horn thickness and strength

Thinnest point I see at quick glance is 1/8", thickest at bolster end about 1/3" or so, at butt cap end looks like some places might make it half an inch.


two horn handles, from 15" K's, both have some white lines, both were supposedly blems, but blems had nothing to do with handle(handles have surface cracks now from submerging in boiling water to remove them, then never oiling them afterwards, as I'm not putting them back on. ANy other questions?
 
Originally posted by Drdan
Let's ask the kamis to perform this scientific inquiry; it would be very interesting, and give them about a week's work with a hacksaw.
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No need.:)

If a handle yielded between 40-50 3mm sections, and each section was labeled so they could be studied and then placed together again, it would be more than a curiosity.

Dan
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Only on a small khuk like a 12" AK would the sections be as thin as 3 mm sections. I imagine that even a kagas katne has a handle section that thick or thicker.:D
I have the handle of my one Foxy Folly off right now. The handle is actually a little bit large for my hand and I will be taking it down a little for a better fit. I'm limited as to the amount I can take off by the size of the bolster as I don't want to get the wood below the steel although even with it will be acceptable.
The kamis fit the tangs very close to the size of the tang. The only place the wood or or horn is thin or very thin is under the bolster where it slides over the tang but increases in size as the tang narrows.
It will be 3mm thick at least at the rear of the bolster.:D

One of the problems that has occurred with a bone handle is that it wasn't completely filled with laha and consequently failed because of no support inside.
But bone is pretty brittle anyway and needs more care than other natural materials that are stronger such as stag, horn and wood.
Personally it's my opinion that wood is the best all around choice for a khuk handle as it's more forgiving and resilient than the other materials.
At one time I thought I might prefer a horn handle in a very humid climate such as was experienced in different places in the CBI theatre or in a South American Rain forest but the wood handles lasted pretty good in such environs it seems. So now I'm thinking wood that was as cared for as much as the other materials would be just as good and in some ways better.A very oily strong wood such as Lignum Vitae would be ideal methinks.:D YMMV.:yawn:

On a similar note John Powell has said that he thinks the old AC khuk's are as solid as the day they were made. I haven't tested mine and probably won't but just from appearance, for what that's worth, and feel; I agree with John.:D
I sure wouldn't be afraid to use them.
 
I wasn't worried about the strength of the handle, but your feedback tells me that it could be risky to try to sand a horn handle - you never know how thick it might be.

I followed the lead of spiraltwista and looked at the tip of the blade with an 8X loupe. I had one handy. There was a small crack that extended over the top of the spine to both sides - very near the tip. I decided that it would be easy to reshape the blade slightly to remove the area with the crack. It took a few minutes with a mill file. The spine is pretty soft. I now have a slight curve near the tip of the blade - at the spine. Sort of looks like a Ganga Ram Sirupati....Nice shape, and the knife will be a small cousin to my BGRS - a 12" baby BGRS.
 
Originally posted by arty
I wasn't worried about the strength of the handle, but your feedback tells me that it could be risky to try to sand a horn handle - you never know how thick it might be.
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I hope it wasn't me that gives you that impression Arty. There's plenty enough material to sand a little off of a horn handle.
The only reason I wouldn't want to sand off material below the bolster is because it wouldn't look right.
 
Originally posted by Drdan
10 mHZ of ultrasound would have the power to penetrate, I believe, but you're hardly performing physio-therapy on a sore woman's buttocks, here!
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Actually, she does thyroid scans on her patients.
Her machine is set up for that depth & tissue,
but can be set up for other uses.
 
Originally posted by ddean
Actually, she does thyroid scans on her patients.
Her machine is set up for that depth & tissue,
but can be set up for other uses.
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If the ultrasound machine had a selective depth function which would measure the tissue's thickness to the technician, then the data gleaned from the scan would be useful, albeit not very user friendly. Some U.S. machines cannot be used over metallic objects, and would pose a definite caveat. For just a few spot checks, I think it would work... Depends on the machine...

Finely cut cross sections would obviously evince the thickness, and at a myriad of different points. If the sectioning were carried out as one would carve luncheon meat on a slicing machine, the pieces could be stacked like coins, and give tremendous amounts of useful data. An eye loupe could scrutinize even further... It would be one heck of a conversation piece for a HIKV, and can show newcombers like myself, just how the handle is made. [On a side note, it would be interesting to see how the wood sleeve is dressed on the tang, and then how the horn is prepared to dress this wood sleeve] Hint, hint!

I previously said that the x-ray would not penetrate.:footinmou That would be no problem whatsoever; (500MA wouldn't begin to tickle the steel). The problem is that the steel would show up white, much like bone does when you view an x-ray of a broken bone. A typical x-ray machine would not give you the differentiation you need on such a small object; the stratification of the various media would not come out clearly at all, and you couldn't measure anything accurately. It wouldn't be like placing the back of your hand in front of your eyes, and clearly seeing sharp delineations formed by the fingers. The images that x-rays yield are already imprecise to begin with; if you were to measure the widths of the various different media on the x-ray film, you'd most assuredly go back to plan 1, and just have the handle cross sectioned. Industrial x-ray diagnostics might be able to winnow something useful...

