How Do They Do It?

L

laredo

Joined
Oct 31, 2000
Messages
76
While washing my truck I noticed its leaf springs are only half as thick as the spine of my Ang Khola. I know that HI uses leaf springs from cars as the steel for the khukuris. Do the kamis fold a leaf spring in half to get the thickness or do they just forge and hammer the metal to one side of the piece of steel?
 
I don't know what the kamis do, but don't they use springs from thing such as buses, and other vehicles which would require much larger springs than a standard pickup, do simply to the increased loads, so this might not be an issue at all.

Also, it would be interesting to find out that they were actually folding the Ang Kholas, even if it is only once. But I would think that there are other ways to reposition steel other than folding. One trick to get the biggest blade for the steel you have is to forge in a fuller, the steel had been at a uniform thickness, no the steel that had been in the <i>hollowed-out</i> area has been pushed into other areas, where it can be used to increase either width or thickness. However, I'm no smith, I've just talked to some in the past. <i>kind of like the "I'm not a doctor, but ...." testimonials</i>

Bob
 
I knew I was forgetting something, but couldn't remember it. One of the disadvantages of typing a message, and then somebody asks you a question while you're in midthought.

The kamis also use files to make khukuris. Granted I've never heard of an Ang Khola being forged out of a file, but I don't think that there is enough mass in many of the files I've seen to account for many of the khukuris I've seen, but they somehow do it. Actually, I guess some of the really big shop files have the right amount of steel, but it still seems to be pushing the limits of what they should be able to do. Don't you think?

Bob
 
Almost all springs used are from MB heavy trucks or buses. Much bigger than passenger car springs.
 
You can hold the hot steel with a narrow edge on the anvil and strike the other narrow edge to "upset" or thicken the piece. Then you narrow most of the blade by striking on the wider sides. It's hard to control the thickening, but the kamis and their helpers do it very well. I think the only use for files is in shaping various pieces, but worn out files could be used as steel for the karda and chakma.
 
Art, every now and then the kamis will recycle worn out files into generally kobras. In a poor country like Nepal nothing is wasted.
 
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