Blade finish & Kami identity.

M

mctecheng

Joined
Apr 19, 2018
Messages
5
I recently received a beautiful 18 inch Sirupati which I must say the picture on himalayan-imports store didn't quite do the blade justice, but this is besides the point.

My first question is about the finish of the blade. One of the first things I did was slice a potato in two, let the blade sit for three minutes and then I washed with water/soap & dried the blade. I noticed a stain left over from the potato juice that cannot be removed easily. I don't really mind, but I was hoping someone could explain.

My second question is the identity of the Kami. I was not able to find a match on the pinned thread.

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The kami appears to be Purna, who left HI last year. His mark is a bull's head. Sometimes the mark is well-drawn with horns. Sometimes it's crudely drawn, as in this case, but I don't think any other HI kami has a mark even remotely similar to this one. Also, the devangari script above the mark looks like Purna's, though also crudely drawn. It's possible that one of the helpers did the marks. Purna is an excellent kami, whose work is prized by those who know of him.

As for the potato juice stain, it doesn't surprise me. All HI blades are made of 5160 high carbon steel, which is very sensitive to all kinds of vegetable juices. Some people use lemon juice or other stuff to force a patina on their blades, which helps prevent future rusting and can be visually pleasing. Letting the blade sit for three minutes (or longer) with the potato juice is exactly what people do if they want to create a patina.

If you want to remove the stain you can probably do so by rubbing the area with Flitz or some other metal polish, but it might not be worth it if you're going to cut vegetables regularly, or if you don't mind the look. You mention washing the blade with soap and water. Some soaps contain mild abrasive that can leave microscratches on the steel, so that's something to look out for. HI blades are differentially hardened, so only the working edge is very hard. The sides and spine can be a lot softer (like a traditional Japanese katana, though the technique is different), which makes the overall blade stronger.
 
I agree with the above post. Spot on. Definitely Purna. I don't know metals but I know it is carbon steel.
 
Incidentally the two Devanagari characters above Purna's mark are Pu Ra. They are identical to those on my Purna blades.
 
Purna is an awesome Kami! Grats on a fine blade. His blades will become rare since he no longer works for HI but Aunti still has a few in reserve stock im thinking. If you like that one keep your eyes open for more Purna stuff on the Deal of the Day posts (DOTD). I agree with the metal polish. It should polish out just fine.
 
Purna is a great Kami he makes fine Khukuri.
 
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