how strong are blems?

PappaCutter said:
Love that wood handle, mucho character and that blades screams "cut something". I dig it.

Pappa
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Yeah that one was a diamond in the rough. It was very light colored when I got it. Once I sanded and oiled it the colors really came out. Close up it has reds, greens, yellow, blues etc. I'm glad I didnt have to return it. Aunti did say she would replace it and give me credit on a next blade as well if it ever broke so I ain't complaining. I've processed a heck of a lot of wood with that blade.
 
PappaCutter said:
Thats a great thought to oil the wood handles. Whats you earl of choice ? 3 in 1 :D
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Well theres many ideas and preferences but the easiest way and cheapest is to get some mineral oil from the pharmacy for about $3 and fully immerse or either liberally rub it down and let soak for a day or so. This will prevent cracking and further drying. If you want to work on letting the wood shine and look better you can sand it with finer papers and rub it down with BLO (boiled Linseed oil) and it will polymerize and sort of harden sealing the lighter mineral oils inside to keep it protected. Basically anything you can do to keep some oils on it to prevent it from drying out will be a plus. 3 in 1 if i remember correctly is mineral oil so it would be fine as well. True oil is another oil that works well. There's 1001 different ways to do it but only one oil will work and give you a lifetime of good service. Do some searches and you'll get an infinite number of procedures.
I soak in mineral oil for a few days then wipe it dry and use it for a few months then sand it and make it to look good then rub it down with BLO and let it be. Rub it down with BLO and mineral oil half and half mixture for maintenance for the rest of its life and done deal. Good forever.
 
True Oil is a wood sealer and not so much as a penetrant. It can also look pretty skuzzy after a few years. I don't know what Kamidog's one oil is, but mine is some brand of furniture grade boiled linseed oil. Bawanna uses some method when he does checkering and probably has a favorite oil, too.
 
I'm a big fan of plain old Linseed oil. I agree with Bookie, Tru Oil has petroleum stuff in it to make it dry and be hard. It is a sealer. If you seek a glossy shiny look it's not a bad choice, I have it but I don't use it very often. Gets tacky to quickly for me, I like to rub on the wood for awhile. I never use Tru Oil on checkering as it just plugs up my work and I end up having to recut the whole deal.

Tung oil is somewhat in between, it seals and is more protective against moisture than linseed oil but also I think seals more.
So additional coats may or may not get inside where it needs to be on a working handle.
 
Steve Tall is correct
 
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Steve Tall's suggestion is correct on blemish handle.
 
I just bought an 18" AK a few weeks ago. Yangdu advertised it a "blem" with a hairline crack in the handle. There was no crack, it was a scratch. She graded the khukuri in favor of the buyer.
 
Just chiming in that I too have never had a blem fail. Quite honestly, after I have used an HI blade a couple of times, I can't remember which were sold as blems and which were stock perfect.
I actually prefer blems over nonblems simply because I don't feel do bad mucking up such gorgeous knives.
 
Considering that the quality of my "blem" was excellent, I'd love to see what Yangdu considers a perfect khukuri???
 
I think she prices and appraises these items perfectly. I bought an M43 and BAS " first or top quality". With very careful study you will only find perfection. I have no regrets. And my blems are hairline cracks only visible with careful review. And for their price, ALL DAY LONG, I'm buying those with a big smile on my face.

Therefore, in my opinion, if you really want a Kukri, buying one first hand, top shelf is still a great deal. Buying from HI is the win win I was told it was.

Pappa
 
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