Chakma caution

WrongFriend

WrongFriend

Joined
Jul 6, 1999
Messages
1,151
Hi, dear forumites

Yesterday I found the scabbard of my khukuri was unusually tight. Since I received it had got much smoother in a week, it didnft require sweating effort to draw though as tight as to hold the 20h Ang Khola even in upside down position. But yesterday it needed full strength to draw. Though at last I could manage to draw it, felt something wrong with the AK. Handle of the chakma seemed too short in exposed part, too deep buried into the scabbard and made it too tight by the pressure, this was why!
Okay, letfs p....pul...pull? I couldnft. It was more tight than the AK itself. It took 15 minutes to pull the chakma out. A nailhead inside the scabbard was stopping it. that gave a 2h scar along the handle. It must have been that somehow unconsciously I had the chakma buttend hit something.

Is this usual or just a stupid newbie thing? But if you can see a nailhead inside your chakma/karda pocket, please take care not to hit the buttend while carrying.
If you had the same trouble in the future, try to twist-pull the handle. If blessed with luck, twisting will give some play, some room between the chakma and the pocket, and make it a little loose.


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\(^o^)/ Mizutani Satoshi \(^o^)/
 
Thank you for the warning. I didn't realize that nails were used in the construction of the sheaths.
 
Mizutani,
I don't believe your experience is all that unique. Nailheads inside the chakma/karda pockets have scratched some of my handles as well.

Coincidentally, Yvsa just suggested removing the nails and using glue to secure the leather rings in response to a problem I had with a chakma and karda not fitting properly. I followed his advice & all is now well with the fit. When I have the time, I'll probably pull all such nails from my scabbards to avoid further handle damage.

Uncle, I know you have said how difficult it can be to effect change in the way things are done. However, since scratches from these tacks seem to be fairly common, I imagine it is a condition of which the kamis & sarkis are aware. Would it be possible to use an alternative means, such as glue, to secure the leather rings in the future?

------------------
Cheers,

--+Brian+--

I may be goin' to hell in a bucket, Babe, but at least I'm enjoyin' the ride.


 
:
Et Al:
Since I first found the problem with the tacks....
(and they are used even on the junk khukri scabbards) ....
so this is just a Nepal Ho & Khukuri thing and nothing to get to excited
about although it does have a tendency to make a person pee'ed off when a scratch is found on the karda or chakma..
smile.gif


I have used needle nose pliers,files,nail set and hammer,etc to fix them.On the thicker scabbards like the AK's,18th.Century and even most of the Sirupati's you can generally leave the Khukuri in the scabbard while you
repair it.
The Khukuri takes up some of the pressure in trying to set the tack with a nail set and hammer.
I have only had to remove maybe a couple of tacks from the larger scabbards.

Satoshi you may also experience the Khukuri scabbard adjustment frustration.
In winter or where Uncle lives and the air is very dry the leather shrinks due to moisture loss and tightens the scabbards up.
Then when moisture is high the scabbards can get to loose.
I have found a small piece of leather (depending on scabbard size)
dropped in the scabbard will generally make it tight enough right in the bottom to let the scabbard pass the upside down and/or jump test.
A sharp pull is all it takes to get it past the initial tightness then the Khukuri is easy and fast to draw.
It sometimes takes a while for the scabbards made from natural materials to adjust to new surroundings.Then you can tighten or loosen them as needed and they will stay pretty much the same until/unless you get an extreme weather change.


------------------
>>>>---¥vsa---->®

If you mix milk of magnesia with vodka and orange juice do you get a phillips screwdriver?

Khukuri FAQ




[This message has been edited by Yvsa (edited 29 October 1999).]
 
Many thanks for reports and advice. I have had problems with the tacks myself and wish I could find an alternate method. I am not sure the sarkis would like to use glue but I can ask them and see what they say.

Satoshi, the scabbard is alive as someone posted. It adjusts itself to weather conditions. Pala and other Gorkhas suffered the same problem and used water soak and wood wedge to expand the scabbard and water and belt wrap to shrink it. It is part of the deal.

------------------
Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
http://members.aol.com/himimp/index.html
 
Thanx for comments and advices.

Steven, this is just my guess, a khukuri needs some nails for airport security in case it is Mirage X khukuri! Anyways I'll feel happy if my post could help someone out of trouble.

bcaffrey, Yvsa, thank you for your advice. But I might make more contribution if I took another way, that might end in either success or failure. My idea is to hammer the nailhead to bury a little deeper and make it a little round, then put some epoxy on it to cover. If it works well, something other than the friction between chakma's handle and its sheath to keep it from falling off. And if not, the epoxy will rid and make another scratch...but, well still I can remove the nails. I have to find an appropriate epoxy I can get in Japan. Thanks again for giving me the "last resort! "

Yvsa, it's too bad you have had so much scratches on your khukuri handles. Your advice on adjusting khukuri scabbard is greatly appreciated. Though it's only a week now since I got my khukuri, it would help me in the future. I'm still at the novice stage, loosening the scabbard to pass the heftiest part of the blade with a little less effort. So far I could find the pressure of chakma and karda can adjust the tightness a bit.

Uncle Bill, thanx for water soak/woodwedge advice. But not yet, I carry my AK every where with me and have no time to try your way... at least while our honeymoon!
 
:
Satoshi I think you may be able to just drive the tack in a little further if needed like you said.
I have done that with some of my bigger Khukuri's and sometimes that was enough.When I do that I leave the big knife in place so I won't crack the wood and making it impossible for the tack to hold.
When it wasn't enough I use a small file and smooth the head down,usually it would be in at an angle and one side of the tack would be sticking up.I have used a drop of super glue over the head after I drove it in a little further and filed it smooth to make sure it didn't come loose anymore.

You may want to be careful about sticking the chakma and karda deeper into the scabbard.

That can cause the problem to actually get worse by - spreading - the little leather ring and putting - more pressure - on the tacks and helping to pull them out.

Sometimes the deeper they fit into the scabbard the harder it is to get a hold on them to pull either one or both from the scabbard.

Since you are still on your honeymoon with the AK you can observe carefully what is needed and think about the consequences of any action before you do any adjustments.I have found out I make less "serious" mistakes that way.
smile.gif


I also have an advantage over the scratches and such because I have a small grinder that I mounted a buffing wheel on one side.That's why I am able to get that super smooth finish that some of our fellow forumites have asked about.
One of the problems with the little tools though is sometimes the horn is thin and the scratch breaks through into the laha and it becomes impossible to polish out.
I have only had one like that and it is my village Dhankuta which is a work knife and so doesn't matter.

The ones I would be really concered about are my Banspati,Hanuman Special,18th Century and my two smallest Khukuri's.

I love your sense of humor!!
smile.gif



------------------
>>>>---¥vsa---->®

If you mix milk of magnesia with vodka and orange juice do you get a phillips screwdriver?

Khukuri FAQ




[This message has been edited by Yvsa (edited 30 October 1999).]
 
RE nails: I haven't had a problem w/mine scratching, but they (along w/rivets on one of my sheaths) were the only parts which arrived w/a coat of rust. After polishing off the rust, I coated the nailheads/rivets w/a little crazy glue and lightly sanded them. The idea was to use the glue as a rust inhibitor, but it also makes the nail heads smoother, less likely to snag...

Glen
 
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