Cho/Kaudi area fractures in HI?

J

JimmyJimenez

Joined
Sep 30, 2005
Messages
580
Is this a concern found in HI products, or do these higher quality khukuris avoid this problem?

I'm no blacksmith, but I do wonder if these fractures are caused by a lack of proper metal heating prior to forging the cho/kaudi into the blade. It looks like maybe the metal is too cold when the cho/kaudi tool is pounded in and may be what is causing these stress fractures to occur. In any case, it looks like something that can be avoided by those that understand blacksmithing.

Here are some examples of these cho/kaudi area fractures:


http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/4636/dscn03940ha.jpg

http://img421.imageshack.us/img421/2387/dscn03967ai.jpg

http://img423.imageshack.us/img423/2198/dscn03971uy.jpg
 
No problems in that area that I've ever heard about with HI. There were a few instances of the tang snapping when khuks were made around Dasien and the kamis got into too big of a hurry and splashed water on the hot tang hardening it making it brittle. What few that broke were made right either with repair or replacement. You can't beat an HI Khukuri nor can you fault their guarantee.:thumbup:

The chance of a tang breaking or another sort of failure is why everyone is advised to beat the hell out of their khukuri when they recieve it.
If it survives a good heavy beating then it will never fail.:thumbup:
 
Thanks for answering my question :)
I did not think it was a problem with HI's, since I never seen one pictured with such fractures around the cho area. But, it never hurts to ask ;)
 
Those don't look like stress fractures to me. Just sloppy cho-marking, perhaps. They might develop into stress fractures later....if they're abused....
 
I'm sorry, what "I" meant by "stress fractures" are those fractures in the photos that seem to be caused during the cho/kaudi forging process. I figure it must be happening during the cho forging, so that is why I used the word stress (my meaning the stresses caused during the forging of the cho). Again, I'm no blacksmith, so please forgive my poor choice of words.

I know that the cho can be put in a bit sloppy. I also understand that that alone is not a big problem, since a small half round needle file can easily correct a poor contour. What I'm speaking of is not the poor contour of the cho (which the photo specimens are guilty of as well) but rather the hairline fractures that lead up towards the spine of the blade from the cho area.

The following photo shows the two knives that have these poorly shaped cho areas, as well as having fractures. Even at the backed off distance that this photo was taken, one can still see one of the fractures (when looking carefully at the bottom khukuri in the photo):


http://img423.imageshack.us/img423/3619/dscn03995fr.jpg
 
I've got tiny cracks from the cho in the khuk I use the most. They look about 1/16-1/8" long, but have never increased. Worried me to start with. Might break in 100 years.

Steve
 
The only 'cracks' I've ever personally seen on an HI khuk in the cho area, are, as Dan Koster noted, hammer or chisel marks from making the cho. Sort of 'cuts' in the metal.


munk
 
I looked at the pics. They don't show up great for me. From what I can see, the "fractures" look like sloppy work cutting the cho. If they are, they still would be stress-risers that could lead to failures.

In any event, it's nothing I have even seen on an HI product.

I know from your other thread that these are not HI products.
 
JimmyJimenez, I did a quick search of both the Archives and the present Forum and found only two threads about this.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157771

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=270742


Evidently, some of the HI khukuries do have these cracks, but it seems that they don't cause problem

I myself purchased 15+ khukuries (all from HI), and only one sirupati had some similar "cracks". They are around the tip of the blade though and not near the cho. Also, I have a small karda which has similar "crack" around the spine.
These blades were all sold as BLEMS.

My full price khukuries (and most of my others, purchased on the deals of the day) are SPOTLESS.

I just read your visual reviews about the Khukuri House khukuries on the Test Forum. My guess would be that they are OK functionally even though they are not OK aesthetically.

When you buy your HI khukuries, ask Yangdu to pick you a spotless khukuri, and you will get a beauty beyond all your dreams.

Wellcome to the world of the HIKV. There is no cure...just a next khukuri.
 
First off, I want to thank you all for your responses.


littleknife said:
When you buy your HI khukuries, ask Yangdu to pick you a spotless khukuri, and you will get a beauty beyond all your dreams.
Click to expand...

littleknife,

I will certainly use your good advice sir when it's time for me to order a HI specimen.
If I understand it correctly, HI has a similar method of handling their customers as that famous Burger joint........ they let the customer "Have it their way". I can greatly appreciate that.

Thanks again to all.
 
It's interesting that this is being brought up. My very first khukuri, a chiruwa AK by Amtrak, has two forging flaws right at the cho area. I hesitate to even call them cracks; they don't extend all the way through the blade and they're very shallow.

Still, at the time that I bought it I didn't know much about them. I considered sending an email but then I remembered the warranty and the rest, as they say, is history. I've been beating that AK like a rented mule ever since and they haven't gotten any larger.

OK functionally? Yes. OK aesthetically? No, but my khuks tend not to stay pretty for long. :)
 
Well, this is one area where I guess I have been fantastically lucky, because in personally reviewing several dozen HI kukris I have never seen any type of cho cracks or blade ware of any kind that I can recall. The worst I have seen is an exposed part of a chiruwa tang that had a small fissure in it that was smaller than a millimeter long (less than 1/25th of an inch.) I only spotted it because I was looking at the handle to tang fit with a 5X magnifying loupe and happened to spot it. HI has their blade finishing and quality down to a fine art. Any quality variables are not found in the metal work.

Regards,

Norm
 
I have one HI and one non HI that have some minor cracks at the cho. Beat the tar out of both of them and no problems at all (over 5+ years). Mine are definitely hairline cracks and NOT wayward chisel marks. They are less pronounced than in the pictures that were posted. I still keep an eye on them though ;)
 
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