How to clean and identify a khukuri?

latest pictures:

khukuri4.JPG


this side is a little more mottled, i've probably done slightly less work on it

khukuri7.JPG


a few close-ups:

khukuri5.JPG


khukuri6.JPG


khukuri8.JPG


the pitting is worse than i thought, it will take quite a bit more sandpaper work to get it all out. i'm not sure if i will bother, it would look a lot nicer without it though. i haven't done any work on the handle yet and i'll probably just leave it as it is, apart from a bit of oil to get the grime out. i've got to do all the fiddly bits on the blade too, and then sharpen it.

it's looking a lot better though :D
 
another update - i sanded away quite a bit but the pits didn't seem to be getting any better, so i decided to leave them and went onto the higher grades of paper. then i cleaned it all up and got it nice and shiny, and took it out into the sun for a pretty picture :)

khukuri9.JPG


is there any easy way of getting the black stuff out of the pits? i tried a pencil rubber which was suggested elsewhere, but it didn't do anything.
 
Excelant work Chully,

I actully thought the pitting would be worse!

I expect it is worth a lot more than you paid for it {bieng a student & all that} But it will be a good user as well!

Aardvark, I must admit I have never come across that cleaner, I might have to try it out ! Cheers! It sounds good!

Spiral
 
Very Nice Chully.....little late responding on my end.....sorry. You did quite a good job at cleaning that one up.....I was really surprised it wasn't more pitted as well. Congrats on the kuk.

Steve
 
Nice. A real find with classic lines restored to respectable finish.

The Evap-O-Rust mentioned above would remove the rust from the bottom of the pits. I got a small can of the product and put it in a tall plastic sealable container, then added lots of glass marbles. That allows me to push the blade in right up to the end of the metal. The product can be used over and over. I use a small rubber strip to wipe as much as possible back in the container when I remove the blade. It does leave a gray finish if used for hours, but fine sandpaper removes that.
 
Hey Chully...


Nice buy and great work!...

Here's bit from a thread of last July ('03), talking about the refurbishing of a BAS I did after someone trashed it and returned it to Bill Martino for a refund/replacement (apparently, this guy had done this THREE times.)


"This refurbishing took time and work and patience, but not great skill. I truly don't understand how it came to be returned. I screwed up my 15 in AK much more by trying to hack through a deer fore-leg. But that wasn't the blade's fault...rather mine. And I fixed it. Just as I fixed the dings from hitting rocks as I hacked at multi-flora rose bushes.

It seems to me that taking responsibility for damage is part of the ownership of a tool. Being able to bring the tool back to usability is part of the joy of having a quality tool. In a sense, the owner shares creation with the maker of the blade, and they join together to create a functional implement to achieve a purpose."


You have shared creation with the maker of your purchase. You are part of it, and it is part of you.


Nice.


Kis
 
thanks for the replies guys, it's nice to know that the experts approve :). now i need to go and find stuff to chop, hehehe!
 
SWEET! I like the older ones...glad you decided to stop where you did. Now the edge...that could use a bit more time on the mousepad... ;)
 
yeah i need to sharpen it more, it's not bad at the moment but certainly could be better. also i tried some metal polish on it, it seems to get some of the grime out because the cloth goes black each time i put some on and work it around a bit. i might persevere with that, it'll get it clean and shiny hopefully.
 
I guess you could always blue Chully it that would both hold & hide the pitting.

It wouldnt have been like that originaly though.

By the way, How much does it weigh?

Spiral
 
according to my admittedly crappy kitchen scales, it's a pound and two ounces (510 grams).
 
Nice work on a nice knife.

I'm not sure what'll really work on the remaining spots. Those are really the pits. (Sorry.)

Some crazy ideas: Citrus cleaner? Or hit it with an old toothbrush, or better yet, Sonicare electric toothbrush with an old head + a fine abrasive like Barkeeper's Friend or even toothpaste?

My first impulse was a wire brush or a buffer on a Dremel, but I think either of those might do more harm than good. Or you could take a line from makers of leather jackets and other products and just say "imperfections occur naturally and add the value of this unique piece."
 
Great looking old khukuri chully! You've done a very nice job of clean up!
May I ask what you used on the handle to get it looking that good?
I wonder if it's a real full tang or if that's a nail in the end of the handle? Does it appear to be peened over? I can't tell from looking at the pic.:(

If it's a full stick tang there shouldn't be any problem but if it's a partial tang with just a nail drove into the end of the handle it may loosen up on you if you use it very hard.
A pin put through the handle about a half inch from the bolster would prevent any future problems if it's a partial tang.:)
 
here are some pics of the end:

khukuri10.JPG


khukuri11.JPG


the plate is a little loose and will rotate round a little bit if pushed. i was thinking of just putting some glue in there, but perhaps another pin would be a better idea?

as for the handle, i didn't do much to it, i just rubbed some 3-in-one oil into it for a bit until no more dirt was coming out. if it looks different in the later pictures it's probably because of the light, rather than anything i've done.

and i've given up on the polish for the moment. it's funny, every time i did it the cloth went black, but after about 30 coats on one side it looks exactly the same! There's still black stuff in the pits. I'm happy with it like that anyway i guess.

once again, thanks for all your help!
 
Personaly Chully , Id say just tricle a load of cheap runny superglue under the buttcap & leave it at that, unless you want to drill holes of almost the same diameter as the nails, through buttcap & into the wood, otherwise that 100 year old wood will just split.

I would say, That certainly is a through tang riveted over, in the days that was made if a kami had banged a nail in it to pretend it was a through tang, he may have ended getting rather chopped up by a gurkha. ;)

It a good kuk! not a one made by a lazy corner cutter! ;) :D

Spiral
 
i stuck some glue in and it's holding nice and firm now. i had a go at chopping some saplings in the garden... it doesn't chop as well as i'd thought it might. i think it's a bit too light for that sort of thing. it is nice and fast though, you're right :)
 
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