help new CAK kukri received 'damaged'

F

FuriousFist

Joined
Mar 27, 2011
Messages
74
Hi all!

Just wanted to ask if its normal for HI Kukris to have so many blemishes? I don't really mind because I'm more intrested In function than anything however I did notice a 'crack' along the top of my CAK bolster along with a chip near the 'cho'... the top bevel seems abit assymetrical not that it matters.

After about 10 whacks into a block of wood I pryed sideways to test it and the spine on the right-side seems dented in and the edge lightly rolled...

All that being said I love this knife! :D has quite abit of character to it and chops like a charm however I'm worried about it's Integrity because it had a chip near the cho when I first took it out of the box and the bolster was already partially 'cracked' :/

any help/info would be great fellas :cool:

sorry I'm new to HI, bladeforum and kukris in general...
 
You'll need to post pics.

They are handmade and what may seem to be problems are possibly just artifacts of being handmade.

If you really think you got a blem (did you buy it as a blem from a deal of the day?), contact Yangdu about replacing it.

If it came polished, the edges are often soft. Sharpening them down a bit, you will run into the hard metal beneath, but don't do that until you've decided to keep it.

Only the sweet spots on the belly of the blade are fully hardened, the rest gets progressively softer. It's called a differential heat treat, it allows for an edge that will retain an edge (once you get to the hard metal), yet allows the whole blade to be tough and not break when stressed. However, it also means other parts of the kukri are more easily dented and dinged.
 
G'day mate.

You've already done the most important thing to assure yourself of the knife's integrity. That being to chop hard with it and put stresses on the knife. Sounds as if you like the way it chops, and if so you have a winner.

Minor asymmetries are not unusual in a handforged khukuri. The chip near the cho will not affect the strength of the knife. You're holding a chunk of a leaf spring from a truck.

The bolster is soldered together. It is mostly cosmetic. The "crack" is where it is soldered and this may have seperated somewhat. If it is loose a shot of superglue should take care of it.

Finally, if you are not happy, contact Yangdu. She takes good care of her customers.
 
FuriousFist, welcome! I've had two high polish khuks where the edge flattened or rolled during initial use. They both sharpened up quickly revealing the hardened metal and were bullet, or bomb, proof after that. I'm no sharpening guru either. Howard is right on concerning the bolster seem. several of mine have a creack look, but it's just the seem. The seem on my M-43 gave and developed about a 1/4" crack during a pretty rough whack test. A buddy silver soldered it and it's GTG now. I also have two with cho cracks. One has a small crack/chip looking spot and the other had extensive cracks. Both are unaffected by these cracks. A jaunt through the archives reveals these to be issues related to the handmade process. I can't speak to the spine issue since I'm still a little unclear what the issue is. Please post up some pics. This forum welcomes these kinds of threads. I know because I've posted a couple:). If it's performance is unaffected, I'd say not to worry. If it still bothers you at all, let Auntie know. Aftyer having my khuks for awhile, I look at them differently than I do my modern manufactured items. I like to say I recalibrated my eyes and now truly appreciate them. take care.
 
Being a tool & die maker by trade I noticed just about every imperfection in my first kukri right away. But, unlike what I expected, I actually liked the imperfections. They didn't affect performance in the least, but rather let me know that it was made by a man, not a machine.

I guess just like I was much more impressed by the work I could do with manual machines than what I can do with a CNC machine, even thought the CNC parts are more precise, I also appreciate true craftmanship over good machine programming.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
Being a tool & die maker by trade I noticed just about every imperfection in my first kukri right away. But, unlike what I expected, I actually liked the imperfections. They didn't affect performance in the least, but rather let me know that it was made by a man, not a machine.

I guess just like I was much more impressed by the work I could do with manual machines than what I can do with a CNC machine, even thought the CNC parts are more precise, I also appreciate true craftmanship over good machine programming.
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+1

This was my impression too - it was the little thign that sort of "proved" this was a hand made, unique and one of kind piece than somehting that is stamped out in the thousands. between me and a couple frineds whom I've helped get some, we've odered 5 HI Kukris in about a month!
 
