how do you use the chakma?

[Josh Muller]

my 18" ang khola has a 1/4" long roll on it that was dented to the side by a skrew in our deck, and im trying to steel it out... i have an 11" half grooved/half glass smooth steel from handamerican, as well as the chakma that came with it to work with (plus a hord of other chakmas from my other khuks).

both the 18" and the steel are pretty heavy and large to be doing fine motorskill controled strokes like i could do with my small knives, so im trying it with the blade in my lap, using the steele instead of the knife for the motion... the 11" steel isnt as heavy as the ang, but its still heavy and long enough to make it hard not to hit the edge when i come for another stroke/ its wearing on my forearm trying to control it with precision.

so im trying to use the chakma, with is a really good size for doing the steeling... but im not exactly sure how to use it.

there are 4 sides to use on it, the inward curve, the flat broad side, the outword curve (like the back of a khukuri), and the corner of the chakma (where the edges of the rectangle meet. wich side am i supposed to be steeling with??? im so used to rounded steels that im at a loss on the proper use of a rectangular steel...

 

[Josh Muller]

also, if the blade is facing up, do i use a downward stroke with the chakma (like going edge on edge if it were another knife),

or with an upward stroke?

 

[sams]

I use the flat side. it is easier to control. Sometimes, a fine file works better. I have some small 4 inch files for that purpose. My neighbor "borrowed" my best one.

I also use a fine [red plastic] diamond sharpener or the very fine [green plastic] diamond sharpener.

I think sharpening the kukri is half the fun once you get the hang of it. good luck.

 

[Yvsa]

Seth I always work 'away' from the edge so as to not slip and injure myself potentially really bad. It's helpful to use both hands on a larger steel if it's possible to clamp down the khuk. You can use a tremendous amount of force to straighten a rolled place and then less and less as it's worked out.

And a smaller area such as the edge of a chakmak will exert more force in a given spot than the flat side, same as the edge of the steel you have described as well.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

I agree with Yvsa. I find the edge of the chakma to be very useful in working out the major dings and rolls on my blades, then i use the flat side to polish it up to shaving sharp. You might also check the hardness of you chakma. Of my 10 or 11 khuks, I only have one chakma that is hard enough to really handle the job. THe softer ones seem to work ok for polishing, but they won't do a very good job on big dings or rolls. Best of luck to ya Seth.

~Jake

 

[Josh Muller]

thanks

i'll start trying my hand american steel two handed... the chakma that came with it its basically just scratchin the 18" ang, and getting pretty scratched up itself... the thing that i was afraid of is that when i use the corner of the rectangle on the chakma, it feels like its actually cutting into the edge, like its shaving off small peices of steel from it... kinda like when you accidentally drage a knife tip acros a scratched up steel sink like a chisel, and it just goes straight into your bones and makes you shiver... its starting to work out... its just been reeeeally slow moving.... hopefully using more force with the 11" hand american will help.

again, thanks

 

[Bri in Chi]

Using heavy pressure with a hard, smooth piece of steel to shape an edge (often called 'burnishing') is an old trick that really works. What happens is the cutting edge gets 'work hardened' by the pressure, and gains a bit of additional hardness. This is totally a different technique than the use of light sharpening strokes against a smooth rod like a butcher's steel, which only re-aligns the edge. That's what the HA steel was made for, but it's certainly hard enough to burnish any khukuri edge. The round shaft of a high-quality screw driver works well too, and is comfortable to hold on to. Listen to Yvsa, and always work away from the edge, never into it. Make sure that your hands and other valuable body parts are always in a safe place relative to the edge.

 

[Josh Muller]

especially with the 24 degree edge... im afraid of what a khukuri could do to me if i let it slip to begin with, but with a shaving edge like i have on it...

i dont think i'll be sharpening anything bigger then the 18" ang like that . it would just to much of a good thing. and man... is it ever a pain to sharpen 20" of edge on knife that weighs 2lbs+ on an edgepro apex sharpener......