of the week or so.
 
I bought a couple extra chakmas from Uncle Bill on a couple of occasions. It depends on what spares he's got lying around. I guess you'll have to e-mail to find out fer sure.
 
Also if you're patient, someone around here might have one. I think I have one, but the tip was bent(they gournd it too thin). And yes, it is the chakma, not the karda. I have karda here for it too somewhere. had two 15" aK ble, which hopefully will become two nicely reworded ones. b ut one karda had a crack at tip, I use that as a cheap throway knife now around apt, and one chakma was bent over at tip. not sure what I'm doing with that, sure it's around somewhere, though the horn might be beat up.
 
When I went to khukfest 2003, Bill had a box of extras in the shed of a thousand wonders.

To get in the scabbard, try a bottle brush. Or if you're cheap and adventurous, graft something onto the end of an old toothbrush - I'd take 2 toothbrushes, cut a half-lap joint in both and liberally apply superglue (to the brushes and my fingers :D :rolleyes: )
 
Also, I made a couple kardas out of old files following Sarge's instructions, and they came out pretty good. I just figured that if those AC kardas are in any shape at all, it would save alot of sanding belts. They could very well be junk though, and at least with HI kardas you know they are reasonably well made.
 
Thomas, you might want to try putting a Downy laundry sheet down in the sheath. You know the ones I'm talking about. My wife puts them in the dryer. I put the used ones to work by sticking them under the floor mats in my car or under the inserts in my tennis shoes. Now, if a used downy sheet can do what it does for my old stinky tennis shoes I imagine a new, unused, full strength one ought to help out the khuk. I can't say whether the effect will be long term. There are others on the forum with far more experience. They have yet to steer me wrong.

I don't believe I've welcomed you to the cantina...welcome. This is a really nice group of people.
 
If you have a new kukri get replacements from HI. If you are trying to find authentic kardas take advantage of the AC pieces. I have handled quite a few now and must say they are well made, interesting and clean up beautifully. Here is a before and after picture of 2 of the 5 different variations.
4 AC.jpg
 
really like the grain at base of that top one.

Look a world better cleaned up. Thanks for the pic. :)
 
The kardas I have gotten have revealed at least 4 different types of wood. They are so loaded with cosmoline, grease, paint (I don't restore the painted ones)and years of dirt that I get much more drastic than I would with an old kukri. I scrape off the really thick stuff then use a jellied paint/grease remover. Then a succesion of fine grit sandpapers and finally heptane. This step pulls out any cleaning chemicals and the last of embedded oils. Finally I apply wax unless the original had traces of varnish.

Cliff, I will be interested to see what they send, but if you are buying 20 there should at least have the 2 I pictured and hopefully one of the "cliptips" I showed a while back. Those are quite rare.
 
Thanks again for the additional ideas. Softener sheets -- yes -- worht a try.

This forum does seem to be a civilized and friendly place. Lots of free exchange of useful information by genuinely helpful folk and little or no rough stuff.

TAL
 
Hi JP. SoWhats heptane normaly sold for? I know its a petrochemical solvent,But where does one obtain it? & is it better than Acetone?
Spiral
 
Originally posted by Thomas Linton
Thanks again for the additional ideas. Softener sheets -- yes -- worht a try.

This forum does seem to be a civilized and friendly place. Lots of free exchange of useful information by genuinely helpful folk and little or no rough stuff.

TAL
Click to expand...

Thomas if it was me I would try some of the aerosol citrus oil based air fresheners.
You could spray a generous amount in the scabbard. That stuff is s'possed to kill mold & fungus.

We're generally pretty tame, but some of us have defended what we truly believe in rather strongly.
But if people are nice in here then they get treated nicely.:D
 
Just got an e-mail from an old friend who says he's gotten rid of mold and mildew with Ballistol.
I didn't know it was good for that too.:D

"Hi Yvsa,
I've killed the crap with Ballistol and the smell too!"

I just ordered a WW I and twenty kardas from AC.:D UPS means a week to ten days. Thank the Gawds for plastic and the ever famous easy pay plan. We'll never get outta debt!!!!:rolleyes: :grumpy:
 
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