Grit strategy for military khukuries

S

Steve G.

Joined
Jun 16, 2002
Messages
8
What do you guys think would be the ideal edge for a military type khukuri - highly polished, "shaving sharp" or lower grit toothy edge?

Steve
 
I started wondering about this recently when I was doing some rope cutting. My shaving sharp Gelbu Special was left way behind by a Mineral Mountain bowie that I had a courser edge on.( ie Spyderco grey stones rather than white ).

All my khuks are maintained with polished edges as these are said to be the best for chopping, right? So I was also assuming that a polished edge would naturally be the best for a "weapon" khuk but now I'm having second thoughts.

Steve.
 
It all depends on what you want the knife to do. For a fishing filet knife that has to hold an edge, I want a higher polish and finer finish. For a kitchen knife that has to cut a tomato or veggies, I want a coarser edge. I use stones, and never go beyond a Norton soft Arkansas for most kitchen knives.

I use a hard Arkansas for other stuff, and will go to a Black Hard Arkansas for woodworking tools, followed by stroping. If I want a really fine edge on a plane iron, I might use an 8000 grit waterstone.

I stop at a fine India stone for softer steel, like some stainless kitchen knives.

For a hunting skinner, I'd try to get the most polished, "sharpest" edge I could get for edge retention. For a chopper, I'd stop with a soft Arkansas. For something to slice - I might stop with a fine India stone, but it depends on what I planned to slice and the steel.
 
I mistakenly read this thread as, "Best Girl for military style khukuri."






munk
 
The nice thing about most khukuris is that they have enough edge to sharpen with a variety of grits. For example, you could put a pretty high polish on the belly for wood chopping, and a very toothy edge back towards the cho for rope cutting etc.

--Josh
 
ferguson said:
Why toothy instead of polished? Inquiring minds want to know. :)

Steve
Click to expand...
Toothier edge generally cuts things a soldier is going to cut better than a polished edge, also easier to maintain in the field.
 
also, it's all about how big you like yer microserrations. I find that a polished edge sometimes slides off a surface, like it is slippery, while a slightly toothier edge bites in and tears/saws (on a microscopic level) on the push or draw cut. And I note no diff in chopping FX, as mass and blade geometry stay consistent, no matter the edge minutiae.

Keith
 
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