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Thanks guys!!!
High praise indeed from John!!
I was really pleased wth he way it turned out.
Rusty has 2 of the failures that will still make handles for smaller khukuris.
The only power tools involved was a hand drill and a buffer on my bench grinder, and a dremel tool that's really a Ryobi.
I will be able to do more extensive work now as time permits due to the new Grizzly buffer and belt knife grinder.
At 1725 rpm and 3,600 sfm on the belt it will make short work of reshaping and sharpening. The buffer will help even more with the finish work.
The belt knife grinder also has the motor shaft (1 hp.) running all the way through the motor which allows a buffing wheel to be attached to the side opposite the belt.
That will allow me to have 3 buffing wheels on at one time giving a rough, medium and finish wheels.
The wood is one of the Cherokee's old time bow woods and is Honey Locust.
The 1st. two tries resulted in handles too small in some place or the other making them unfit for this application.
The chakma and karda handles were a bit of trouble also as I would get one down to the final stages and find a crack starting to develop into failure. It's a bear trying to use a dremel to cut the wood away for the little tangs to fit into.
I used a wood burner to burn the decorative angles into the wood.
I use a caliper that I used to scribe lines in steel when I was laying out cams for auto screw machines. The one point is standard with a rounded point and the other I sharpened flat and sharp to mark the steel with a crisp line. It makes it easy to keep the edges of the lines even with the first one put on.
Will, I try to get as much wood as possible under the bolster. This one came within about 3/16" of an inch (5 to 5.5 mm) and the bolster has just enough clearance to permit epoxy between the sides of the brass and wood. The kamis have an easier time of it since they are fitting the bolsters to the handle instead of the opposite.
I use 30 minute 2 ton epoxy to set the handles. I would and will use the 24 hour if I can ever find it.
TD, I don't know what the "wallpaper" is but you're welcome to use the pic. Glad you like it.
I learned a lot from this opportunity since this is the first one I have actually totally redone. The other ones I have had the oportunity to work on all had good handles.
It took me 3 tries to get ech handle right. I would never send anything I make out to
anyone that I wouldn't be proud to keep myself. Sometimes the quality of the materail itself ( forgeing cracks, holes in the steel and similar) prevents that, but not often
Did everyone notice the sheen on the scabbard and knives?
I used Johnsons Paste floor wax on everything. It helps to prevent fingerprints and also any corrosion.
I really like the wax for showpieces. I wouldn't use it on anything I take into the field as it shines too much for me. I prefer Not to be seen when I am in the woods.
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"Know your own bone, gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it again."
'Thoreau'
Khukuri FAQ
