khukuri steel

Thank you for kind comments, I am pleased the info. is usefull to GH Forum members. I have been very curious wrt the outstanding performance attributed to the Khukuri blades.

The current manufactureres of high tech knives all claim the heat treatment must be in nitrogen atmosphere furnaces and computer controled temperature cycles, yet here we have old world technology making well documented high performance knives. The steel used in AISI 1085/1095 truck springs is about as basic as it can be for alloys.

Craig, would you have any seconds or defects I could purchase for testing? I have never owned your type of knife however, they are very interesting.

I do not have access to a metallurgy lab for detailed data but testing is easily obtained for Rockwell hardness and deflection under loads. I would also be interested in comparison of the old world Khukuri vs. modern through hardened steels in Marble's 5160/52100 and BKT high carbon.

The concept of differential hardening and forging to convex edge blade shape is an ancient skill for the bladesmith. In the USA the work of Bill Moran and others has rediscovered a lost art, while in Nepal skilled craftsmen have been quietly making knives for a very long period.

Regards,
FK
 
FK: Craig sometimes has a few khukuris with cracked handles that he discounts. He recently had some Cheetlangs like that (a light but strong blade that's held in very high esteem). (Handle cracks are an occasional unfortunate organic fact of life and are easy to fix.) He checks his e-mail more often than the forum, so I'd suggest you e-mail him directly.

Also, since you appreciate the forging process, I'd encourage you ask about the video he made in Nepal of the real guys making the real thing. "Gurkha Steel" just blows EVERYBODY'S mind!! No hype - it's just that good, and I consider it's knowledge equal in value to any single khuikuri in the house (and there are some real honeys). My copy gets plenty of viewing time.

BTW, it's really amazing what some artisans can do without scientific data, isn't it? Some things really haven't been improved with advanced technology...S&W revolvers, violin design, etc.

Hope to hear again from you....Dan

 
I am busy on the job of editing all inputs on khukuri steel accumulated so far. Trouble is, I want to hold the technical level down without sacrificing accuracy too much. I think I want to address the ordinary small-time khuk collector and beginner enthusiast; in this way I might drum up some young 'uns to become interested. Someone once said, it's a greater art to write so that everybody understands, than to merely list scientific (technical) facts. I view this a my greatest challenge. Once thing I would dearly love to view at this stage, is the video Gurkha Steel, because then I would be able to compile a list of actual kami activities at the forge, to bring into my article.

Lt. Dan or some other forumite, could you not PLEASE list the kami forging activities in chronological order for my benefit? I thank you in advance!! I really NEED this list.
 
Hello, Johan. Thanks for giving me an excuse to watch "Gurkha Steel" again. Yeah, it's tempting to include too much detail, but I'll do my best not to spoil the movie for you!

It always surprises me to see how few tools are they have and how creatively they're used (many are surely made in-house). It's all done by hand, even drilling and the handmade buffing wheel. A helper cranks a blower at the forge, and the steel is heated many times throughout the process. Unless noted, the master does virtually everything. Some of the work requires more than one set of hands (big hammers, drilling, finishing wheel, and always to man the bellows), and their working together is extremely well coordinated. (Gandeydancers don't have anything on these guys.) The craftsmen have come up with the most ingenious ways of holding things with feet, clamping to hammer handles, using simple holding devices; and they don't use chairs.

Trying to tell about this is akin to defining the universe and giving TWO examples...there's just so much.

The truck springs are weighed, measured and cut to size. The basic shape is achieved with 2 heavy hammers. The tang is formed, and steel is beaten into a cho-shaped rod. It's then cleaned and an assistant files the groove(s) along the spine and refines the overall shape some. The inlay is tapped in, then the blade is tempered, checking hardness with a file and observing the color. The kajo (ferrule), chhapri (buttcap), and fulo (diamond-shaped washer) are custom made for each blade. Another worker rough-cuts and drills the horn handle to fit the brass parts. The master seats the blade in the handle by heating the tang and burning it into the hole for a perfect fit. Laha is used inside and in the kajo, chhapri, and fulo. The handle is filed to final shape and smoothed with abrasive strips (emery cloth?). The blade is finished with an abrasive wheel and polished by hand.

The above is grossly understated here. I can't even attempt to do justice to GS. There's just so much involved in each step. For example the making of their polishing wheel is a dying art in itself. It's a mixture of a unique sand from a certain river mixed with laha. And the sarkis are also shown in detail practicing their craft so expertly. There's so much going on that it's easy to miss something. I understand why Craig said that he's seen it over a hundred times while editing, and he still catches something new every time he watches it. He's even working on the sequel now and will spare no good footage.

If this isn't what you're looking for, just ask and I'll try and explain it better. I almost can't wait until you get GS to see everything for yourself, because I know you'll appreciate it in a huge way. Have you seen Craig's special March deal? With that kind of sale maybe you'll order another khukuri AND get GS!

Take care, and hoping your project is coming along well....Dan




[This message has been edited by Lt. Dan (edited 03-13-2001).]
 
I've reached the stage where I would like to bring something to the attention of all khukuri forumites. Over the last few weeks I've been working on an article about Khukuri Steel. This was just an idea that came to me because I became absolutely engrossed in the interesting stuff that I've been reading up on in bladeforum about khuks. I've had friendly and capable responses and advice from a number of very kind forumites on this project (see all the above contributions), and the result is that there are now two articles:
1 Khukuri Steel (about 6 pages)
2 Heat Treating Khukuri Steel (about 8 pages).

I want to make these articles available to the forumites. I am not proclaiming to be an expert on this topic, because I really feel that most forumites know more about khuks than I do. But I've got this yearning to write, and I have compiled these few pages in a way that I believe might stimulate especially younger khukuri enthusiasts and bring them into the fold, so to speak. Now at this stage there are some two forumites looking through the articles for me (this process is still going on), and then I want to bring about all the necessary amendments and improvements, and then I thought I should put the two articles in here. These articles deal ONLY with khukuri steel and the matter of hardening/tempering. Nothing else. So what I would like to hear at this point, is if this is the proper way to go? Does it sound all right to you if I splash the pages here in bladeforums under this post, or do you think I should share the information in some other way?

My only purpose with this is to be given the opportunity to contribute something which to me is very interesting.

"Gold is for women; steel is for a man"

 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Does it sound all right to you if I splash the pages here in bladeforums under this post, or do you think I should share the information in some other way?
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I for one am looking forward with interest to reading your research here. My only suggestion is that, since this topic heading is already a page long and your research will be lengthy, it would be faster to load if you began a new topic heading ("Khukuri Steel, Part 2", maybe) for the new material so the reader doesn't have to scroll past all the preliminary discussion to get to the new research. Thanks for your hard work and interest.
Berk
 
Johan, I'm also really looking forward to reading your articles about khukuri steel and heat treating. Yes, and Berk's idea seems very good to start new threads as they're ready.
 
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