Got Pukkos?

C

Craig Gottlieb

Joined
Mar 8, 1999
Messages
1,760
Well, I found a good source of real puukkos. The one I bought appears to be hand-forged of carbon steel, full spike tang, and has a beautiful curly maple handle.

Best of all, the knifesmith´s brochure says the following:

"Once there was a man named Heimo who wanted to make a knife. But no smith was willing to teach him the art of making a blade. So Heimo went to steel itself to find the answer. Steel spoke to him and told him its secrets whiuch awed the world."

A bit theatrical, but if you know the Finns, you will know that there is real spirit in those words. Haven´t talked to the guy yet, but will call him. Won´t have time to visit his shop (its in Lapland) but will do it next time around.

More later.



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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
Mike (et al):

Well, despite Maryas warning that I will adopt a new hobby (which will, by my very nature, have to develop into a business), we have an appointment to travel to Lahti on New Years Day to meet with Heimo and to see his shop. Although Heimo no longer makes all of the knives that carry his name, he runs a cooperative (sound familiar?) where many smiths, trained under him, produce his designs. Also, he told me that he is using a type of steel called "ultra carbon" steel. They make Damascus puukkos, large puukkos, small ones, deer-handled ones, etc. What impresses me most of all, however, is that they (like the kamis) seem to have a deep philosophical pride in their product.

I plan on bringing back as many "samples" as I can afford, and also as many digital photos as I can fit on my camera. What I am thinking of doing is offering them to the forumites on the condition that they give their honest opinions on the pieces (i.e. are they unique, interesting, functional, special in any unobvious way, etc.). At most, even if I decide not to expand the GH line to include these pieces, we will at least have aquired new toys for our collections. I won't suggest limit-testing, as I am not yet confident of the durability of the steel.

Yeah, I know that many of you want me to focus only on Khukuris, and I stay committed to you and to them in that regard. However, I think there is room for this knife style, which seems to exhibit many of the same characteristics which make us love khukuris: no frills functionality, spirit-of-creation, and cultural significance. In essence, these seem to be the khukuris of Finland.

Price? I bought one at a retail shop for 375 FIM, which is about 70 dollars (using a 5 to 1 ratio). It is about 5 inches of blade, and another 5 inches of handle (curley birch - not maple as I had originally reported) Tomorrow, I'll give it a workout. It's definitely not a chopper, but I want to see how the edge holds up to a bunch of wood carving prying, tip-abuse, etc.

Of course, I will want to get one in the hands of Cliff Stamp to break (yes, I am sure he can do that) so we can see the steel's limits, but that can be done later on.

I'll post some pics when I get back home. Folks, I have a hunch about this one. I am trying not to get too excited, but I bet you see a new page on the GH website in a couple of months. But no matter what happens, we will continue to live up to our name and keep bringing you new and exciting khukuris. Who knows - maybe my competition design will be a Nepali puukko!

Stay sharp!

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
Craig I know that I would like to get one from you and test it out here on the farm and in the north woods for hunting. Let me know when they are available please.
 
Oh well, there goes my Millennium budget down the tubes..... Better save me a nice 3 incher Craig. I need a new blade for daily carry.

I'm printing up a sign for my front yard, "WILL WORK FOR KNIVES"
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Blackdog

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Visit the GH Forum Photo Gallerys at:
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As the guy who, ahem, first suggested that Craig look for pukkos while in Finland, I humbly request (read that beg, whine, plead) to get one.


--Mike L.

 
Al: Well, I guess I should apologize!
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Mike: I was trying to remember who suggested it. Marcus gets credit for the WWIII birth, and you get credit for the Puukko thang. So, Blackdog: you have mike to "thank"
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You know, I was hesitant at first because I didnt know much about Puukkos, and thought that they were made by Martini only. And, since I was not impressed, from a tool point of view, with my Martini that my wife bought (yes, beautiful and functional around the house, but not in the field), I had decided to write them off. But then, I got this one I bought in Mikkeli, and my curiosity was hooked.

Unfortunately, the train into Lahti gets in at 12:12 tomorrow, and the bus leaves at 12:15, so Heimo wont be able to show me around his shop. However, his business manager is meeting us in Lahti and will be bringing as many puukkos as he can carry. I will try to select as many varieties as possible, with hopes of deciding on about 6 models to start carrying (if things work out). He is also bringing photos and literature that I can hopefully post for all to see.

If he brings them, I am salivating to get my hands on a damascus puukko. I wonder what would happen if the kamis got their hands on a bar of damascus. Hmmm.....

