Current steel being used for HI Khuks

Luopo

Luopo

Joined
Oct 27, 2002
Messages
375
Newbie question here... I've read that it's spring steel or sometimes railroad tracks, but I've never heard how good these types of steel are except that the Khuks themselves are well made. Really, what kind of use can I get from these types of steel and what would be the point of expecting too much from them? Also, how can you tell if your blade is made from spring steel or railroad tracks?
 
As far as I know, most/all of the current HI khukuris are made from old Mercedes truck springs--5160 spring steel or something like that I'd imagine. Great carbon steel blades with differential tempering--tough blades that will take most anything you can dish out.
 
think the springs of choice are, in order of preference: mercedes, toyota, and then something else. Springs are not gotten by a phone call, but rather a bus trip and a time spent at a wrecker's yard; then another bus trip with rusty old springs, and then on to BirGorhka. And the bus doesn't drop them off or pick them up.

I'd charge more just to get the steel, but I'm American.

Spend some time in "search" asking for keywords that intrigue you, you will get lost in the wealth of knowledge stashed.
 
Kismet was/is right the last that I heard. Some smaller ones, ( called reti sometimes ), are made from worn out files.

Also, being of the untouchable caste, the kamis get to ride on top of the bus, not inside.
 
I've spent some time riding on top of Nepali buses. It's pretty intense! Those mountain roads are something else! ...but my western legs don't fit in the seats well...
 
The kami page of the HI site has quite a bit of info on this topic. The HI FAQ is also a great source of various facts.

I seem to recall reading a thread here in which someone looked up the composition of Mercedes springs and discovered that they weren't actually made from 5160, but a similar steel with a different name. :confused: Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Jeremy
 
some truck springs here in the USA are 1095...but the ones in Nepal are 5160. Of this I am almost 100% positive. I have not composition-tested them myself. Though, now that I have a few fragments....not a bad idea.

Anyway, the spark thrown when grinding is a good indicator.

5160 throws a med-bright orange spark that is only moderately branched.

1095 branches like a daggum shrub, is a very bright orange (close to white) and the sparks are very Hot.


The khukuris I have had experience grinding have all had a med-orange spark like 5160.

Both steels are very high carbon and good knife steels. Many cutting competitions have been won with either one.



Disclaimer: this is based on my experience and observation. It is not an authoritative statement....just how I see it.
 
Hmmm... an hour of searching resulted in no sign of the post I thought I saw. I did read several mentions of the Mercedes steel being "European 5160," so if it's not 5160 it must be very close. Dan's spark info certainly seems to suggest 5160, also.

Dan, if you were to make a khuk out of one of the 10xx series carbon steels, which would you choose? I have the impression that 1095 makes a better slicer than chopper.

Thanks,
Jeremy
 
1095 makes an excellent chopper too. I would make one of 52100, 1095 or 5160. Those seem to be the best impact-resistant steels (of the forging steels).

If I was to use a crucible steel, it would be S7 or 3V.

I would not use stainless steel for a khukuri.

For damascus it would be wootz or for pattern-welding, O1 & L6 - a combination that, put together properly, is better than either individually (in large choppers).
 
Daniel Koster said:
for pattern-welding, O1 & L6 - a combination that, put together properly, is better than either individually (in large choppers).
Click to expand...
I'd love to get my hands on a khuk made of that! Add a handle of presentation grade desert ironwood and I may have to take out a loan, just to outbid any sharks here, to get it.
 
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