Khukuri Care

P

PsychoGlory

Joined
Mar 15, 2006
Messages
17
I am about to buy my first Khukuri from HI and I would like to know what experienced Khukuri owners use to care for the blade and wood handles. Is Marine Tuff cloth the best for the blade? What about RENAISSANCE WAX? Also what is best to keep a wood handle in the best condition possible, is furniture any good? Is it possible wiping my Khukuri off with a cotton/flannel enough. Sorry for all the questions, any suggestions is very appreciated.




P.S search junction does not like me much.
 
Simple mineral oil works for both the blade and the handle. As an added benefit mineral oil is widely available and is inexpensive.
 
Word on the street is that renaissance wax is the best you can get for a display piece, or even a user if you don't mind dropping the time and dollars on it. Some folks swear by ballistol. Tuff cloth is another one I hear of every now and then.

Personally I've found that mineral oil is good for both the blades and the handles, and it's cheap as dirt.
 
Lee Valley has a less expensive substitute wax - much cheaper than the Rennaisance wax and work fine.
 
I can't let this thread pass without mentioning Birchwood Casey Tru Oil. A quick, easy treatment for wood handles after a bit of clean-up with sandpaper, fine steel wool, etc. I have been submerging horn handles in olive oil for many years. I mean - I keep it in the oil for a few days, but I've been doing it for many years:eek:
 
Another vote for mineral oil. Cheap, works, doesn't get rancid and doesn't smell. You can use it on the handle, blade, etc. without worrying about it.

I think some people who know more than me say that it will soften leather too much if it gets on it, can't exactly remember. I've used it sparingly on leather without any problem.
 
If I'm not going to use it for awhile I use Simichrome on the blade, bolster, and buttcap, mineral oil for wood and Hooflex for horn. Otherwise I just wipe it clean and oil with mineral oil.

Shao
 
PsychoGlory said:
P.S search junction does not like me much.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the Cantina/Psycho Ward Psycho.;) :D
Here's another vote for the Ballistol. And HERE is a Linky to the best place in the USA to get it. :cool: That I know about anyway.;) :D :thumbup:

Psycho when you click on the "search" button and the popup or dropdown comes up click on the "Advanced Search" side of the link.
The advanced search does a helluva lot better search than just search in general!!!!
When the advanced search comes up it will be a detailed page where you can enter several bits of info either limiting or expanding your search. Just typing in a word or a phrase into the little box and clicking on "Go" doesn't work very well for anyone methinks.:(
 
definitely Ballistol. can even use it on leather as it was specifically designed for that, neutralises acid & chrome salts used in the tanning of some leathers as well. kinda like a miracle cure for all things sharp, and all things that go boom. removes fouling, leading and is also good for dry skin & is a mild antiseptic. designed by a german for the wermacht in the late 1800's as a general purpose CLP multi-purpose oil & going strong ever since. you can even drink it, tho i'm not to sure about the US version as the formulae is a bit different i've heard.

it's water miscable, looks a bit like ouzo when mixed with water, but if used on steel, the oil deposits on the metal, displacing any water upwards, resulting in a protected surface. wd40 drys after a while & stops protecting. a loosely capped jug of ballistol was found in a barn that was about 50 years old & the stuff was found to be indistiguishable from current production, good stuff.
 
if the search function doesn't work, just expand your potential view to be 50ish long, and start scrolling back. somewhere between now and january, there was a couple threads, one massive, on preserving handles with various kinds of things like tru oil, tung oil, danish, mineral, etc.

as for the steel - so far i just user mineral oil. picked up a couple bottles for $2. wipe your blade CLEAN of all finger prints/oils, etc with a clean cloth, sometimes i'll use a light metal polish or a 3m scotch bright if the blade was in use, if any rust, remove it (very fine grit sand paper/scotch bright, note: this removes your mirror finish if you have one, gives you the satin finish many prefer). clean blade? put a couple drops on a cloth, wipe it on all the metal bits, including bolster, butt cap. now, don't neglect the karda and chakma either, or the sheath.

leather needs love to - i've found that the "black" comes off when wet. still researching ways to protect that stuff. i have no idea how they even tan it, so depending on use, certain products can't be used on some tanned processes is my understanding. i'm guessing silicone or wax would be no problem though. guys? perhaps someone has sheath scraps laying about we can practice on.

bladite
 
Ballistol. :thumbup:

The blades get coated with it, the leather gets coated with it, and every six months or so I'll direct a few shots of it into the scabbard's interior for the wood.

I'm still evaluating how it does on firearms. No problems so far, and a Ballistol/water mix ought to be excellent for cleaning up corrosive priming residue.

It doesn't seem to be toxic but it tastes terrible. (Not as bad as CLP, but still pretty bad.)
 
I have used mineral oil on blades, and the Lee Valley wax. Break Free CLP is great stuff as well.
The idea is to check the blade periodically.
I use wax for the khukuri in the tool box in the SUV.
 
Reading through the replies and I thought for the time being that I would try mineral oil. My question is where do you buy it? I only seen it at pharmacies. The label says it is used as a laxative. Reading that I was unsure if it was the same stuff. Also thanks for all the advice so far.
 
PsychoGlory said:
Reading through the replies and I thought for the time being that I would try mineral oil. My question is where do you buy it? I only seen it at pharmacies. The label says it is used as a laxative. Reading that I was unsure if it was the same stuff. Also thanks for all the advice so far.
Click to expand...
That's the stuff. Bet you never knew that it had multiple uses, did you? ;)
 
Mineral oil used to be called 'Liquid Paraffin' in England and I remember as a 10 year old it always went on holiday with us because 'the water and the sea air bunged us up'. One dessert spoonful after breakfast, yuk!

Mineral oil is also good for oiling wooden chopping boards. I prefer WD40 if the blade is being used often, because it cleans and protects and it smells nice. Beeswax or Renaissance wax is excellent at protecting against rust. I have a 1785 musket that always got a rust spot in one place on the barrel, (I lived 800 yards from the sea), and no matter what I did, the rust came back after cleaning. One day I put a dab of beeswax furniture polish on it, let it dry and buffed it off. The rust never came back. I have a lot of swords, bayonets and militaria in storage and everything is liberally coated.

I will have to get some Ballistol as it has never reached England. Anyone use Youngs 303 Gun Oil? Now that does smell nice.
 
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