Is this long Khukuri from Himalyan Imports?

F

FaisalSonbol

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Oct 18, 2018
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I bought this long kukri from local knives shop but they didn't know which manufacturer made this one. They just it's handmade from Nepal. Im not sure if it's full tang or not.
It didn't come with the small knives that usually comes with a kukri although it does have pocket for them. Can any one tell me if it's from Himalyan Imports? If not which manufacturer?
How can I tell if it's full tang or not?
I have Work Sharp Ken Onion blade grinder attachment. Can I use to sharpen it?





















 
It's not a HI, I don't think. I see no markings.

That looks like a stick tang, peened on the end.

Someone who is more knowledgable will surely come by soon enough.
 
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I don't think it is unless its a very early one. All of mine are marked, and I started collecting them in May of 2002. I haven't seen many of those hollow buttcaps short of the old Pen Knife from years ago. Still, I can't rule it out. It's got the markings of an HI Siru, the tang is through and peened, etc. Looks like a serviceable blade as far as I can tell. However, someone who knows more that I do will have to make the call on if its an HI or not.
 
What's the overall length (from tip to pommel)? If the proportions are right, I'd guess around 25" or more.

The tang goes all the way through the handle and is peened over the keeper, so that's "full tang" in HI terminology. Westerners usually reserve "full tang" for blades with a flat tang that goes edge-to-edge, and where the handle consists of two slabs glued and riveted to the sides of the tang.

The condition is great, so it's hard to judge the age. However, the last photo shows that very thick leather was used on the sheath, and that was more common in older knives, like maybe around 2000, give or take five years.

Without markings it's impossible to tell if it was made by HI. The quality seems good, though we can't judge the edge tempering from photos. Keep in mind that many or most HI kamis started out making khukuris elsewhere, and that many non-HI kamis have a similar skill-set. It is the national icon, after all. So I wouldn't be concerned about whether it's HI or non-HI.

As for sharpening, I can't speak directly about the Work Sharp, but the main thing is not to change the convex edge geometry. In particular, don't use any method that will put a secondary bevel on the edge. Also, it's best not to use power tools on the edge unless you're very experienced.
 
In addition to lhe lack of markings and the different type of pommel cap, that one has what looks like hammer marks and some unevenness along the spine that I've never seen on a similar khukuri from Himalayan Imports. I'd say it's from one of the khuk "houses" (not Himalayan Imports), especially since it's virtually the same as one that's currently advertised there.

The khukuri in question:



A virtually identical khukuri from one of the khuk "houses" (not Himalayan Imports):
41mp2IggDnL.jpg


The same sized Himalayan Import product (Sirupati, 25" OAL) at top of photo, and in video:
ankKhuk-25siru20siru18siru-2.jpg


 
As all the above said but I also think that it does have some characteristics of a 25" siru but the proportions of the handle, scalloped but plate (AKA Salyan), and the blade profile near the tip dont match anything I have seen with HI blades at that length. There were blades made by contracted HI Kamis that did not have permission to put their markings on the blades (Sgt. Khadka e.g.) but that was a long time ago like pre-2005. Only thing I can add is if its HI its pre-2005 and manufactured by a contracted Kami but being that length pretty much rules out everything Ive seen HI. My gut tells me its not HI but dont bank on my thoughts. I could be wrong.

edit: Ya beat me Steve! I agree.
 
The overall length of my khukuri is 30".
I highly doubt that my khukuri is pre-2005. I would guess it's 4 years old. So I don't think that it's HI.
About sharpening it I don't know how to use whetstones and I don't want a secondary bevel so I will keep it moderately sharp
 
I'm with above, no maker's mark from the kami. I think GK & CO is another kuhkri house that has similar looking kuhkri's but more of a manufactured look to them (lack of maker's signature/mark).

For sharpening, I like sand paper on a sanding block to get a convex edge. Kind of like stropping it at a higher grit.
 
I've had a few H.I. Khukri's over the years that didn't have Kami Marks on them. All of those still had the H.I. Logo on the blade near the bolster. If I remember correctly, H.I. Kami's always marked the blades with the H.I. Logo. Yangdu's father occasionally got Khukri's made by local Village Kami's (villager models) that met H.I.'s standards. He would then send them over for sale. I believe I have one in my collection, but it's in storage if I do. Those were not marked. But that was quite a while ago.

A stone, Diamond hone or strop are good things to use. Some like the sand paper method mentioned above. I think I've done that too. To fix nix and burs I use a Chakma/Steel to realign the edge between sharpening sessions. 1x30 Belt sander is a favorite of mine if I need to put sharp on a Khukri in a hurry, then I switch to the strop. The bigger the blade, the longer the strop you want. If you do want to use Power tools to restore the edge or sharpen, please practice on cheep knives first so you get the hang of it with out hurting your good blades.

Hope you found the info you were looking for.
 
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