Harry's village model. Those buying blades only better take a look.

Bill Martino

Bill Martino

Joined
Mar 5, 1999
Messages
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ff82cbeb.jpg.orig.jpg


This is not for sale. It already belongs to Harry. When Harry heard village models were here he emailed me immediately and instructed me to send one his way if it was worth sending. This one is.

It is 21 inches and weighs 2.75 pounds. Fit is good with steel bolster and buttcap nicely done and quite strong. There is no finish as you can see and one of the reasons I wanted to get this pix up is so the blade only buyers can see what they will be getting.

The hammer marks are clearly visible the entire length of the blade. There are no grind marks except on the edge because this is the final finish for this village model. Remember, village models are made for use in the wild where beauty of the tools is a consideration way down the importance list.

The karda and chakma are pretty decent but rusty. The scabbard, made by the kami, has split just about half length on the cutting edge side. Probably took a heavy hit during shipping. The frog is very good, HI super.

Again, blade only buyers take a look at this and make sure this is what you want. And, further, you won't even be getting the edge you see here. You will have to do your own grinding. Maybe I have discouraged everybody since no one has bothered to send in payment. This does not bother me because I fear some may not be able to complete the project and may want to send a worthless blade -- one that is essentially destroyed -- back for reimbursement! Please don't!

Harry, we will remove as much rust from the karda and chakma as we can, clean up the big blade, and will ship the rig your way Monday with our thanks. Personally, I love this knife and I think you will, too. It was made to be used and reminds me some of Ganga Ram.

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
:
EXACTLY What I want!!!!!!!!!
I sent payment in for the two I ordered Bro. You should be getting it any day if you havn't already.

Harry, your a lucky boy!!
smile.gif

That's a lttle heavy for the village model I want, bu not by much!!
smile.gif


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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

"There's no trick in being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."

...............Will Rogers......

Khukuri FAQ
 
Uncle,
I like this one the way it is! I like the forged finish on the blade. What's the price on these?
Terry
 
This one is gone, Terry, and we will probably never see another exactly like it. I like it, too. This one went for $125 delivered to Harry's door in Canada. It is mightly heavy and shipping costs are high.

------------------
Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 

Too bad!
At least we were able to get a good look at a cool village model. It does look like a Ganga Ram don't it. What village did this one come from? Do most of the village kamis leave this type of finish on the blade?
Terry
 
There are knife makers - individuals or small companies - in the industrial world who get good industrial world money for knives with an "as-forged" finish, except for such coarse-grit grinding as is necessary to give it a cutting edge. Here are some samples, fetching two digit or low-three digit prices, from Finland.
Veikko Hakkareinen
Roselli
Kankaanpaa

I suspect a Rustic Khukuri, done in the Bir Gorkha shop to Bir Gorkha performance standards, with non-reflective as-hammered finish, except for area the edge, which would be sharpened to a "vorpal" cutting edge, maybe with steel fittings that would be intended to go grey with handling, and a good wood handle, would sell in this part of the world. I'd probably buy one in the light-medium weight division.

Though the kamis might mutter about those crazy foreign customers.
smile.gif



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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
 
I don't know where any of these villagers came from. Most village models will show some kind of grinding and will not appear "as forged" even in the remote regions of Nepal.
This is a bit unusual which is why I liked it.

You could be right, James. And I know you are right about the kamis musings.


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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
Sure is purty...

I wonder how one could get the karda and chakma to look the same as the main blade.
 
That is definitely quite a villager khukuri. I will certainly be looking forward to this one.

wink.gif


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Harry


pint1.gif
 
The blade looks fine Uncle. As soon as I get some more funds in, I'll order some. I plan to use my new Japanese stone for this project. I'll send the funds in prior to the order. Thanks again.
 
Actually, I wish I could get 100 villagers made just like this. I have a bunch of customers who really like the real village khukuri and how it looks -- they have had their fill of mirror finished products but these folks are the minority.

But maybe BirGorkha.......

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
Uncle,

If the edges on the "blades only" are not already ground, then when we grind them won't that ruin the zone hardening?

AND

When the kamis forge the blades, don't they zone harden them after they finish grinding them?
 
When a blade is "forged to shape", the edge is already thin, but it's still dull when it's cooked and quenched. There isn't a lot of material to remove to do the final sharpening and surface finishing. The trick is, whatever hand or power tools you are using, to avoid overheating the blade. If you're using a belt sander, for instance, keep a bucket of water handy and dip if frequently. Hold the blade bare-handed for finish grinding, and don't let it get so warm, particularly at the edge, that you want to put it down.




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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
 
:
Xhead, James is right with what he has said. That's why we were talking about it here.
http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum53/HTML/000621.html

A person using just hand tools is going to need a pretty dayumed good stone to work the hardened area down.
If the blades are anywhere around 57 you can cut it with a new file with a bit of difficulty.
If they're around 60 to 61 Rc you will definitely need the stone!!
I have one of the Grizzly grinders so I have it pretty well made except for the part about being careful not to Burn the edge.( Turning the steel a straw or blue color.)

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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

"There's no trick in being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."

...............Will Rogers......

Khukuri FAQ

[This message has been edited by Yvsa (edited 08-07-2000).]
 
James & Yvsa, thanks for the information. These blades only are such a good price I am going to get them regardless whether I have the proper tools for the job right now or not. Uncle will be seeing a check from me soon.

Having said that, all I have right now is a bench (wheel) grinder with 2 very coarse grinding wheels. These things will put a barely tolerable and terribly rough edge on garden tools, so I wouldn't dare use them to put a fine edge on a khuk. Can I put a decent edge on them with this, and if so, what grit wheel should I look for?

 
I don't see how to do a decent job with one of those bench grinders. Use this as an excuese to get yourself a 1x42 belt sander.

I'd use a 120 grit belt to remove steel, 220 grit to refine, 400-600 grit to refine some more, before going to whatever stone or ceramic I'm going to hone it on. Or go straight from 220 grit to the stone. Don't hurry. Keep a bare finger on the blade right behind the edge section you're working on, and cool it before your finger complains. Dunk frequently.


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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001


[This message has been edited by James Mattis (edited 08-07-2000).]
 
This khuk, to me, is art. Just as the work of the French Impressionists reflects the essence of a particular moment in time (regarding color and light), this khuk represents the raw essence, the purity, of the kami's art. In fact, it goes even beyond Impressionism -- it is Neo-Impressionistic -- akin to the work of Van Gogh! If Van Gogh had been a kami rather than a painter, this is the kind of khuk he would have created!
 
James, Yvsa, thanks for help.

This is why I am somewhat concerned about this project. A blade is very easy to ruin. As a matter of fact, I've personally ruined one on a bench grinder in about 5 seconds!

We will forge the blade and harden it and ship it but once received it is yours. If you work on the blade and then return it and want a refund we have a serious problem.

Again, if you don't know what you are doing DO NOT order a blade only. It will cost you more money in the long run than buying a completed version.

Forgot: Nice post, Steven. I visited the Riksmuseum (sp) in Amsterdam when I was a young man and spent a day staring at Van Gogh paintings.

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ

[This message has been edited by Bill Martino (edited 08-07-2000).]
 
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