Finally took the Salyan out!

MacHete

MacHete

Hair Cropper & Chipmunk Wrangler
Joined
Apr 7, 2000
Messages
2,559
Sorry there's only one pic. I took Code out for our first long romp through the woods in a while. I knew a lot of trees had fallen around the property, so I wanted to pack a Khuk. I have several "untried" HI blades, and I decided on the Salyan simply because it had the best edge among the ones I haven't sharpened. I think it is the prettiest Khuk I'm happy to take out and use. It performed admirably well, and handled very much like a CAK. I really liked the beefier handle- a little more circular in cross-section and less "flared" than the usual Khuk grip. I don't recall the exact length of this beauty, but I could have done with another couple of inches on her and not suffered in balance at all. Didn't give her a full workout, just trimmed branches and halved or sectioned trunks of trees that had fallen across the trail. Mostly dealt with pines in various states of wetness, dryness and rotteness. Whacked a few smaller hardwoods as well. No edge damage whatsoever, and I only got one small blister at the base of my right ring finger.

I love this Khuk!:thumbup:
 

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Looks like a nice one but it isn't on my list of wants.

of course should one come up in sharkable condition...

It looks like it did its job well.
 
Nice impressions Mac! :thumbup:

If you get the chance it would be good to know the overall length and weight of your Salyan please?
 
Good looking khuk MacHete. It is nice being able to get outside again and put the tools to work.
I just got my 15.5" 23 oz. Sher(Tiger) Salyan yesterday. Took it out to give it a test chop on a maple limb. Had to bring the edge up with the chakma-no problem there. It chopped well enough. It is a pretty khukuri and will work if you need it to.

Rick
 
Well, I did wind up sharking one but as yet I have not gotten it. :(

Hopefully it will be here soon. Happy Easter everyone!
 
It's really great that HI tried again with the Salyan and from the looks of it succeeded greatly.....:thumbup: :cool: :D

When Uncle Bill first tried to bring the Salyan back it was a joke of preposterous magnitude!!!!
Now don't get me wrong it was a working sucker- - - - IF you could hang onto it. I was really Jonesing for one but Uncle Bill didn't have anymore and refused to have anymore made seein as how the kamis really messed it up according too Uncle Bill.
Anyway to make a long story a wee bit shorter Uncle Bill had one returned by a customer who said the blade was too soft.
Well this customer had a reputation on the forums because of his so-called, "Scientific Tests" and as usually was the case he was totally wrong about the blade being too soft on the Super Salyan. My suspicion always has been that this customer couldn't hang onto the Super Salyan because of its overly large handle and that was why he sent it back.....
Well leave it too me, I got my heaviest wood rasp and carefully went to work and after a great deal of work got the handle down to a manageable size for me.
And although I did smooth it up a bit with one of my less aggressive wood rasps I never did finish its handle although it was smooth enough for me too use without too much difficulty, read -No- blisters if carefully used and IMNSHO -carefully used- was all that could be managed with this oversized monstrous beast!!!!:thumbup: :D
One of the reasons Uncle Bill was so disappointed with the Super Salyan was that he thought it was the ugliest khukuri that he'd ever seen and I have too admit I didn't find it pretty up close and personal, but, if'en you laid it up against something and got back several feet it fit the image of the original perfectly!!!!!

I can't recall the dimensions on the Super Salyan but It was Most Definitely Super Sized!!!! :eek: I do remember that mine was 5/8" across the spine, and y'all are amazed at the 1/2" spines on the larger AK's. :p ;) Anyway that's what I remember about the history of the Super Salyan. Since I haven't been around much lately, mostly due to my health issues I'm not sure what the story is on the new Salyans and how they came about but I'm sure Uncle Bill is very pleased with the current model!!!!!:thumbup: :cool:


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Howdie Yvsa,

I'm new to the forum and currently just purchased a UB Memorial Salyan 12 1/4'' from HI.
Very curious about the story behind Super Salyan, Mind to share?
I read somewhere about the gift to Uncle Bill a 12'' Salyan and it has been the trademark as well as his fav kuks.

Thanks again.
Jay
 
I know where a Super is but I can't afford it. :(

My little 12.5" Salyan came yesterday and it really is beautiful. I love it but the only thing I wish is that I had beaten stickfred to the 15" one. :) That one was the perfect size and while mine sure is purty, it is a bit small for my hands.
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Welcome aboard JayGoliath. Glad to have another on the forum to share in the fun.

Regarding the Super Salyan you can find the progress in the Archives. Select Himalayan Imports Archive, then drop down the page, select Begining and click Show Threads. The order of the threads goes by the date under Last Post. The first post to check is "The 800 pound Salyan", Last Post 3-21-1999. Uncle Bill posted "Here's the 18? inch Salyan -- pix"(Last Post 12-15-1999) on receiving these brutes and has specs there.

Oddly enough, there is a Super Salyan available on the Exchange ("HI Super Salyan khukuri", Last Post 2-15-2010). It was the last one that Bill had and was sold on the posting titled "The last Salyan at a bargain price. Pix", Last Post 8.8.1999. That buyer sold it shortly after and the new buyer posted his impressions in the post "Last of the Super Salyans", Last Post 11-19-1999.

There are some more postings on this first attempt by the kamis to make a Salyan, but that should keep you busy for a while. So pull up a chair around the glow of the monitor, get infected, get a khukuri, have fun and be safe.

Rick

P.S.-You saw that Super, too, warty? There's no doubt that Super will work, its just too much weight and my arm can't afford it.
 
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Actually, I don't understand where to look for HI on the "Exchange" but I know someone who has one and would sell.

I can never figure out all the different forums outside of this one. Some may find it intuitive but I find it confusing.:confused:
 
warty, they should be listed in the "For Sale: Production Knives (Individual)" section. In addition to helping keep BF afloat, my paying membership allows me to search. I go to the Exchange page, click on Search this Forum, enter khukuri and wait for the results. I've burrowed through the section before, but the search is easier. Happy trails.

Rick
 
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