Khukuris in the Rain

J

Josh Feltman

Joined
Feb 12, 2001
Messages
4,501
How do khuks and sheaths hold up in the rain? I've worn mine in light rain for brief periods with no problems, but I am wondering how they fare with longer periods of rain exposure, say more than a few hours. I usually have mineral oil on the blade, wood handle has been treated with tru oil, and my sheaths have been treated with sno-seal. Anybody have any experience with this?
--Josh
 
I've heard some people put a hole in the bottom of the
scabbard/chappe to let water drain out.
 
Originally posted by ddean
I've heard some people put a hole in the bottom of the
scabbard/chappe to let water drain out.
Click to expand...

Doh!!! I knew I shouldn't have filled that in with epoxy:rolleyes:
--Josh
 
I usually test my khuks when it's raining (less likely to be people in the woods). I've had no rust form while any piece was in use. The only rust that formed was after replacing the khuk in the sheath for the drive home.

I use car wax on my blades and carry a bottle of mineral oil. However the mineral oil doesn't stick well to a waxed blade (it sorta beads). Maybe if I only used mineral oil I could get a better coating of oil on the blade.

The rust that formed on the blade was bright orange and easy to wipe off and repolish with flitz. I figure that an hour or two in the rain won't do much to the finish as long as you clean up when you get home.
 
Originally posted by BruiseLeee
I usually test my khuks when it's raining (less likely to be people in the woods). I've had no rust form while any piece was in use. The only rust that formed was after replacing the khuk in the sheath for the drive home.
Click to expand...

WOW Bruise, I neverv knew that you were rich enough to own you're own Forest Oh Great Saudi Prince.:D:p
 
I've done hikes through streams and water with my WWII on my belt which gets totally submerged - and no surprise, you get rust spots forming within 30 mins. Of course the rust the merely cosmetic - at the end of a day you would wipe it down with an oily rag and the blackened film forms a light barrier. If I was going somewhere really wet and humid, I'd blue the blade or spray paint it black.

My kuk rusts like crazy if I get it wet (assuming I haven't oiled the blade or have just used it.)
 
I've started using Carnauba car wax by Turtle Wax.
After what sharpening is needed, cleaning, and polishing, I clean it again with Soft Scrub then wax the blade. A short drying period and wipe off the excess. I use a bit of Mane and Tail Hoof Maker on the horn handles and, they are ready to hang up. I don't polish the brass all the time. I don't know of any brass polish that doesn't have abrasives in it. No, I don't let them turn green.

I wish I could talk to one of the gorkhas that was in the Pacific. You know they had to get wet. We could learn a lot from them.:) :)
 
There is a good reason why I etch all my user blades. Firstly the etched surface acts almost like bluing thereby giving some modicrum of protection. Secondly the dark surface hides scars batter. Thirdly any missed cleaning spots just blend in with the general surface of the blade, so no worries about staining if I dont get clean right away. Fourthly, I find lemon juice takes care of so much gunk, and so cleaning blades only helps to re-etch. Fifthly, for more devious reasons as well as personal reasons, me no likey shiny blades (I keep the display khuks shiny with wax, but my favourites are nice and dark).

Now if youre worried about keeping your blade shiny, then there are all sorts of care regimen. But if you like the dark, worn look, khuk care becomes a whole lot easier.
 
I used the Federico grapefruit juice etching method on a 15" AK. Not a bad finish and it seems to resist rust better than shiny metal. Plus you can just steel wool the rust for a new finish.

I don't own any land. :( I run around the king's forest and poach wood. :rolleyes:
 
Josh, if I know the weather's going to be foul out in the field, I put a small can of WD-40 in my ruck sack. I use it to spray down my pistol/rifle now and then, and it doesn't matter if they get wringing wet they've never rusted on me as long as I was diligent about giving them a proper cleaning when I got the chance. The WD in WD-40 stands for "Water Displacing", and it works as advertised. Just don't use it on a knife you're going to eat with.:barf: ;)

Sarge
 
Water Displacement Experiment #40

Read that some where, have it some where in my files. Got the right formula on the 40th try.
 
In the south-west of England, we know about rain... It's been pouring here for the last 36 hours non-stop, and the river's flooded out over the water-meadow at the bottom of the wood, washing away the bridge for the second time in 3 weeks.

So; on Monday, I've gotta go build *another* bridge; probably not as fancy as the one I built over at my dad's place today, using the old silver birch that had to come down after it got damaged by high winds. All khukuri work, of course; though I cheated and used a hammer to drive the nails rather than the spine of the long sirupati.

The khuk gets wet. No big deal. The handle is suede-wrapped, so a wet handle slipping through the fingers isn't a problem. The scabbard dries out, and I've never put any kind of oil or wax on it. There are always a few rust spots on the blade; but a wipe over with Autosol (UK equivalent of Flitz) once a week brings it back to a mirror surface every time.
 
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