butchering a sgt khadka

leinenkugel

leinenkugel

Joined
Apr 24, 2008
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42
10/10/10s

Sunday afternoon was spent with my dear friend gunknifenut, a fellow kukri enthusiast, defacing a work of art...fun, though it was..we felt a little guilty, knowing how HI fans loved Khadka's work.
The kuk was a 15" CAK, that used to have a bone handle that I just didnt like very much...it wasnt very comfortable, and didnt seem to tough.
Well, I wanted the ultimate bush craft tool, and I think we did pretty well.
After removing the handle slabs, we cleaned up the tang, and then shaped some micarta to fit in the fullers...then drilled for tube rivets..alla BUSSE style.
Then added epoxy to the mix...and man...what a handle.
Overall, the fit and finish could be better. but I love the feel. It works, and it WILL do any work needed. Tough isnt an issue now.
What do you guys think?

pics coming up
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Looks pretty awesome mate. I personally am not very offended - a kukri is made for work and if there are aspects of it that causes the user issues, it definitely should be remedied. For me, this generally doesn't get past beveling the rings a bit if they're pointy.

Any closeup shots of the handle? **edit** third picture just loaded.
 
still some sanding to do on the handle, so its not really finished yet, but it chops like a champ, and feels awesome. Gunknifenut is gonna redo a Murali bonecutter next week...
 
Nice work! In the hills of Nepal a blade might last for generations of hard use, but it might get a new handle every decade or so. You are firmly in the historical tradition by replacing a handle with another that fits you better.

Who knows, maybe in 30 years you'll want to replace the handle again.

The same consideration goes for sheaths, kardas, etc.
 
Howard Wallace said:
Nice work! In the hills of Nepal a blade might last for generations of hard use, but it might get a new handle every decade or so. You are firmly in the historical tradition by replacing a handle with another that fits you better.

Who knows, maybe in 30 years you'll want to replace the handle again.

The same consideration goes for sheaths, kardas, etc.
Click to expand...

and then you keep the handle, and replace the blade...

you know, the grandfather's axe paradox... "replaced the handle three times and the head twice but it's still grandpa's", as so: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus

looks like good work though. might have to do some more camera work to get gunknifenut looking handsome again :)


Bladite
 
Howard Wallace said:
Nice work! In the hills of Nepal a blade might last for generations of hard use, but it might get a new handle every decade or so...
Click to expand...

And the khukuri carves its own replacement handle.

(like the father and his son, as the son is growing up. Kinda poetic)
 
Bladite said:
and then you keep the handle, and replace the blade...

you know, the grandfather's axe paradox... "replaced the handle three times and the head twice but it's still grandpa's", as so: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus

looks like good work though. might have to do some more camera work to get gunknifenut looking handsome again :)


Bladite
Click to expand...

Its a sure thing, if Wes takes the pic...I look like a %$#&! Every time.:D
Wes and I have been buds since I was 12, and he has been making me look bad one way or the other since then.:D:thumbup:

Honestly, this is my proudest rehandle...its an awesome tool..I love it, and so does Wes, and thats what really counts.
Man, what a great Kukri now...the best of both worlds..classic super tough blade, with a modern, super tough handle. Very comfortable to chop with.
I cant wait to give this treatment to my user Murali boncutter...should be awesome...pics of that to come as well.
 
Real nice job, guys.:thumbup:
That's the best thing, when you make it yours and fiddle with it:)

:D
Mark
 
I think it looks great. Will you do similar work for profit? I have a AK Bowie with a horn handle that is HUGE. I was thinking natural canvas micarta like the one y'all did. I could remove the handle scales. Then grit blast with 220 alumina oxide and Duracoat.
 
That is a sweet rehandle. I am going to do the same thing to an M43 that I'm shipping off to Afghanistan for my girlfriend's son to carry. I just got a kydex sheath done up by Leatherface, but now I think micarta handles would be better on it too. Plus, I'm thinking of Cerakoting it too...
 
Heck, thats not butchered. Now here's a butchered khuk... can't remember what it used to be, a sirupati or something. I cut off the wooden handle & slabbed the back part of the blade in whalebone. Capped the pins with abalone. The guard is metal wrapped in denim micarta that I made from epoxy and an old pair of Levis. This is one hefty but easily-carried blade (R-10 for size comparison):

R-11.jpg
 
WOW UglyDuck, if that started out as a khukuri, then that is really the most "butchered" khukuri I have seen yet! :eek: It has lost most of the thickness now PLUS you have ground of so much of the blade it looks more like a conventional knife that a khuk. :eek: That must have taken forever then you must had had t heat treat it and then you even rebuffed it to a nice high polished look! :eek: :eek:

my guess though is that it was not a khukuri, rather just some manner of blade that is made by HI. ;)
Which one is/was it? Looks too big for an r-10...
 
warty said:
my guess though is that it was not a khukuri, rather just some manner of blade that is made by HI. ;)
Which one is/was it? Looks too big for an r-10...
Click to expand...

It was one of those khuk blems originally designed more for defense rather than chopping. Since I never got into a knife fight, but did use my R-10 a lot, I decided to make an "R-11" out of it just for fun. I don't have as many as you, but I do have a lot of HIs laying around. Just decided to sacrifice one to see what an "R-10 with a guard" would be like.
 
warty said:
you have ground of so much of the blade it looks more like a conventional knife that a khuk. :eek: That must have taken forever then you must had had t heat treat it and then you even rebuffed it to a nice high polished look! :eek: :eek:
Click to expand...

Didn't grind or or heat-treat or buff. Just chopped it & then put on the handle. It was a fun project. I like the result, too. Its really thick & solid for an 11-inch knife.
 
Hey Gene,

I think you guys did an awesome job! :thumbup: I have a 15.5 " Sgt. Khadka CAK and would love micarta scales on it. (My apologies to all the purists :o )

Doc
 
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