Karda and chakmak

J

Johan van Zyl

Joined
Oct 11, 2000
Messages
372
Me again - asking impossible questions!

The other day I was showing my AK off to a friend (a lecturer in Geology at the local university) who has all kinds of collectables in his basement. He is an intelligent guy and very interested in the AK, and was assailing me with all kinds of questions. He wanted to know if the karda REALLY was a REAL knife, able to function properly. He said MAYBE the karda had been a proper knife as used originally, but with the great demand for khukuris from America from people who would probably not actually use the utility knives, the size became diminished, so that the kardas of the current new knives are for show only. I assume he meant the kamis do not nowadays go to much trouble with the kardas because they feel they are not of any concern for the "outsiders". I could not argue with such logic and said I would try to find out.

My own experience is that the kardas are so short that everytime I handle my khukuris I have to hold my hand over the utility knives because they would fall out unexpectedly. I tried my karda out on an apple and found I actually wanted a slightly longer blade and handle (about 3 inches each at least) for the job.

Now the chakmak: my friend and I spent about five minutes trying to get sparks out of a piece of flint with the chakmak. Nary a wisp of a spark we got. But the chakmak was scarred. When we did the same thing with an old fashioned traditional "tonteldoos" (tinderbox) tool, the sparks flew.

Am I imagining things or is it true that this topic has not been touched in this forum yet? If so, it should give rewarding results if forumites would contribute their thoughts on this one....
 
It is certainly true that, prior to the 20th century
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the accessory tools were larger, better quality, and sometimes more numerous (buttonhooks, awls, chisels as well as k&c, e.g.. The change reflects developments in both technology and demand. Swiss Army knives and disposable butane lightere are as available in Nepal as elsehere in the world and do a better job. Most modern users do treat the accesories as decorative rather than functional, and the effort expended by the kamis reflects the feedback they get from consumers. Whether a given chakma is sufficiently hardened to strike a spark is a quality control issue which again reflects the lack of emphasis placed on this feature, especially since the tinder-pouch is no longer commonly included in the scabbard kit. Handle length of the khukuri and accessories evolved to a certain extent to meet the needs of smaller Nepalese hands, and lack of emphasis on the accessories has resulted in a general lack of growth in the smaller tools corresponding to that of the main knife, which is significantly larger nowadays than formerly. Finally, great blade length in knives designed for delicate tasks is not often necessary to a skilled user; the Scandianvian puukko and leuko are examples of knives from a different culture intended for a similar use with very short blades.
Just my $.02 worth.
smile.gif

Berk

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Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges.-Tacitus
 
My two cents: It's possible to light a cigarette with nothing more than the tool, a piece of flint and some cotton. Our video, which will be finished TODAY shows a senior bishwakarma doing this - it's very interesting and fun to watch.

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
Blade Forums Sponsor
 
Well, all good stuff. The best karda and chak I have got came with a village made khuk from *another supplier*. They were supposed to be useless, of aesthetic value only, but when I have used them to edge up blades, brilliant! The best in the bunch, very hard. Haven't tried to spark flint yet, but will report back.
David
 
Thanks all you guys for very good inputs to this question! I noticed that David does not say "sharpen", but "edge up" when he writes about the chak. In the caption #1 of Berk's picture which he kindly submitted, the author writes "sharpen". Now, to my mind, sitting in the side-seats of the ballgame, a "knife" can't "sharpen" another knife. The most it can do (I assume), is to take away the burrs which might result from sharpening by other means, like with a stone. I AM aware of anothing kind of knife-shaped sharpener, which I myself have used once or twice, which consists of a handle and round bar covered with diamond dust, which has actually done the job. But the chak does not correspond. So maybe the job the chak can actualy do, is to hone (or edge up) the cutting edge. It would be interesting to find out the way the local folks in the hills of Nepal have done it in the olden days. I suppose they used a gritty kind of stone like sandstone to do the actual "sharpening", then the chak to hone the rough edge. The crux of the matter is to try to establish the origins of the development of the chak.
 
CRAIG, the history of the c&k hasn't come up in any of the archives that I've searched. If anybody knows of a reference it would be interesting reading, knowing now that at least 2 of us are in the dark.

And thanks to Berkley for his usual excellent scholarly research and insight.

By all means, Lalit's viewpoint will be helpful. Many thanks!

[This message has been edited by Lt. Dan (edited 12-04-2000).]
 
I don't want to impose on you, Graig, but yes, Lalit's reply would be very informative on this issue. If you yourself ask him, your question will have more heft. I think many of the forumites will be looking out for the answers.

Regards.
 
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