Handle cracks and missing laha

Skeletor

Skeletor

Joined
Aug 31, 2002
Messages
544
Here it is, another horn cracking theory. I just took the butt off of my horn Chitlangi and the inside of the handle seems to have almost no laha. I've been filling it with epoxy and I think I have used a large amount of it. This kukri didn't crack but I only tested it lightly once or twice because it is a looker and came dull, so maybe it would have. I have the suspicion that if I took apart my thoroughly cracked BAS it would also have a big cavity in the handle.

If this is at least partially the cause of cracking, am I correct in thinking that chopping would not crack the sides of the handle? Anyone have cracks in that area? Enlighten me! (and us)
 
The wood handle AK I have that cracked didn't have much laha in the bolster or the handle. Also the part of the handle that went up into the bolster went less than halfway up into it. I think the big space up in there caused it to crack.
 
It can't help, but we would have to know if earlier khuks which cracked (or did not crack) also had large gaps in the handle. Sisco might know.



munk
 
Yeah, would be interesting to know. Next one I get I may just go ahead and take the handle off, urethane it to slow drying, fill it with acraglas and put it back on and see what happens. Kind of a premptive strike against cracking.

I have this bolo with a horn handle that the handle was kind of loose. You could hold the blade and twist the handle and feel some movement. No cracking of the horn though. anyway, I pulled it and scraped it out and filled it with acraglas and it is solid as a cast aluminum handle now. :D
 
Hollowdweller - Sounds like a good idea, we can't prove that cracking is due to hollow handles but if it did crack it would prove that the two are unrelated. My bet is on the handle not cracking though.
 
We need to know if the handles used to have the same gaps but did not crack. And we need to know if flling gaps helps, or if uncured horn is going to crack no matter what. It just makes sense that filling the gaps would help.

I believe we have a horn problem still though- look at the blems just offered.


munk
 
No doubt about that Munk. The only good cracked specimen I have is my BAS, which arrived with a small crack. After testing and about a week of cold weather that small crack at the bolster had turned into 4? cracks along the spine from bolster to just shy of the buttcap. Curing is definately a factor, I'm just thinking the gap is aggravating it.
 
Who's presently in charge of QC at Bir Gorka? Perhaps he needs some encouragement? Sad to say...
 
Need to ask Bill or Yangdu to find out about this and who and where the steel comes from now. When they're over the flu.

Remember that the thin superglue makes the laha heat up and reseal.
 
Rusty,
just after I came back in mid December the horn cracking reports started to come in. I had a UBE that December with a massive horn handle- no crack, as always. Next two horn handled khuks both cracked. Hollow initially, and then others quickly brought the reports forward. This all happened, of course, as Bill was as sick or sicker than he'd ever been in his life, so we had a big time delay from Business as usual in HI land.


munk
 
This is way off topic,

but when I replace the buttstock on my 99A in 308, I want to glass bed it and add pins/screws through the stock just behind the top and bottom tangs where the present stock shows cracks. I'll hog out the inside so the glass goes around the pins on the inside. I'd been thinking of covering the glass and pins with some of the mosaic pins you can buy for knives. Maybe even put a pin horizontally behind the vertical fore-end screw like you see on the Safari rifles from one side to the other to act as a recoil lug. I think it would class the stock up where plain pins would detract from the looks.

Or if someone has another suggestion?
 
Yes Raghorn, a perfect, never cracked, thick and easy to swing horn handle on my UBE, making it the perfect younger brother to my Bura movie model. (except I think it's a Kumar)


Rusty, I've a gunsmith I can ask about cracks in 99's. I suspect, as usual, you are erring on the conservative side, making back ups. This gunsmith will probably have seen many many 99's and can tell me where they crack, how often and what fix to use. If you do pin, I like the idea of a decoration. I've seen stock fixes that are more beautiful than the original stock. Before you supply a recoil lug, though, I'd like to check with this gunsmith.


munk
 
Thanks, Munk. I'd be glad to get a second opinion.

( My smith says all 99 butts crack if you shoot them enough, and his 99 in 308 has the cracks to prove it - I could just hog it out and put some screws on the inside only, then glass bed, but I think two cross bolts at top and bottom would balance each other off, then one through the forend horizontally behind the fore-end screw. )

Mine has a long, since repaired crack on the top. Then cracks along the bottom on both sides. Reason I'm going for new stock and fore-end is that evidentally it rode in a scabbard on a horse and rubbed one side of the fore-end down almost to the barrel. 30 odd years ago I met Keith Steagal and examined some of his work. Gorgeous. Since my eyes aren't what they were 30 years back, I may stipple and stain grip and fore-end, but I can't cut checkering the way I once could.
 
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