- Joined
- Dec 24, 2003
- Messages
- 1,390
Before heading out to test my new khukuri, I stopped at a local junk knife/Duncan McCloud sword store, and purchased a dual stone stick, medium on one side, and fine on the other. The didn't have diamond stones, so I'll have to put that on my things to get next time I have a package sent over from the states. Anyhow, in about 20 minutes I had it really sharp; if it wasn't "scary sharp" like Pendentive gets em', it was pretty close. I forgot to get oil, so I used my index finger dipped in olive oil to coat the stone! I was surprised at my ability, but as I took my time, I was rewarded by the iron gods... I slipped my belt through the GS scabbard's loophole, put on a sheepskin overcoat, and walked through the center of the city in which I live. I headed up a road which leads to a lighthouse, a historical Jewish cemetery, and a large (30 acre) wooded area overlooking the port and Mediterranean sea. Beautiful sunny day, about 9°C., or 48°F. My 5 y/o son came along, and served as my lookout! He rode the mile uphill walk on my shoulders as he complained that he hurt his right shin...
When out of view, I took out the khukuri, and struck the flat of the blade very hard against an 8" pine. A bit of vibration transferred to my hand with a resounding smack... I repeated on the other side; same thing. My 18" Gelbu Special just passed HI's tang integrity test. I cleared a lot of brush including fibrous weeds up to about 1/2" in diameter. It was fun, and I could have done it all day. The workout was more fun than lifting weights.
In all seriousness, it's a great exercise for the arms, and builds endurance...
I then chopped vines up to about 1" or 1 1/4" in diameter. A few times my stroke was a bit off, but most of the time, a single stroke easily severed them. I found a standing dead pine about 5" in diameter and performed about 20 medium strength strokes in different areas to see how the blade deflected. The blade stuck in the tree most of the time, and was easily dislodged. When the angle of the khukuri striking the tree was reduced considerably, I got a bit used to the deflection, which was manageable. Obviously, I was very cautious, as I only had jeans protecting my legs. I was quickly able to find the knife's sweet spot, and this part of the blade sunk in much deeper, and gave much less vibration to the hand.
I moved on to a fallen 9" pine that still had green needles on the branches, and trimmed most of them with two or three strokes. All the time I kept remarking to myself that the khukuri had a very solid feel to it, and the glancing off these green branches was a lot more predictable than when I performed similiar work at my family's place in Virginia with a machete. I was able to remove large pieces of wood when I heavily struck at the trunk of the tree, and huge "V" chunks when I gave about 4 or five strokes hard into the trunk on each side of the trunk.
The blade was scratched up a bit, and was dulled a bit, even though it was still able to continue working on these cutting chores if I wanted it to ... The edge had no bending or deformation of any kind. I could have used this khukuri in a much more vigorous manner if I wanted to, and I am confident that my findings would be the same. I used the chakma, and it made a measurable difference in improving the sharpness, although I would need to use the stone waiting at home to get it back to "pre-test sharpness". The blade has dark gray tacky areas which are obviously pine sap related. When I get a chance early this week, I'll find a product to get the sap off the blade (???), and then use a 3M pad and oil to give a nice satin finish. I'll find a premium machine oil at the local hardware shop.. I could leave the blade as it is, but it will look nice with a satin finish.
I used the fine side of the sharpening stick at home, and after about 4 minutes of sharpening, it was able to shave hair off my arm. I allowed my son to hold the khukuri in his hand (he was well supervised!), and he really liked the knife. It's currently on a home entertainment furniture shelf, and he hasn't show any interest in it since.
As I write this, he's watching cartoons, while there's the pieces of a 104 piece puzzle on the wood floor, and the foosball table ready to find a new champion for the day (he usually wins 
).
I must say again that this knife is solid as a rock, and is really a high quality one (a khukuri, not a rock) at that. I can only imagine how the choppers perform, and feel in the hand. Still, I could happily carry this into the field, collect all the firewood I need, and even chop down a 9" pine if I really wanted to. The 18" Gelbu Special is versitile, as I've shown myself, and is excellent for a martial arts weapon. It is alive in the hand, and when powerful and fast strokes are made, it gives a very nice sounding "whoosh" as I reported in another post when good technique is used. This is a keeper for sure.
Dan
When out of view, I took out the khukuri, and struck the flat of the blade very hard against an 8" pine. A bit of vibration transferred to my hand with a resounding smack... I repeated on the other side; same thing. My 18" Gelbu Special just passed HI's tang integrity test. I cleared a lot of brush including fibrous weeds up to about 1/2" in diameter. It was fun, and I could have done it all day. The workout was more fun than lifting weights.
In all seriousness, it's a great exercise for the arms, and builds endurance...I then chopped vines up to about 1" or 1 1/4" in diameter. A few times my stroke was a bit off, but most of the time, a single stroke easily severed them. I found a standing dead pine about 5" in diameter and performed about 20 medium strength strokes in different areas to see how the blade deflected. The blade stuck in the tree most of the time, and was easily dislodged. When the angle of the khukuri striking the tree was reduced considerably, I got a bit used to the deflection, which was manageable. Obviously, I was very cautious, as I only had jeans protecting my legs. I was quickly able to find the knife's sweet spot, and this part of the blade sunk in much deeper, and gave much less vibration to the hand.
I moved on to a fallen 9" pine that still had green needles on the branches, and trimmed most of them with two or three strokes. All the time I kept remarking to myself that the khukuri had a very solid feel to it, and the glancing off these green branches was a lot more predictable than when I performed similiar work at my family's place in Virginia with a machete. I was able to remove large pieces of wood when I heavily struck at the trunk of the tree, and huge "V" chunks when I gave about 4 or five strokes hard into the trunk on each side of the trunk.
The blade was scratched up a bit, and was dulled a bit, even though it was still able to continue working on these cutting chores if I wanted it to ... The edge had no bending or deformation of any kind. I could have used this khukuri in a much more vigorous manner if I wanted to, and I am confident that my findings would be the same. I used the chakma, and it made a measurable difference in improving the sharpness, although I would need to use the stone waiting at home to get it back to "pre-test sharpness". The blade has dark gray tacky areas which are obviously pine sap related. When I get a chance early this week, I'll find a product to get the sap off the blade (???), and then use a 3M pad and oil to give a nice satin finish. I'll find a premium machine oil at the local hardware shop.. I could leave the blade as it is, but it will look nice with a satin finish.
I used the fine side of the sharpening stick at home, and after about 4 minutes of sharpening, it was able to shave hair off my arm. I allowed my son to hold the khukuri in his hand (he was well supervised!), and he really liked the knife. It's currently on a home entertainment furniture shelf, and he hasn't show any interest in it since.
As I write this, he's watching cartoons, while there's the pieces of a 104 piece puzzle on the wood floor, and the foosball table ready to find a new champion for the day (he usually wins ).I must say again that this knife is solid as a rock, and is really a high quality one (a khukuri, not a rock) at that. I can only imagine how the choppers perform, and feel in the hand. Still, I could happily carry this into the field, collect all the firewood I need, and even chop down a 9" pine if I really wanted to. The 18" Gelbu Special is versitile, as I've shown myself, and is excellent for a martial arts weapon. It is alive in the hand, and when powerful and fast strokes are made, it gives a very nice sounding "whoosh" as I reported in another post when good technique is used. This is a keeper for sure.
Dan
