Chiruwa Ang Khola - Firefighter Proof

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firemedic1343

Joined
Nov 5, 2008
Messages
46
As a fireman, I break a lot of stuff, on purpose and not. That's why I needed something dummy...er, I mean firefighter proof. I narrowed the choice for my first HI product to the one that is "certified for prying". After reading through the forums, I'm sure I could have gotten similar performance from many HI products, but I decided the CAK would be MY best bet first Khukri. However, I have a couple of questions.

How is everyone clean/caring/maintaining/protecting the blade, wooden hilt and sheath?

What do the markings mean? I made out the mountain of Rajkumar Kami, but that's it.

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Above raj's mountain kami mark are his initials in devangari script.
Normally there should be the 4 pointed sun on that side also, represting that this is an H.I. product.

On the other side are the initials U.B. in honor of our dear ol' Uncle Bill.
Below that are the initials Hee and Ee or H.I. in devangari script. this is normally placed at the bend of the khukuri near the spine, on this side of the khukuri.

The scabbards are usually taken care of by a little liquid boot black and some brasso or never dull for the chape. The same with the bolster and buttcap of the khukuri. You can waterproof the scabbard with the same thing you would use on shoes if you like.

The blade is usually cared for with light oil, WD-40 or mineral oil. some people also use tuff-cloth.
handles are taken care of with several different products such as mineral oil, boiled linseed oil, tru-oil etc.... the products are as varied as the users.
Using the search function will turn up many topics pertaining to all these questions. They have been asked many times before.
 
Thanks for the info. Been reading up on Uncle Bill. He seems like he's a great guy. Glad to see his traditions and values are being kept by great people.
 
You made the perfect first choice!

Another option to preserve the blade, is a lot of us force a patina. Patina is a form of very dense oxidation. Some use cold bluing solution, others a vinegar, mustard or citrus juice patina. It forms a dense layer of bluish brown oxidation that doesn't allow oxygen to go deeper into the metal and rust. The best way to keep the edge itself from rusting is to use the kukri.

I usually force a patina on my user blades, and then wipe them down every now and then with mineral oil (reason being, mineral oil is edible, but doesn't go rancid like vegetable oils). The handles I like to use boiled linseed oil on. It darkens the wood and makes it a little more "grippy". Any oil works, though, including mineral oil.

On the sheaths, I like to condition the leather with pure neatsfoot oil, and when a few coats of that sink in, I seal the whole thing with beeswax. It keeps the opil in and gives the exterior a nice, hard finish with a faint smell of honey. I just let the brass tarnish, and I like the "well used" look.
 
Good info on the trad sheath from both of you guys. I just purchased a CAK off of another forumite on here and I cant wait to put that safe-queen through her paces. +1 on the honey scented sheath! My grandfather-in-law is a beekeeper and is always handing me big trays of unprocessed combs. I have about a 1/4 cup of wax/comb that i have saved up. The only negatives i see are
A. if absolutely stuck in a survival scenario, I may be tempted to eat it.
B. bears may be thinking the same thing, but more about me, lol.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
You made the perfect first choice!

Another option to preserve the blade, is a lot of us force a patina. Patina is a form of very dense oxidation. Some use cold bluing solution, others a vinegar, mustard or citrus juice patina. It forms a dense layer of bluish brown oxidation that doesn't allow oxygen to go deeper into the metal and rust. The best way to keep the edge itself from rusting is to use the kukri.

I usually force a patina on my user blades, and then wipe them down every now and then with mineral oil (reason being, mineral oil is edible, but doesn't go rancid like vegetable oils). The handles I like to use boiled linseed oil on. It darkens the wood and makes it a little more "grippy". Any oil works, though, including mineral oil.

On the sheaths, I like to condition the leather with pure neatsfoot oil, and when a few coats of that sink in, I seal the whole thing with beeswax. It keeps the opil in and gives the exterior a nice, hard finish with a faint smell of honey. I just let the brass tarnish, and I like the "well used" look.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips! I like your style. I will have to look up some patina recipes.


seanmizusmc said:
Good info on the trad sheath from both of you guys. I just purchased a CAK off of another forumite on here and I cant wait to put that safe-queen through her paces. +1 on the honey scented sheath! My grandfather-in-law is a beekeeper and is always handing me big trays of unprocessed combs. I have about a 1/4 cup of wax/comb that i have saved up. The only negatives i see are
A. if absolutely stuck in a survival scenario, I may be tempted to eat it.
B. bears may be thinking the same thing, but more about me, lol.
Click to expand...
Did you get a Villager? I ordered and used my CAK (the one pictured in the OP) and I never asked HI if they were sending me a Villager or not...lol...either way I love it, I honestly don't even know the difference, I just like using this CAK!
 
Great pix, thank you and welcome to the HI & forum
 
No, it looks like a high polish blade, which i will just force a patina onto after it is worn off, perhaps blue it or do the vinegar trick. Its the 20" model with wood handle and brass fittings.
 