An M.R.I. scan would probably work, but the precise measurements of the various thicknesses of the media would again, be distorted when the M.R.I. films are scrutinized. Besides, if you were using an older M.R.I. machine, you'd have to contend with the claustrophobic factor inherent with many patients. :D
 
By 3mm thick sections, I'm meaning thicknesses of cross sections; they can be as thick or thin as you want them to be. The whole handle could be viewed as one does a typical archery target. Imagine placing another target behind the first, and so on, and so on. The concentric rings would represent the different components that make up the handle; metal, horn, wood, and what have you. The steel would be where the bullseye is on the target... Not knowing how the handle is fashioned in the case of a horn handle, I cannot begine to conceptualize the actually wall thicknesses of either the wood, or the horn. I never held a khukuri in my hand :( but I BELIEVE that the horn is maybe 3 or 4 mm. thick. I'm probably way off, and that's one of the reasons why I would really love to take a handle, and carefully cut it in half. Longitudinal sections would also be very educational.

Personally, I don't like the word "laha", or the words "Himalayan Epoxy"; I'll reserve those terms for the guys who've been here for a while, or those who are authorities on khukuris. I kinda like the "discarded kami bubblegum" connotation, and will use it until I am banned from the Forum by either Rusty, Uncle Bill, or BuraFan :D

Dan
 
Both the M.R.I. and the C.T. would theoretically work... I look at M.R.I. and C.T. scans all the time, and the media of the handle would show up as indentifiable strata. I'm debating whether the data would give accurate thicknesses. Possibly??? I'd love to read the neuroradiologist's narrative on the "patient" I dare you to go to the hospital, and propose, "For the purpose of scientific research, I'd like to know if I..... Who knows, maybe the technician in the hospital succumbed to the HIKV years ago, and has a series of films for you to look at. Keep us updated, Dean :rolleyes: Who was that masked man? D


Dan:
 
Dean was good enough to post a pic of my Foxy Folly's tang. The pic shows just how substantial the tangs are as well as giving an idea of about how thick the handle for it is.
You can find it here.:)

Edit:
Or if I can do this correctly a direct link to the pic here.:D
 
Originally posted by Drdan
the M.R.I. ...... the media of the handle would show up as indentifiable strata.
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Given the blade securely fixed so not to move,
the magnetic anomoly of the iron blade would
overwhelm the horn at such close proximity.
Wouldn't it?

And I wonder how hot a pound or two of iron
would get from the magnetic & microwave energies.
Melt laha?

Forging temp !
:D
 
Originally posted by Yvsa
pic of my Foxy Folly's tang.
Click to expand...
Ya know........
The FAQ needs a new page with pics of
HI tangs, buttcaps, chos, kardas, chakmas,
scabbard details, and other items of interest.
 
Originally posted by ddean
Given the blade securely fixed so not to move,
the magnetic anomoly of the iron blade would
overwhelm the horn at such close proximity.
Wouldn't it?

I believe that it would, Dean.

And I wonder how hot a pound or two of iron
would get from the magnetic & microwave energies.
Melt laha?

I couldn't begin to speculate, but there'd be heat generated; I don't know if it would be enough to melt the...O.K....to melt the laha


"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is just a dream." Nursery rhyme for adults
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by ddean
Ya know........
The FAQ needs a new page with pics of
HI tangs, buttcaps, chos, kardas, chakmas,
scabbard details, and other items of interest.
Click to expand...

Thumbnails that would expand, and give brief descriptions would be fantastic. John Powell's butt-cap photos of the antique khukuries gave me an excellent idea of how the older butt-caps were affixed, and you even distinctly saw the keeper, and could conceptualize how the tang poked through the butt-cap before being peened and ultimately soldered. I was curious about the H.I.'s butt-caps since on one side view I observed, there were several appendages that I've since learned were the peened over appendages of the 6 pinned tang.

Do you like the idea of a 12 pinned tang? D

"I am what I am, an that's all that I am." Popeye the Sailor
 
I am ordering my first Khukuri today or tomorrow. Just logged on and saw all the end of the year specials I missed and am about ready to cut my throat! (with one of my junk Khukuris, so I'm probably safe!) (-:

Question: I saw this thread about handle type. When ordering is that an option that can be specified? I notice that several folks have specified custom touches for their blades. The way I understood it, you just paid your $ and got whatever handle type that particular maker (kami?) chose to make that day.

Any info is welcome.

Regards,

Sredni_V
 
Make your choice of wood and horn when you order it.

Then find out how prevalent Murphy's law is around this place. No offencemeant toward the HI shipping department, just commenting on human nature.
 
Originally posted by Svashtar
I am ordering my first Khukuri today or tomorrow. Just logged on and saw all the end of the year specials I missed

All the more reason to hang out regularly, ask questions, and pin down exactly what you want. The special sales are great, and they're a lot of fun. I picked up my first khukuri that way today (tomorrow for you in California). Read the entire archives section, and tell us what you think. :eek: :D

Best wishes with your 1st purchase, and do let us know what you went for, and why. We really want to know! Happy New Year.

Dan
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