karda and chakmak

T

Tinbasher

Joined
Jan 24, 2007
Messages
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A friend came around today with the two blades that normally go with a Kukri ,they are a little rusty and he wants me to clean them up.he doesn`t have the Kukri so will cleaning them up drop the value if they are worth anything ?? They came from a old soldier`s estate.
 
I forget his name but there is a man who hangs out in the Bernard Levine subforum who has a large collection and a lot of knowledge about kukris of historical value. If you posted a thread with pics, he and all the other fine folks in that subforum should be able to see if it is of any value. Don't ask for a dollar value but ask just like you did above.
 
will cleaning them up drop the value if they are worth anything ??
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Unless they have handles made from some exotic material like elephant ivory or Himalayan barking deer, the value of most old kardas and chakmas is pretty minimal. One American company that imported thousands of them from Kathmandu offers them at $2.50 each.
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Like any old knife, they should have any active rust removed with 0000 steel wool and mineral/baby oil. The same oil will usually help the appearance of wooden handles; horn can be treated with lanolin preparations (Hooflex is a US brand) available at agricultural/ranch supply stores.
 
SlamFire said:
Most of the tools I have had included with Khukuris are small, and dull.

One is supposed to burnish the edge, but given that it is smooth, I wonder if it is of any use. I have never tried to burnish the edge with the thing, mostly because it looks like a fool's errand.

The "sharp" knife usually has a stubby worthless handle. Might as well hold it between my teeth as between my fingers. Hard to hold on to. I have sharpened a few of them, and I am not impressed with the edges. A tin can lid would be sharper.

I have always wondered if the Nepalese ever carried useful tools instead of these useless ornaments.
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Remember: your hands are MUCH bigger than the standard Nepalese hand.
These tools are built to their standards, and have been effectively used for centuries.
While there are some Kukri's that count as useless ornaments, I would not classify anything that comes from HI as useless.
Just because it doesn't fit your hand perfectly does not make something a useless ornament.

FWIW: the Karda and Chakmak on my HI BAS and WWII are a bit small, but can easily be used as a 3 finger knife.
I use them all the time.
 
RE: Unless they have handles made from some exotic material like elephant ivory or Himalayan barking deer.
They look very much like the first one in your picture,wood handle ,metal hilt .

Thank you all for the information.
 
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