How kukris are heat treated?

C

cangcimen416

Joined
Jan 2, 2016
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19
is this guy make a fully functional khukuri?

[video]www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-6HLaN33QI[/video]

i just dont know how kukri are heat treated,is it always like this?
 
Good video, saw a few parts that I never could figure out myself.

That is the customary heat treat process. Heard it described as using a tea pot and that of course is one area where the good kami's are separated from the apprentices. Quite an art in and of itself.

Amazing talent using the most primitive tools.
 
Great video, thanks for sharing. It gave me even more appreciation for some things we take for granted.
 
All that work, and it come's down to the last 20 seconds (in the video) I guess.
 
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Was that how heat treatment works?
The blade didn't seem very hot when the water came. Also couldn't be since it was hammered for quite a while so must have cooled down and then was put back into the fire for only a short time. Is it maybe air hardening and that semi hot metal and water is the tempering? You can tell I've no clue but am curious.

In any case a cool video and helps to understand and appreciate the process even more.
 
There's a posting somewhere on the HI web site where Uncle Bill writes about the heat treating process as explained to him by Bura Kami. I believe it says that the teapot technique is used multiple times on a hot blade and that the kami can tell when it is finished by watching the edge of the blade change colors.

Maybe someone else can find and post that information. I think that what is shown in the above excellent video is only one small part of the teapot method, perhaps staged for purposes of the video.
 
davidf99 said:
There's a posting somewhere on the HI web site where Uncle Bill writes about the heat treating process as explained to him by Bura Kami. I believe it says that the teapot technique is used multiple times on a hot blade and that the kami can tell when it is finished by watching the edge of the blade change colors.

Maybe someone else can find and post that information. I think that what is shown in the above excellent video is only one small part of the teapot method, perhaps staged for purposes of the video.
Click to expand...
That makes sense.
 
The steel is heated hot enough so that you can quench the edge to the proper hardness (straw yellow). Then to prevent the remaining heat stored in the spine from traveling to the edge and softening it they must continue to pour water on the edge to remove the heat. They continue to pour water on the edge until the spine reaches spring temper (blue). As long as they dont let the edge get below a certain color (hardness) then it will stay hard. when the spine finally looses enough heat to be quenched to spring temper then it can be completely cooled to stop the process. This makes the strongest combination of spring tempered spine and hardness of edge for edge holding capability and durability. They know their colors;)
 
Jens Schuetz said:
Was that how heat treatment works?
The blade didn't seem very hot when the water came. Also couldn't be since it was hammered for quite a while so must have cooled down and then was put back into the fire for only a short time. Is it maybe air hardening and that semi hot metal and water is the tempering? You can tell I've no clue but am curious.

In any case a cool video and helps to understand and appreciate the process even more.
Click to expand...
Steel at critical heat doesn't always look as hot as it is on video-I've taken pics of stuff and what was orange in life appears red in the pic. Or he could be shy of critical, and just doing it for video...
 
J W Bensinger said:
Steel at critical heat doesn't always look as hot as it is on video-I've taken pics of stuff and what was orange in life appears red in the pic. Or he could be shy of critical, and just doing it for video...
Click to expand...
Yes. It's hard to capture true colors with a camera. Things never look the same as in real life. But that's what we got Photoshop for. Well, for pictures anyways.
Professionals would include a bunch of known colors in a test shot and thus know how much to adjust things to get the digital file to represent what was actually there.

I wish I could see a blade smith doing his thing life. There are non in my area as far as I know. Some horseshoe and miscellaneous things smiths though.
 
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ndoghouse said:
The steel is heated hot enough so that you can quench the edge to the proper hardness (straw yellow). Then to prevent the remaining heat stored in the spine from traveling to the edge and softening it they must continue to pour water on the edge to remove the heat. They continue to pour water on the edge until the spine reaches spring temper (blue). As long as they dont let the edge get below a certain color (hardness) then it will stay hard. when the spine finally looses enough heat to be quenched to spring temper then it can be completely cooled to stop the process. This makes the strongest combination of spring tempered spine and hardness of edge for edge holding capability and durability. They know their colors;)
Click to expand...

as simple as that!
i found some website,comparing teapot method with modern heat treatment
https://www.zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=113365
 
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J W Bensinger said:
Steel at critical heat doesn't always look as hot as it is on video-I've taken pics of stuff and what was orange in life appears red in the pic. Or he could be shy of critical, and just doing it for video...
Click to expand...

perhaps he doesnt give a damn about critic and doing what he do for the rest of his life?
 
Jens Schuetz said:
Was that how heat treatment works?
The blade didn't seem very hot when the water came. Also couldn't be since it was hammered for quite a while so must have cooled down and then was put back into the fire for only a short time. Is it maybe air hardening and that semi hot metal and water is the tempering? You can tell I've no clue but am curious.

In any case a cool video and helps to understand and appreciate the process even more.
Click to expand...

cool vid doesn't always come in english :)
 
cangcimen416 said:
perhaps he doesnt give a damn about critic and doing what he do for the rest of his life?
Click to expand...

By "critical" temperature I mean the point where the steel will harden-you better believe he gives a damn about that. Difference between a cutting tool and a wallhanger, that.
 
Welcome to the forums Some1. Wish I could read that? Greek to me?
Very interesting process. Thanks for posting that. Looks like he poured it full of aluminum. Cool idea. I wonder what he is using for solder paste when he solders the bolster. Looks like some kind of mineral (Borax?) mixed with ground brass? The use of clay is intersting as well.
 
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