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bit excessive with the pics sorry peeps; despite the cosmetic 'flaws' I love it and plan to keep it, infact I've just emailed Aunty for another with a left-hand scabbard :D
 
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I fixed the tags to your pictures so that they show up in the thread, to make it easier to see what you're talking about. Sadly the blurry pics arent going to help much. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase, please contact Auntie Yangdu for replacement or refund.
 
FF, I'd say that most of these blemishes are fairly normal. Virtually all of my khuks have that bolster crack, and none have developed any further. The chip at the cho may be a little out of the norm, but nothing to be concerned about use-wise. However, the dent seems to be the most concerning. Getting some clearer pictures would be much better so we could properly tell you whether it's a big deal or not.
 
Karda said:
I fixed the tags to your pictures so that they show up in the thread, to make it easier to see what you're talking about. Sadly the blurry pics arent going to help much. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase, please contact Auntie Yangdu for replacement or refund.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate. I'm using a crappy Iphone so I can't really show much but over all the CAK seems sturdy enough for what I plan to use it for, most seem assured thats its ok so I'll probably keep it and plan to buy another with a left-hand scabbard if possible. :thumbup:

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just a small chip; only worried me because its close to the cho and it was like that out of the box.

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almost impossible to make out but noticable because it had smooth lines along the diu chirra but now its kinda wonky haha, probably isn't serious since it hasn't stuffed up the blade, suppose i'm alittle jumpy cause I didn't expect the metal to be affected. when I hear pry-bar ressistant I think of a crowbar :P
 
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The chip doesnt look like it will affect anything at all.
As for the dent...chopping is quite brutal and some woods will make/leave deeper marks than others. For a User khukuri this is merely cosmetic.
As for the slight roll... give it a sharpening or two. Sometimes the polishing process leaves a bit of the edge metal annealed. Once you get it sharpened a little down to Heat treated metal, the khukuri should perform normally. If it doesnt, contact Auntie.
 
Most of that is normal for a hand made kukri. Not seeing any problem in the cho area, I wouldn't worry about that a bit. The crack in the bolster indeed looks like the seam where it gets soldered together. As for the edge, do like Karda said and just sharpen it away, eventually you'll get to the hard metal (you'll definitely feel it while sharpening it, the file/stone will all of a sudden take much less of a "bite" -- BE CAREFUL. The spine looks normal for knocking it around.
 
Thanks all! too many post to quote but you've all convinced me to keep the beaut; yea I feel more comfortable with the seam-side of scabbard against me so as not to rip it apart out among the brush.

After a little getting used to it really is a work of art; deadly work of art.

Going to buy some sandpaper to sharpen her up; does a buffing wheel affect the temper?
 
Only if you hold it on the wheel too long and/or use too much pressure, which will cause it to heat up. heat it up enough, for a long enough time and it will anneal (soften) the outer few thousandths of an inch of metal.
 
Thats one sweeet looking blade you have there. Glad you desided to keep it. Give it a good sharpening and put it to use!
 
That chip is in the softest part of the blade. Not used but if it bothers you it is easily removed. The line on the bolster is the brazing line. Get some Flitz and rub it hard with a scotchbrite pad and you'll be surprised how much it fades.

The "dent" in the side of the blade is just normal forging stuff. Believe me, you didn't put it there.

Very nice handle on that one. Sharpen it up and you have a real pretty user.

You've already done more on this one blade than I've done on half of mine just by using it and testing it out. I have quite a few that have never seen hard use, and it's a bit late to be sending them back if they ever did come up with problems. Still, CAK's are bulletproof so you are in good shape.

Best,

Norm
 
Thanks all.

I'm going to give it a scrub on the bolster with that brass polish stuff and see how it goes, its a pretty sweet blade.

compared it to my gerber "friskars" hatchet,

*hatchet bites deeper but the CAK smashes everything away; chips just fly right out like an axe! ;)

bit off-topic but I would love to see hand-guards on these things :p
 
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