bone and horn handles

A

arty

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Oct 18, 2003
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I have a khukuri with a horn handle and others with wood hangles.

Is horn heavier or lighter than wood? This would alter balance and the center of gravity of the blade.

Which is stronger? Am I correct in assuming that wood is stronger?

I know that similar questions have been put to the forum in the past, but this is a little different.

I realize that horn can shrink in a dry climate, but improperly dried wood can do the same. I have a panawal angkhola from GK, and the wood shrank back from the tang. I previously finished the wood with 4 coats of Tung oil varnish, but this was not sufficient to prevent the shrinkage. I had to file back the but cap on the khukuri. The blade is nice, but I was not thrilled with the disappearing act put on by the wood slabs.
 
Originally posted by arty
I have a khukuri with a horn handle and others with wood hangles.
Click to expand...

Welcome Arty:
You are being razzed/treated like any other accepted member of the forum. Look above and you'll see that you mispelled the word handles in the last word quoted. Some of us like to twit others when they see such an opportunity.

Selection of handle wood or horn has passed from the now mostly retired owner ( Pala ) to his son ( Gelbu ) who is in his mid-20's, I believe. If I remember right, on the first trip to India he made to buy horn the saw him coming and sold him a bunch of green horn. Out west in the USA that is an archaic term ( Greenhorn ) for newcomer and rube. East Coasters undoubtedly had similar terms for country hicks from out west.

I have maybe 20-30 khucks and swords from HI, all told, and cracks and shrinkage SHOULD be minimal. Wood as a rule holds up better in most of the north, west, and east, with horn better suited to the deep south and high humidity. I live 70 miles northeast of the east gate of Yosemite at the bottom of Walker Lake in Nevada. 132 miles from Uncle Bill in Reno. Same climate, and co-altitude of about 4,000 feet ASL.

Incidentally, re: your use of "grok" I'm about 40 pages into the uncut version of Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. Time to re-read an old favorite and see what the first version was like.
 
Arty,
Horn is a little denser than wood, so it's logically going to be slightly heavier. Horn really shines as handle material in humid environments like coastal areas and tropical/subtropical areas, dampness just doesn't seem to bother it much. However, they can handle hot, dry, desert areas if given proper maintenance. Don't have to get fancy either, in Afghanistan my horn khuk handle was fed a regular diet of skin moisturizer and Chap Stik (which Bruise maintains I eat). No loose butt cap, no cracks, no worries.

Wood handles tend to be a bit more stable, and require less maintenance, but as you pointed out they're not maintenance free. A big plus in wood's favor is that you can apply a good sealer (tru-oil, linseed oil, etc.) to further stabilize the wood, and it'll pretty much ignore all but the most severe temperature and climactic changes.

Both are good, so it really just comes down to a matter of personal preference. Since the title of your thread includes horn and bone, I have to ask if you've ever seen any of the two piece handles Bura does incorporating both. They really are something. Haven't seen any of those in a while Uncle Bill, maybe you can put a bug in the royal kami's ear for us.

Sarge
 
I don't proof too well at night, after a hectic day at work, and that generates hangles.

I have a 17" GRS by Bura (wooden grip) and a small Sirupati by Bura, with a horn handle. The horn does seem denser than the satisal. The horn hasn't needed any udder balm since early applications, and the single small hairline crack that appeared was easily sealed with super glue. My house is gas heated, and so everything shrinks - including the joists.

The wood on Bura's BGRS hasn't moved a bit.

I haven't seen any combo handles.

Also, I suspect that my use of "grok" is probably incorrect. It was a commonly used term in the distant past, but I should probably read Stranger in a Strange Land again. It has been a very long time.

I asked about relative strength of horn and wood, since some posters on another forum reported horn cracking, especially when used in extreme cold. I don't believe that they were HI Khukuri, but I do recall a post about this from Hollowdweller.
 
They've told you horn does well in moist climates, but you've not heard yet that horn does well if handled often. So, if you live in a dry climate, but reach for the khuk with the horn, or simply take steps to keep the horn (and wood) properly moisterized, you are in great shape.


munk
 
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