first khukri (12" Ang Khola). need help tho.

B

BlindedByTheLite

Joined
May 6, 2004
Messages
347
hello out there, folks. can i kick it?

just got my first khukri. i'm not a very big fella so i started out with a 12" Ang Khola, and figure i'll work my way up.

this model however, was a blemish model, and needs a little maintenance. needs a little polishing. a little sandpapering. a little superglue/epoxy-filling. and most importantly, sharpening.

which brings me to a list of supplies, tell me if i'm leaving anything off:
Flitz paste
wax (got any reccomendations?)
Devcon 2-ton Epoxy
JB Weld Epoxy
Loctite (or another liquid superglue)
lanolin
220-400 grit sandpaper
1000-2000 grit sandpaper
Scotch-Brite
#0000 steel wool
Black Diamond files (6", 8", 10")
file card
DMT Diafold Diamond hone (blue, black, red, green)
leather strop (1" wide, glued onto a slab of wood if necessary)
Tripoli
Jeweler's Rouge
Green Chrome

am i leaving anything off? or do i have too much on it?

anyways, back to my humble request. would any of the khukri tribe here possibly slap a nice edge on my 12" Ang Khola to hold me over until i have the money to buy supplies?

-Ryan (planning on sticking around :D)

Edit:
sorry, i didn't wanna sound negative!
this is a beautiful tool! fantastically balanced, and now that i've had one in my hand, i understand why it could out-chop a hatchet!

i can get some pictures of it up tomorrow if anyone is interested.

the initials are K.M. and the symbol is the Star of David ;). i've come acrossed the infamous Kumar! also a couple other symbols on the spine, just under the sweet spot. i'll include them in my pictures.

BEAUTIFUL TOOL

pictures: http://photobucket.com/albums/v150/eslin/Himalayan Imports
 
I see you've done some homework!

Congratulations on the little khuk.


I think you should experiment sharpening with a soft sandpaper paddle on a cheap knife.

munk
 
i plan on making my Ka-Bar/Dozier folder or my CRKT M16-03 my test subjects. AUS8 and AUS6 would probly be easier to learn with than the steel in my other knives, eh?

thanks for the reccomendation munk. that'll be fun with the khukri. it's so thick for a 12" blade!
 
BlindedByTheLite said:
needs a little polishing. a little sandpapering. a little superglue/epoxy-filling. and most importantly, sharpening.

#1. i haven't yet become adept in the field of sharpening #2. i've never even attempted a convex edge on any of my blades #3. i don't have the money (as in any money) to get the supplies i need to make her pretty.
.............
am i leaving anything off? or do i have too much on it?
Click to expand...

Be Careful !
You will get cut.
Careful makes it a "Hey! Ow!" occassion
Rather than, "Somebody grab a mop !, & Call 911 !"

Don't worry with the convex edge initially.
Work on your sharpening
(go gentle and you can practice daily for many weeks before you notice
any major change in the width of the blade)
Try the steel first.
It can make a big difference,
and get you used to working the blade.
Keep the edge & point of the blade facing away from you,
& find grips that keep the blade from bouncing around when you work.
Never reach over the sharp edge.
Slow, methodical motions---sort of meditative like---
watching the motion & the edge.

a handful of common items will get you started cheap.

Scrounge around the garages & kitchens of family & friends.
Most people have a lot of things they just haven't thought to throw away.

then get whatever you need next as you can afford it.
Sharpening seems to be the top of your list, so.........

get some ~320-grit sandpaper intended for metal
[which btw will also work fine on wood & horn]
320 is just a fair compromise,
400 would be better than 200 if those were your choices.
Don't start with a sharpening stone,
any common ones cut too fast for what you need.

some baby-oil (mineral oil, but cheaper, get an off-brand if you buy it)
[use to lubricate paper / blade with just a few drops...............
well....Depends on how much paper touches the blade...
too much oil & blade hardly seems to touch the paper,
too little & you soon have a paste stand out on the paper
You'll soon get the idea.
Water cuts a bit faster,
but you want slow & no concerns about rust.]

red auto polish compound (rouge & wax mixture)
[other colors / types also available,
if it says "clearcoat safe" any abrasive in it is very fine
& will polish, but cut slowly.]

any thin superglue dripped into the crack will help
if it makes you feel better.
I've never 'repaired' any of my grips, yet.
You can fill / match the color with epoxy later.

