How thin can a khukuri blade be?

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Just checked back here. Sorry if I stepped on somebody's toes. What I meant by the Cold Steel comment was that, if you've ever seen one of the LTC's they seem to be about 1/8 or less of an inch thick, and some of the reviews I've read about them indicate that they are, well, less than superlative performers. Don't mean to be bashing Cold Steel generally, as I only have a small Voyager I use these days as a utility-type knife and everything else is pretty much hearsay. Sorry if I was out of line, Uncle. Let me know if you want me to edit anything.

As for how thin can a khukri blade be... the 25 ich Bura Kobra I just got in today reads .38 inches (about 9.5 mm) at the bolster, .39 (10mm) at the elbow (it's always thickest there, isn't it?), then begins a long, slow taper to the point, narrowing about .01 inches every inch or so. The thickness at the "point" area, i.e the last real blade thickness before the edge bevel narrows to the tip, is .21 (5mm). I have a pretty good set of calipers, but only a crummy fish scale type of thing, so the weight is only approximate at 2 pounds, +/- 1/4 pound.

Evidently, you can make really thin (more than a 1/4 inch is thin?) blades, but the kami has to know what he is doing.

Tom
 
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In my opinion based on seeing some of the old workhorse khukuri's of the past they can be fairly thin and still be quite a tool/weapon.

The one I passed up at the G & K show last April was about 5/16" at its thickest point if I recall it right.
The handle sizes are something else that should be discussed along with thickness imo. I took the handle on my Friendship GRS dow a whole lot. Terry loves the way it feels and told me today that he was gonna do his the same way.
I know that we as american people have bigger hands than
the people that make and use these tools everyday, but sometimes on the larger, heavier knives they are too big to be comfortable.

I would like to see some thinner models now that I have several of the heavier ones.
smile.gif

There has to be some kind of compromise between how thick a khukuri has to be to not be babied and one that is so thick it is hard to wield.

I feel that the thinner lighter khukuri, eg. 18th Century versus 18"AK. will pentrate better or at least as much with the same effort.
I am finding that I am useing my18th Century more and more when I want a khukuri for general purpose work.
If I am gonna be doing tougher work, then the 18"AK always comes out.

On the subject of Cold Steels LTC, I have one and have always loved it. I still do, and often use it for weed whacking and light work. Mine takes down 1 1/2" willow saplings with one whack!! It's light and easily manuvered and holds a dayum-ed good edge.
To me it is a real nice bent machete that cuts better than my old Collins that hangs on one of our walls.

I wonder if there will ever be the perfect khukuri?
Each one I have is my favorite in some way.
I really love the way the GRS handles and almost always hits the spot I am aiming at. It seems to do that more consistently than any of the others.
On that vien I asked Terry today what he thought about the drawings I have made up for the Full Curving Khukuri.
We both like the same ones it seems, so with his experience I will be moving toward getting the prototype done when I get finished with my outfit and a couple of other projects that have priority.
When all this is done I am gonna start doing my personal time Like I did before I got so busy. I enjoy being busy, but not at the expense of it being fun.

( I am still waiting on a report from Harry about his 18" GRS.
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) Unless I have missed it while I have been absent.
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If you have written a review on it Harry, would you kindly point me in the right direction and if not when are ya gonna do it? hehehehe
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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

"There's no trick in being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."

...............Will Rogers......

Khukuri FAQ
 
¥vsa, nope, haven't finished the report on the 18 inch GRS. Hope to do that soon. Good to see you back.



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Harry

“He who knows not, and cares not that he knows not, is a fool - shun him.
He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is a child - teach him.
He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep - wake him.
He who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise - follow him.”
- old Persian proverb
 
Hi All,
I've posted in the past about Cold Steel and so I won't bother here, but I will take the thinest Khukurie that any of the guys think that they can make. It would cause the"rubber to meet the road". It would certainly showcase real skill.
Dan
 
RC,
I don't know what this has to do with the thread we're in, but 10-15 degrees of arc will do it.
Dan
 
Doesn't it take a lot more pounding to turn a Mercedes truck spring into a thin blade than a thick one?
smile.gif


I don't think I can make it to the Khukuri convention in Reno, but I'm wondering if somebody who does could bring a Camillus-Becker Machaxe along for comparitive hack-slashing. 1/4" stock (no fullers) and a completely different handle shape with no corners.

As for CS, I haven't tried any of their big hack-slashers, but elsewhere in the Forums I've mentioned that my CS Vaquero Grande (6" very recurved serrated blade) has been rated as a first-class bread knife by some of the Sisterhood ladies who serve refreshments at Temple Beth Emet of Burbank (and some others are just plain scared of it!). I do get some pleasure from using a product of a company with such a combative public personality for such a relentlessly peaceful purpose.


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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
 
We have a quarter inch thick kothimoda coming for John Powell which he special ordered and paid for months ago. I am told it is finally in the air. I'll give this one a good visual going over and will check with my calibrated file. This is the thinest to come out of BirGorkha to date and Bura is doing it so I have high hope for the quality.

If this is okay shall we try something at 3/16 and see how they do? Remember, Bura and Kumar had extremely good luck with the katanas at 3/16 max.

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
I think there surely is a place and a market for lighter blades. If HI produces them, will they have to rethink the HI guarantee?

Many of my most useful knives are not unbendable or unbreakable. They are great at what they do. I know I have to understand their limitations and work within them. If I were to pry with one of my lighter knives the blade would bend or break.

Are there special communications challenges for HI in marketing lighter blades, after their knives have built a reputation for indestructibility?
 
The kobras are certainly bendable. I can do it myself but nobody has complained about this yet. I don't know. Maybe I'll start a thread and see what people say about it.

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
Although the thick blades are really impressive I have to agree with Yvsa about the 18th century. Mine at 19" and 1.56 lbs. is balanced nicely giving it a very light feel. It's still a big blade and at the same time close to being the best handling khukuri that I own.
 
I just been busy running around all over the place uncle Bill. Only surfing the net briefly and checking mail. I didn't get to read all the posts thorough enough to make any replies yet. I missed a lot of stuff. --- I'm putting a Super Frog on the AK Bowie by the way.
 
Kevin :

aren't most Indian khukuris about 1/4"? Has anyone busted or bent one?
Click to expand...

Several, they are really weak. I don't know what the steel is, but I severely doubt it is 5160 or anything similar.

-Cliff

 
Cliff, when I get in the "thin" khukuris we will try to bend one. I am not so sure we can easily bend 1/4" or even 3/16" 5160 that has been properly hardened. But we will soon see.

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
With a differential temper, the 1/4" and 3/16" blades will be very tough, and if the steel is a decent alloy like 5160 instead of plain carbon like 1080, it will be fairly strong. It is not like they are going to snap under a little weight, it should be in the few hundred pounds range (for the 1/4") , depending on the model, and in the worst case they will just bend anyway.

-Cliff
 
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