Hey Bill, when Kami goes home make him *very* happy...

Jim March

Jim March

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 7, 1998
Messages
3,022
Send him back with a couple of pounds of JB-Weld in his luggage. It's the glue of the gods, no joke...best epoxy I've personally ever used. You'll boost the durability of any Khukuri made with the goop by a sizable percentage, I would think.

This sounds funny, but it's real.

You know, it occurs to me that giving Kami a tour of a good US hardware store could result in all *kinds* of improvements. And not necessarily expensive stuff, either...simple things like lapping compound or fine-grit metallic grade sandpaper could make a huge difference? What you *really* need is an American bladesmith (or other metalworker) as a "tour guide"...plus your wife as a translator, it would turn into quite a shopping trip but...maybe a very useful one without even getting into the subject of power tools.

Just a thought...?

Jim March
 
Errrr...huh? Colonel? Is it lack of tradition, or do you know something about JB I don't know?

Ya got me curious?

Jim
 
Kami fell in love with good old US epoxy his first trip here (this is his third) and took a goodly supply back with him -- along with a few reams of sandpaper, tools and other misc. items. We have a Supply One hardware store a block away and Kami walks over twice a week to look and buy.

Ghost is a traditionalist. He likes the 250 degree boiling Himalayan epoxy that the kamis struggle with to keep from burning their hands (and other parts!).

Uncle Bill
 
Kewl. You're way ahead of me. The only thing I'd add is, there may be "oddball stuff" that he may not know about and you might be unaware of. Lapping compounds are an obvious example. God(s) only know what else is "uncommon yet could be a god(s)send to the kamis".

Jim
 
Jim, if it is there Kami will find it. He is a voracious shopper for stuff like that.

Uncle Bill
 
Even unconventional warriors are tradition respectfull. The battlefield is the only thing that matters, and warriors who try out new,or missapply old, techniques never return to report them. Thus our body of knowledge tends to rely on the battle proven. US epoxy would be better, but it wouldn`t be the same. A MAC 10 spits out more rpm`s than a Mod. 21 Thompson. Which would you prefer to collect? I rather liked the Swedish K`s.Enough others did to cause S&W to copy it as the Mod. 76.It`s just stamped steel.The MP-5 is very good, but where is the panache? We no longer have a nation of citizen soldiers, every man a rifleman. We have a nation that consists of the non vet elete,(the masters),the martyrs and the spectators.

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Ghost has a valid point. However, I doubt that even the little village shops are making khukuris exactly as they were made 400 years ago. Tradition and perfection do now always go hand in hand. Personally, I am torn between the two.

Uncle Bill
 
I somehow doubt they had Mercedes truck leaf springs 400 years ago.

To me, that doesn't matter. It's the "ideas", the "feel" that matters...and PERFORMANCE. I can even do without traditional cosmetics, in fact other than costume use I doubt I'll wear the traditional scabbard. I'll keep it of course, and it'll be the blade's long-term storage home. But I intend to make it a nice carry residence in Kydex, although I'll also fit the Karda and Chakma in there too, it doesn't "feel right" to seperate them. And I can't even tell you for certain why that it, come to think.

Jim March
 
Except that in a "smashing" type big knife, the traditional kami's "ideas" have Mad Dog's ideas beat cold. Sorry, I've handled a TUSK, Kevin's only real try at a "heavy smashing/chopping utility knife" and without question, the Ang Khola is better *regardless* of price.

Cliff was right on that score: it's got better grip ergos, it has "shock absorbtion" properties, better edge presentation, etc. An AK grip probably isn't as tough, and Kevin's pieces will have better edgeholding but in pure performance for a smash/chop piece go with an HI.

Now, so far as I've seen the Kami's don't do nearly as well in "fast and light style fighters". For the most part, they don't even try. That's where Kevin pulls ahead - he can use smaller amounts of steel to get the job done if you want less weight, the grips are *perfect* for the role, etc.

Jim March
 
Ok Jim, The CS is a better example.It is high tech.Modern handle et al.

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How about this one? The magic stone process is probably 400 years old. The same process is used in shop 2 using an electric powered grinder with buffing wheel. Is this traditional?

Uncle Bill
 
Per several people who've tested the "chopping properties" side-by-side (including Cliff?), the CS still falls flat in impact absorbtion.

Another thing: CS may have made a serious mistake with that non-slip rubber grip. Just in handling my 20" piece, it appears to gain from the "slight movement in the hand" allowed by the wood; you get more tip movement for the same degree of wrist flex.

Is CarbonV better steel than 5160? Probably. But the kamis use more steel overall, and if you WANT to smash the hell out of something, that's perfectly fine.

Is the CS overall more durable? Probably. Is it "better"?

I have my doubts.

I'll tell you this: I didn't buy mine "because of the tradition". I bought it because the tradition has produced something that *WORKS*.

You think a switch in glues is bad, some people are trying to get Craig at GH to ship micarta to Nepal for grip material! I'm not certain that's a good idea on stick-tang pieces because I think the flex may be needed to relieve stress at the tang-to-blade junction. But on a traditional true full-tang blade such as Bill recently got ahold of, there's only one problem left: I *really* hope nobody slips any kamis some toxic-to-grind materials without making *certain* that safety warnings travel all the way back to the kami using the crap. If anyone active on Craig's threads is reading this, please post that concern over there - no "modern khukuri" is worth frying some poor kami's lungs over!!!

Jim
 
Jim,
Your fears are groundless. The GH tactical khukuri project involves the importation of handle-less Nepalese full-tang blades, with Micarta scales to be applied in the US by American workers protected by the tender solicitude of OSHA.
Berk
 
Jim,

Glad you liked your khukuri.

I have not tested the CS Gurkha for durability but I would be surprised to find the the H.I. failing first. The CS is generally not as thick and is uniformly hardened.

The CS does have better unmaintained edge retention.

Will
 
Berkley, glad to hear no Micarta is going to Nepal. Cool. Micarta seems to offer close to the same level of "slip in the hand" as rosewood, or at least that's what it feels like comparing the Chainpuri (rosewood) to the Outsider's micarta.

Will, the CS *blade* probably isn't as sturdy as the average HI, but the Nepalese pieces with the "stick tangs" do have that theoretical weakness at the blade to tang junction. It's only a minor deficit and IMHO worth it for the balance and shock resistance.

Jim
 
Jim, the HAZ MAT warning is good for everyone.Craig`s kamis are city,they probably watch CNN.When you find out in time that the kami glue had some properties that JB Weld doesn`t,all I can say is it`s your knife.As for me,I`ll stick with what`s been working for 400 yrs.Thanks for the link to your site,and good luck.I do not want to be on the bleeding edge of technology,thankyou.Please let us know when your handle splits because epoxy has no give,or transmits vibrations up your arm.

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