Olive oil is arguably as good as lanolin for horn.
Lots of skin lotions contain lanolin,
read ingredients for higher lanolin content ( higher in order listed ).

auto repair supplies include Scotchbright type pads
cheaper & in more grit sizes.
But you can use anything in the kitchen.

grocery bag paper will work as a disposable strop.
As will a length of flat wood.
But you -can- strop on almost any surface.
I usually strop my kitchen knives on the edge of our cutting table
each time I use it; maybe 4 times on each side gently.
[edge of the table has lots of vertical cuts where I habitually test the edge]

A discarded piece of vinyl floor tile or laminate flooring will work too.

You can maybe use a foam / plastic / rubber placemat or jar-grip
from the kitchen
if a mousepad isn't available
Or fold up a cloth (small towel, sheet, anything)
into a pad that has a tiny bit of give under the sandpaper.

Baking soda or dry Calcium Carbonate (Chalk) cleanser
is very handy for cleaning excess oil off the blade.
BonAmi is cheap & common...... many other brands.
(no bleach, no bleach, no bleach)

I'm still often amazed how much brighter a blade looks
after removing the major portion of the oil film.

Restoring the "mirror" polish is another subject.

~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<>call me 'Dean' :)-FYI-FWIW-IIRC-JMO-M2C-YMMV-TIA-YW-GL-HH-HBD-IBSCUTWS-TWotBGUaDUaDUaD
<> Tips <> Baha'i Prayers Links--A--T--H--D
 
ahh Dean. you've convinced me to just wait and sharpen this myself. you mentioned alot of cost-effective alternatives that i feel like a dumbass for not thinking of on my own. and you're absolutely right in all your reccomendations. thank you!

you and Munk seem almost as if you'd have trouble letting someone else sharpen your khukri. haha. come to think of it, i was being pretty damn lazy/impatient when i made this post, wasn't i? i'm gonna edit that [whine]wahhhh, please sharpen my khukri 'cause i'm poor and lazyyyy[/whine] part out.

thanks for the helping hand guys.

-Ryan
 
Good advice. 320 would be a good place to start. Another lube I like on Wet-or-Dry sandpaper is Windex, it's cheap, and doesn't promote rust once it's wiped off. Try doing it yourself, but if you get frustrated, send it to me and I'll convex the edge on my belt sander.

Steve
 
thanks Steve. it'd mean alot, if it comes to that. hoping i can get this down to a T tho!

here are the pictures of my 12" Ang Khola, guys. i wiped the blade a little bit, but otherwise it's just how it came.

sorry i didn't take more detailed pictures, but i had to go to my granma's and use an older webcam. poor quality and poor program. i got mad @ the camera.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v150/eslin/Himalayan Imports

1). obligatory khukri in sheath picture
2). size comparison - Ang Khola next to my 2nd longest fixed blade--a Benchmade Nimravus 140, and my longest folder--CRKT M16-03
3). the infamous mark of Kumar
4). some more etching on the shoulder of the blade. does anyone here know the meaning?
5). karda and chakma
6). size comparison - karda and chakma between Arc LS and Arc AAA
7). size comparison - Ang Khola with Elektrolumens Blaster 3
8). size comparison - Ang Khola with my most frequently carried items. from right to left: Ang Khola, Camillus Mini-CUDA, Spyderco Calypso Jr, Spyderco Dodo, Inova X5T-HA. also in picture are my keys with Spyderco Cricket, and my inhaler
9). size comparison - same as above with karda and chakma in place of Ang Khola, and the Arc LS and Arc AAA added
10). size comparison - from right to left: Arc LS, Arc AAA, karda, Ang Khola showing off Kumar's tag and cho and bolster and ricasso, chakma, and happy Buddha
11). Ang Khola on my belt

not bad for $40, eh? :D :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top