Yangdu said:
Great pix, thank you and welcome to the HI & forum
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Thanks! No really, thank you so much! :)

seanmizusmc said:
No, it looks like a high polish blade, which i will just force a patina onto after it is worn off, perhaps blue it or do the vinegar trick. Its the 20" model with wood handle and brass fittings.
Click to expand...

The blade does seem high polished. I guess I'll wait to do the forced patina then.
 
firemedic1343 said:
How is everyone clean/caring/maintaining/protecting the blade, wooden hilt and sheath?
Click to expand...

Nice Khuk. I'm seriously considering dunking my handles in a 50/50 solution of linseed oil and turpentine. I've already purchased the chemicals. Anybody know offhand if the same sealer can be applied to horn as to wood.

pete
 
Yep, a villager is lacking the shiny for the most part. the edges will look polished up sometimes, but the overall blade will be rough finished. I'm not sure, but you may wanna go ahead and force that patina now if you plan on it. I let my McCurdy khuk develop its own from chopping green/wet wood and it has a weird little patina growing on it. I clean it up and take some scratch pads to it and every time i take it out it gets a little darker in spots and some deeper coloring. It was a high polish when I bought it too.
 
Maniacal Pete, for horn anything with lots of lanolin or pure neetsfoot oil to keep it from drying out. If you wanted to seal it after, I guess a wax would probably do (I've heard that Renaissance Wax is good).
 
and you can take that darned chappe off, little heat and a pair of pliers. No more sharp point in thigh.


justsayin

:)
 
Kismet said:
and you can take that darned chappe off, little heat and a pair of pliers. No more sharp point in thigh.

justsayin

:)
Click to expand...

Yeah, that chappe is annoying. And it makes the sheath look a little scary. It seems like it may function to stop the tip from pushing through the sheath.

seanmizusmc said:
Yep, a villager is lacking the shiny for the most part. the edges will look polished up sometimes, but the overall blade will be rough finished. I'm not sure, but you may wanna go ahead and force that patina now if you plan on it. I let my McCurdy khuk develop its own from chopping green/wet wood and it has a weird little patina growing on it. I clean it up and take some scratch pads to it and every time i take it out it gets a little darker in spots and some deeper coloring. It was a high polish when I bought it too.
Click to expand...

Any other advantages to forcing a patina now instead of later on this high polished CAK?
 
Congrats on the CAK firemedic, make sure to keep us updated on its performance! I'm sure it should be able to withstand the obstacles that firefighters have to surpass.

The main advantage for forcing the patina now is to avoid possible rusting of the blade, assuming you don't oil it. If you keep it in the sheath for a long time, the built up moisture may rust the blade. I find that HI blades rust quite easily, even from drops of water for a minute or two.
 
7rip13a said:
...
The main advantage for forcing the patina now is to avoid possible rusting of the blade, assuming you don't oil it. If you keep it in the sheath for a long time, the built up moisture may rust the blade. I find that HI blades rust quite easily, even from drops of water for a minute or two.
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I'm not really worried about a little rust, I can always get rid of it. I am keeping it lubed with Zep-45 on the blade and White Lithium on the edge. Obviously I won't be using this Khuk for cooking for a while. Maybe when I go camping I'll switch the lube.

Thinking about coating it with Militec or Weapon Shield, just because I have both here...
 
seanmizusmc said:
...I let my McCurdy khuk develop its own from chopping green/wet wood and it has a weird little patina growing on it. I clean it up and take some scratch pads to it and every time i take it out it gets a little darker in spots and some deeper coloring. It was a high polish when I bought it too.
Click to expand...

This is generally what I do with a user. Just use it. Wipe it off with a Scotch-Brite pad when done. After a few years it will have an honestly-earned patina, and it's own unique charachter. I admit I've blued a couple, forced the issue with mustard, mayonaise, lemon juice and other foodstuffs, but I've settled down to letting nature take its course.
 
seanmizusmc said:
...
B. bears may be thinking the same thing, but more about me, lol.
Click to expand...

one thing i learned while stationed in kodiak, never go into bear country alone. that way you only need to be faster than your companion. whacking them in the leg with a CAK ensures you are faster than them. :)

p.s. - i arrived in kodiak just as the navy was getting ready to hand over the base to the Coast Guard. was told about the two marine guards in a guard shack on the edge of the base a mile or so closer to town than the main gate who failed to report in on time to the OOD, he drove over to investigate, found a pile of .45acp casings on the guard shack floor. they found the remains of the two marines in brush about 50 ft away. they found a kodiak bear about 100 yds away with about a dozen bullet holes.

at one point in my tour there i walked from the main road out to the rifle range to sight in my .300 winmag, when i walked out again at dusk i found a kodiak bear had followed me in, his prints on top of mine in the snow. i reloaded & was very careful in making my way to the car. bears are best enjoyed from a very great distance.

p.p.s. - they dismantled that remote guard shack and issued rifles to the guards at the main gate.
 
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