Change in kami marks

Bill Martino

Bill Martino

Joined
Mar 5, 1999
Messages
34,096
We have a couple of changes in marks.

Durba left -- had to go home for some reason. Kesar liked the flag mark so now that's what he is using. Effective maybe three weeks back anything made by Kesar will now have Durba's old mark -- flag of Nepal.

Sher came back. He wanted Kesar's old mark, the half sun, so that's what he's using. Effective maybe three weeks back anything marked with Kesar's old mark, the half sun, is Sher's work.

Thankfully, Bura and Sanu are still using the marks they started with.

The kamis are nuts -- worse than we are.
 
Condolences sent to the cave:(


Jim, I fear you may need to make a trip to Nepal and get Durba to come to his senses. Of course he'd probably just end up working in the cave for the rest of his days and none of us would get any Durba's either way---come to think of it how would we notice?;) :p


The kamis are nuts -- worse than we are.
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:eek: :eek: ;)
 
Hey Wildmanh, now that Sher's back, how about getting a REAL 25" AK. ;):D:eek: Just tzn, a 20"AK from Sher would probably be enough for me. :)

Bob
 
Most of these kamis have small plots of land they have to take care of so it doesn't turn into jungle or wash down the mountain. They have to come and go just like KNN or they'll lose what little they have. It's just part of the deal over there.
 
Augh. Uncle Bill, can you explain to them, please, that their marks are not decorations, but signatures? That it must be possible for somebody to look at a knife 60 years from now, and say "yes, that is definitely Kesar's mark and his work"?
 
Originally posted by Irregular
Augh. Uncle Bill, can you explain to them, please, that their marks are not decorations, but signatures?
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I have and it didn't do any good and I can but it won't do any good. They all think we are crazy for even asking for marks or signatures. If the knife is good and does the job what possible difference can it make who the maker is?

Jag and Prem are gone -- either across the river or down the river. They might be in jail.
 
Hello, Uncle Bill

While a good knife is a good knife with or without marks, these changes will make identification impossible in a short while. If there is anything you can do to stop them, you better do so energically, otherwise we will all be lost at identifying the kamis 's marks and they will loose their meaning.
 
Oh my:eek: Now I wonder if my 25" AK was made by Kesar or by Durba.:confused::confused: I've wanted to get something really beefy made by Sher. Looks like I'll finally get the chance.:D
 
It isn't hard to understand their position (I've had guys who absolutely refused to sign for receipt of goods - "I can just sign 'received' and they don't need to know who it was", and all of my KNN knives are excellent blades (even though the differences are obvious). It may be that no one wants to "stand out" as better, or as having less desireable blades. That said, old dependable Kesar, who doesn't want to innovate, made the prettiest M43 anyone could hope for. My Bura GS, while a fantastic blade on it's own, had the cruddiest cho of any I've seen.

The difference is in our own heads (somewhere - knowing this bunch, there is plenty of unused space :rolleyes: ) but it might help them to know that whatever strange, crazy notions we may have, the marks help to sell knives, even if they don't mean much beyond that. It isn't about keeping score - just a personal touch and recognition that the blade is from BirGorkha, which makes such fine knives that the kamis aren't afraid to sign them. Like the engine blocks on the old Porches.
 
Originally posted by Irregular
Augh. Uncle Bill, can you explain to them, please, that their marks are not decorations, but signatures? That it must be possible for somebody to look at a knife 60 years from now, and say "yes, that is definitely Kesar's mark and his work"?
Click to expand...

Amusingly the 2 marked HI khukuris I have right now are by Durba & Kesar... :)

For some reason I'm not surprised by this. I think the moral of this story is that 'signatures' on 'artefacts' don't mean much, since people are likely to adopt older markings....There are a number of Frankish swords marked Ulfberht on the blade - probably originally an individual smith, and then perhaps a family name; but these swords are found from a number of time periods in a number of places, so Ulfberht seems to have come to be associated with the workshops producing the blades....

The solution for matching a kami and his work is to keep records, so that your heirs will have documents pertaining to your then priceless HI collection ;)

B.
 
Originally posted by Bill Martino

Sher came back. He wanted Kesar's old mark, the half sun, so that's what he's using. Effective maybe three weeks back anything marked with Kesar's old mark, the half sun, is Sher's work.
Click to expand...

Hang on a moment - so the 20inch Ang Khola (with the 'defective' sheath) I got a little bit ago, with the half-sun mark. Is that Kesar's or Sher's?? :confused:

I don't care which really, just want to know.

B.
 
I think we are already having a sample of the mess that is about to come...
 
We are lucky to get them to put any mark at all on the blade. They view this as nonsense and a waste of time and only do it because they know that I'm the guy who sends the money.

I have a better chance of wiping out the Maoists single handedly than changing the philosophy and ways of the kamis.

Don't ask for the impossible.
 
Echo MauiRob's statement,"Condolences sent to the cave"
Tsimi, while this must indeed upset you, please look on the bright side ...you probably have the largest known stockpile of Durba's work known! Guess that will leave you with some mixed emotions huh?

Jag and Prem gone? Thats a loss for all!
Sher is back! The balancing regain for all :)
 
It may not be apparent yet, but the kamis are converting everyone else to thier way:

The kamis don't understand the significance of the signature marks.

Now the kamis have made certain that no one else understands those marks either! :D
 
billpaxton,
hee,hee! I know "MINE" are Durba's! ALL(everywhere in the cave)are Durba's!My M43 by Durba is my Truck carry!Durba,s hee,hee!:D
jim
 
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