HI Warranty

I wanna see pics just to see how ugly the damage is, and to see how much work will be required to restore the edge, if it can be restored. If it broke like that, it suggests microscopic cracks in the metal. Cracks are the cause of the main failure of leaf springs, broken springs. It's an unfortunate and often unforeseeable hazard to working with used springs. Not enough of a risk to stop me from making things from old springs, axles, and forklift forks. But it is something that I know may cause me a problem at some time in the future.

I have a piece of broken tractor trailer spring that I want to make a meat and bone cleaver out of. Just to say that I did. Problem is I may need a team of trained gorillas to heft it.

Anybody know what the Rockwell hardness of the sweet spot on an HI Khuk is?
I'd love to know, for reference.
 
It was a smallish nick into the blade on the edge of the sweet spot nearest the tip, One that could be fixed with a little work, as we've seen worse here over the years. If the OP wishes to post pics he may do so, but he has declined. The blade performed as in Uncle Bills description as if one chopped a bolt. That however is immaterial really because the damage was caused by the OP hitting metal with his khukuri by his own fault. H.I. is not responsible for accidental damage.
 
Well, if the warranty says it doesn't cover chopping steel, it doesn't cover chopping steel.

Karda, I'm assuming "proper" batonning means smacking the spine with an 8 pound sledge, right.:D
I know, I know, hit it with a hunk of wood, not metal. I've never been a fan of beating my knives. I wouldn't beat my wife, children, or guns, so why my knives?:eek: You can bet your sweet aunt fanny I'm not going to baton my Bonecutter. It's tantamount to child abuse, in my mind. Like I said, if I have to beat it to split it, I have splitting wedges and a 10 pound railroad hammer.

So, will the warranty cover me using my Bonecutter to chop petrified wood?:eek:
Just kidding, amigo. I'm not going to spend that kind of money for a custom made Khuk and then abuse it. That's what cheap, Chinese pocketknives are for.
 
There are even instructions for "Proper Batonning" farther down in the warranty thread.
I would have to say that if you do it properly and carefully you should have no problem batonning your bonecutter, but i am glad that you care for you khukuri's the way you do.
I am like that also.....very careful with them, like they are my children.:D :thumbup:
 
Karda said:
There are even instructions for "Proper Batonning" farther down in the warranty thread.
I would have to say that if you do it properly and carefully you should have no problem batonning your bonecutter, but i am glad that you care for you khukuri's the way you do.
I am like that also.....very careful with them, like they are my children.:D :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Except that they're cheaper than children, don't eat you out of house and home, don't talk back, don't bring home diseases from school, and you don't have to pay for them to go to college.

I've batonned my cheap Atl Cutlery Khuk maybe twice since 1985, and I wasn't too comfortable doing it. It felt like using a rifle as a baseball bat, or a pistol as a hammer. It just didn't feel right. And it only cost $25 at the time. If I want to baton one, It'll be one I make from a leaf spring strictly for that purpose. NOT one I paid $215.00 to have custom made.:eek:
My cellphone is water resistant to 1 meter for 30 minutes, but I don't plan on dropping it in the toilet just to find out.:D

So, is the Bonecutter warranted for chopping the heads off infidels? JUST KIDDING!! Don't flame me. That was a joke in poor taste, nothing more.

I figure an 18" Bonecutter has enough heft that batonning won't be necessary.
Besides, like I said, splitting wedge/10 pound railroad hammer(long head, used for driving spikes. Reaches down into the log for those times when you have to drive the wedge all the way through).:(
 
Karda said:
It was a smallish nick into the blade on the edge of the sweet spot nearest the tip, One that could be fixed with a little work, as we've seen worse here over the years. If the OP wishes to post pics he may do so, but he has declined. The blade performed as in Uncle Bills description as if one chopped a bolt. That however is immaterial really because the damage was caused by the OP hitting metal with his khukuri by his own fault. H.I. is not responsible for accidental damage.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I was thinking happened and why I responded in the manner that I did in my first post. Then I reread the OP and noticed that he said "failed" and started talking about a rip/chip which got me wondering...

From your description, it sounds like the khukri functioned exactly in the manner it was supposed to. Sometimes, a deep "nick" can look like a small chip because the impact was so heavy and concentrated into a small spot - but if you feel the sides, you can see that the metal just "squished" to the sides. I know this for a fact because I hit a pebble embedded in a frozen solid, bugkilled, still-standing pine. Was having fun hacking at things while looking for a christmas tree in the mountains (-15C without factoring in the windchill)..... long story short, I decided to take on a somewhat snow/ice covered pine with my 18" Vojpure and hit a pebble frozen onto the wood (unexpected right?). Only gave me a small dent on re-curve side of of the sweet spot - about half the size of a sewing pin's head. It did take me about an hour to get rid of using just a file + the sandpaper method. After the effort though, I honestly can't tell it ever happened:

P1030295.jpg


Jaymo said:
Anybody know what the Rockwell hardness of the sweet spot on an HI Khuk is?
I'd love to know, for reference.
Click to expand...

Yay - I finally get to refer someone to my WiP thread!http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=720287

BTW - I'm in the process of adding to it as we speak ;)
 
58-62, that's like a wood carving chisel. I'd hate to see what my cheap, Brazilian hatchet is. It bit into a piece of square steel tubing pretty deeply once. Accidentally, of course. I'd hate to hit a piece of granite with it. It feels like it's as hard as a ball bearing race. That means brittle. That means breaking like glass and throwing little projectiles into your skin. :eek:

I'm going to use my BC as a whittler, to carve fishing lures from white pine and cedar.
 
Jaymo said:
58-62, that's like a wood carving chisel. I'd hate to see what my cheap, Brazilian hatchet is. It bit into a piece of square steel tubing pretty deeply once. Accidentally, of course. I'd hate to hit a piece of granite with it. It feels like it's as hard as a ball bearing race. That means brittle. That means breaking like glass and throwing little projectiles into your skin. :eek:

I'm going to use my BC as a whittler, to carve fishing lures from white pine and cedar.
Click to expand...

Those numbers were more estimations using a couple of files - one was a cheaper file rated for around 55ish HRC while the other was a Nicholson rated for 60ish HRC. My testing was done on an 18" Vojpure and a 15" AK both by Sher (the tiger). Obviously, the hardness is going to vary depending on the kami and many other factors, but 58-62ish HRC is about typical for the sweet spot. This doesn't translate to brittleness though... I've hacked away at 2x4s, seasoned oak, and frozen-solid, dead pines and never once had a khukri chip out on me. The worst that has happened was a small, fixable ding on the sweet spot after impacting a pebble (as I explained above). Remember that the whole khukri is deferentially hardened with the spine being fairly soft, so a lot of the impact energy resonates to this section, softening the blow for the khuk's edge. When you get your BC, have fun and hack away - the huge woodchips these things blow out of trees is very satisfying :)
 
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I meant that my Brazilian hatchet is probably brittle. Not the HI Khuk. When I accidentally hit the steel square tubing, the hatchet cut into the tube like it was cheese. It's definitely not cheese.
Sorry for the confusion.
 
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