HI Khukuri for a female and other musings

Howard Wallace said:
My wife Red Flower explored this topic for herself on the forum some years back. She wound up with a custom BDC. Here's the old thread, but the pictures are gone now. Good advice from some old timers there.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/334527-seeking-advice-on-a-khukuri

She still has the khukuri. Her one and only.
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There is one picture left in the old thread. It is indeed a superb lady Khukri.
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My wife would love that set! Nice K&C! Heck I would love to have that! Bet there made of unobtainium now tho. Sno your a bloodhound:thumbup:
 
Mr. Wallace went back and replaced that photo in the thread. I'm glad you found it and blew it up, it's better to see and it is indeed a beauty.
We found out we're relatively local to one another and trying to set up a get together. Hoping that Ms. Red Flower brings it along for show and tell. He said he would try to bring his Liberty knives as well which I've been aching to see.
There's also a picture of Bill, Pala, Red Flower and Auntie at her house and I was amazed that the El Camino in the back ground was still there when I was there last summer. Always loved El Camino's.

Slugger, when we firm up a date I'll let you know and perhaps your and your wife would like to come to. I'll keep ya posted.
 
Don't feel left out my friend, your invited, everybody, just that it's a far piece to Texas and I figured you'd stand me up, leave me at the alter so to speak.
It'll make my day if you show up.

A Khuk Khonvention would be a cool thing. If everyone is agreeable I'll post some pictures of our mini knonvention.
 
snowwolf said:
There is one picture left in the old thread. It is indeed a superb lady Khukri.
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Beautiful picture. Is the handle wood Red Chandan? If so, it makes this a rare piece, since it is now unlawful to export that wood or use it in handles even inside Nepal.

I wondered about the letters engraved on the right side of the blade near the spine. Then I saw Red Flower's original posting: "My Chinese name is 丹 DAN1 (red) 华 HUA2 (flower or China)." So the kamis engraved her name on the blade. A real honor, and makes the blade even more special.
 
Is it super rare or something. Why the restriction. It's sure pretty. Funny how when somebody tells ya you can't have something you want it even more.
 
Bawanna said:
Is it super rare or something. Why the restriction. It's sure pretty. Funny how when somebody tells ya you can't have something you want it even more.
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Red Chandan is also known as Red Sandalwood. It's an endangered species that grows only in India, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) requires export permits (granted only under certain conditions) for international trade.

Nepal has been stepping up enforcement to control the smuggling of Red Chandan.

"Amid reports about smuggling of red sandalwood (Rakta Chandan) from India to China via Nepal, India has sought the Government of Nepal’s help in controlling the organised illegal trade..."
quoted from http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2011/07/31/money/india-requests-nepal-to-curb-red-sandalwood-smuggling/224666.html

rakta-chandan_20110801091727.jpg
 
Sounds like a relatively new thing. That paper date is 2014, at the bottom it says 2011, last few years anyhow.
 
Bawanna said:
Is it super rare or something. Why the restriction. It's sure pretty. Funny how when somebody tells ya you can't have something you want it even more.
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Apparently it grows in only a few places in the world. The problem is not so much that it's super rare, but that it is in wide demand for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. A simple web search for "Rakta Chandan" shows this.

It doesn't matter whether it really works or not. If millions (or tens of millions) of Chinese and Indian people believe that it works, the demand can be enormous, and the tree can become endangered, as has happened.

We see the same thing with rhinoceros horn, so that preservationists sometimes remove the horns to keep the animals safe from poachers. That's a sad commentary on human predation.
 
we are fairly insatiable , though I am very happy with the knives I have with the chandan handles, I totally understand the ban, and support it- much as I support any ban on the use of endangered animals or plants.

I have a BDC i picked up from a forumite, and they are very well suited to "daily carry" as per the name. that is a great knife, thanks everyone for sharing.
 
I wonder if any Red Chandan grows in Nepal? I remember Bill mentioning some HI had come across that was 100 year old Red Chandan timbers from a barn that was being torn down. I assumed it was local Nepalese. That was excellent wood because it was so well seasoned. Some of the younger Chandan had cracking issues when used for handles.
 
If she's already using yours without complaining get her something similar. She's about the same size as a smaller WWII Gurkha soldiers and they had no problems carrying/using them. If she's looking for something smaller for EDC self defense, etc. start thinking smaller. Otherwise I wouldn't risk insulting her with a "girl" version, over a non-issue.
 
Jaxdave2014 said:
If she's already using yours without complaining get her something similar. She's about the same size as a smaller WWII Gurkha soldiers and they had no problems carrying/using them. If she's looking for something smaller for EDC self defense, etc. start thinking smaller. Otherwise I wouldn't risk insulting her with a "girl" version, over a non-issue.
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I agree with you about not insulting her with a "girl" version. However, the "small size" of Gurkha soldiers can be misleading. These were/are young men who wield blades all their lives and undoubtedly have very strong hands and wrists, not to mention amazing cardio from strenuous living in high, mountainous terrain. Someone posted a video here a few months ago showing the testing regimen for candidates who were applying to become Gurkhas. As I recall, they had to run a steep uphill 3-kilometer path carrying a very heavy backpack. I might be misremembering the numbers, but it was impressive. Also, the military khukuris used in the two world wars tended to be significantly lighter weight than their HI counterparts (for a given length and shape), which are primarily chopping tools rather than military blades.
 
David,

I'm familiar with the Gurkha soldiers and didn't intend to demean them by referring to their size. The ones I dealt with had incredible strength and stamina as you mentioned. Hopefully his fiancee will never need Gurkha soldier type endurance for her intended tasks... I'm a security contractor and firmly believe in carrying the biggest, baddest weapon/tool you possibly can (within reason and within your skill set/control) :)
 
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