More later. Until then, Hyyvä Uta Vuota (Happy New Year in Finnish). So far, I know some of the world has already experienced the dawn of the third millenium without y2k bug infestations, so lets keep our fingers crossed. We have 8 hours to go, and it is already pitch black here at 4:00pm. We have our bottle of wine poised for the moment
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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
Craig, are you going to visit Heimo Roselli's shop? Those sound like Roselli puukkos (they make damascus puukkos and "ultra high carbon" ones, wootz etc.). Are you in Finland right now? Oh yeah, happy new year!
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Jani

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Two important questions in life:
Do they have a catalog?
Did you know there's a town called "Batman" in Turkey?
 
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I'm wearing a "drool bib" after reading the posts. Please, Please (I even will try the begging route) keep us informed when you have them in hand. If I can sale the neighbors cat.........
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All kidding aside, put me down for the testing.
 
Oh Dear,
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So excited I got fat fingers trying to type sell the neighbors cat. But then any knife-aholic knows what thats like.
 
Fine pukkos now? Oh man I just got done explaining to my wife why I *need* a bunch of khukuris. Now I`ll have to start all over again!
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Marcus
 
Shrike9,

Although generally used to describe traditional Scandinavian style knives, Puukko is actually the variant from Finland. The Swedish and Norweigan types are similar in design and all three countries produce a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

Click Here to see some examples.

Hope this helps.

Blackdog

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Visit the GH Forum Photo Gallerys at:
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=104694

[This message has been edited by Blackdog (edited 01-02-2000).]
 
Thanks, me learned now about Pukko's. Think me need a couple of them on the wish list
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Blackdog, on the link you provided, it lists 3 makers. Toward the end of the first maker's knives you see the I. J. #6323-o, with 3 5/8" blade. They call it the "Schoolboy knife",
get it? Let's try again.

There are people walking around the U.S. with one-hand-opening-locking-folders and neck knives for defending themselves that don't have a 3 5/8" blade. And ( gasp! ) in Finland they make fixed blade knives for "SCHOOLBOY" carry? By unsupervised juveniles?

Do they pat the kids down or run them thru metal detectors at the schoolhouse door? Surely they don't let them come to school ARMED?

Tom Sawyer and his barlow knife, and Opie Taylor from Mayberry RFD and his cub scout knife would be rushed into a psychiatric ward by court order if they showed up at school today with a 1 1/2 inch long folded Swiss Army knife. And in Finland they pander to that market? Do the drug dealers there smuggle those knives into the elementaries?

(Maybe the real reason marijuana stays illegal in the U.S. is not that somebody might smoke it but because the idea of a hempen rope tossed over a convenient tree limb scares the living daylights out of our politicians and with very good reason!)
 
Take a look at some custom made scandinavian knives , http://www.scrimart.u.se/puukko/puukkos.html . There are a finnish puukko with intarsia , some norwegian " stassknivar " (dressknives) and "tolleknivar " (utilityknives) , a swedish " brukskniv " ( utilityknife ) and some lapplanderknives . All of this knives , except the lapplander knives are often refeered to as "puukkos" by non-scandinavians . The only PUUKKO is the finnish one .
Best wishes / Anders Johansson , Sweden http://www.scrimart.u.se
 
Anders, thank you for sharing the pictures with us -- the knives were real masterpieces.
 
Rusty, nowadays we have very strict knife laws, but schools don't have any "official" policies on knives, but I'm sure the teachers wouldn't like them. But there are always plenty of edged tools (including puukkos) in the woodworking class. One thing in the Finnish school system differs from America's is that I don't know of anyone who has ever been expelled for any reason. I think when American kids could bring their 110's to school, it was like that in here with puukkos. But that was before my time. Lots of sheeples these days, but many Finnish knife companies have a "junior knife" in their line of products. They're usually small and have a blunt tip.

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Two important questions in life:
Do they have a catalog?
Did you know there's a town called "Batman" in Turkey?
 
Jani, thanks for the reply and the information.

Sorry about the ranting and raving. My wife just retired from teaching this year. I was a protective services social worker 15 years ago and would not do the same job today under the idiotic conditions and regulations that apply.

Even here in rural areas where twenty years ago it used to be that you could "be as weird as you wanted long as you didn't bother no one", there are too many self-appointed busybodies interfering. Litigation or regulation are taking the place of common sense and responsibility for things that are your own goshdurn fault. Faugh!!!

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The sword of Charlemagne the Just is ferric oxide, known as rust. Great Caesar's bust is on the shelf, and I don't feel so well myself.
 
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