KLVUK blade thickness query....

M

mtngunr

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Apr 10, 2005
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Next up on shopping list will be a couple of KLVUK (for new lurkers, Keshar Lal Villager [finish] Utility Knife), one for the trunk and one for sis/mom down on storm damage prone coast otherwise trying to go 70" annual rainfall jungle including banana which dies back in winter freeze and must be removed before turning into a collapsed 2 story pile of rotting plant matter in yard.

I know thickness and weights vary but it seems a 16"/16oz would run circa 1/4" and same length and heavier run a bit thicker?

Am buying in any case and simply curious as to what will show up.....any input greatly appreciated....
 
Am more interested in thicknesses than weights.....from yours and the indicated posted one, running thicker by a safe margin over 1/4" which is exactly what is being looked for....the in-between of a stamped or lasered 1/4" factory blade and the 3/8th"+ of an HI khukuri and finished more for yard chores and trunk stowage......sounds PERFECT and thank you muchly, masked man..
 
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Dhan Bahadur Kami seems to make the thinner style of Villager Utility your looking for. Most KLVUKS are closer to 3/8" and in the 20+ ounce range. There may be a few 1:1 KLVUKS but I suppose they are pretty rare. Ill add some specs for ya soon as I can find them all. Hmmm? one in bedroom, one in shop, kitchen, wife has one by the couch, missing one somewhere?:D
 
I checked 4 Villager Utility Khukuris that I had handy - two are unmarked ones that were made by Kesar Lal, and they are both 3/8" thick at the bolster and almost 3/8" at the bend in the spine. The other two were made by Lok and by Dhan Bahadur, and they are both very close to 3/8" at the bolster, but more like 5/16" at the bend in the spine. They are all beefy enough to take care of just about anything, although an AK or M-43 would out-perform them for heavy chopping.

The two by Kesar Lal are both 16.5" long and weigh 22.4 and 22.7 ounces. The one by Lok is 15.5" long and weighs 20.9 ounces, and the one by Dhan Bahadur is 17.5" long and weighs 23.9 ounces.
 
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They seem to be coming in a bit thicker as of late. I have two of them. The first one is a hair over 1/4" and quite light. My second one is a bit thicker but under 3/8"

Both are very fast and super handy:)
 
I have 15 in 16 0z KLUVK with a 5/16 spine. I also have a 15in 23 oz KLUVK with a 3/8 spine. Only have one DBUVK that is 16.5in 21oz. It has a very narrow spine for its weight 5/16. It has more belly and zero hammer marks.
 
Gentlemen (and the rest of you.....wink!), thank you so much for taking the time to measure.....they all sound perfect as they exceed automated production in strength and of course offer distal taper normally lacking on such, and range on up to full sized khukuri.....just what sis would need for a farm tool to stow with others and just what i hope to get for the spare tire companion tool....

They obviously sound perfect, no matter what shows up....the hard part will be deciding which to keep and which to send sis....and now we have a thread titled klvuk thickness which should pop right to top for a potential shopper as i surely could not find one....
 
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One thing about the KLVUKs is they attract rust like magnets. I don't know in which part of the world you live but if humid, you will have put some rust inhibitor on the "trunk stowage" one.
 
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Definitely rust belt.....sis/mom "south of the salt line" as we call it when you can smell the tang of the Gulf.....my location several hours inland nearly as bad.....we are accustomed to dealing with a climate that rusts stainless outdoors....and dealing with tools left in the black where some film has to be maintained unless you like tools in the red.....and a very good point for shoppers....
 
I recently got a Kumar BDC and a KLVUK. I didn't measure the thickness, and the knife is currently getting a BLO bath, but I did break out the scale. The BDC is 12" 16oz, and the KLVUK is 15", 17oz. Here's a pic comparing the spines; the BDC is the thicker one.

 
One of the few overhead views of a Villager and greatly appreciated....plenteous stout and i might suggest you mix a little turpentine in with BLO for better penetration...the Finns formerly used a beeswax/BLO/turpentine mix for stocks at least up through WWII and it works well for such....i hesitate to advise actual soaks as many folk might notice various oils wipe off glue overruns on blade ricasso and not something i wish going on inside handle, if'n yah know whut i mean, Vern?
 
Here's another of two KLVUKs
The top is an 18 oz., while the bottom is a 16oz.

As for as rust, both will be honed, Vaseline placed on the edges, and the blades will be spray painted.

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Perfect.....just perfect.....a lot of folk are allergic to idea of paint but pick a paint which can be soaked in solvent such as mineral spirits and plastic bristle brushed in rough spots and you have a great ez-on/ez-off system....the nicer knives would require scuff sanding or blasting or etch, but imagine no problem with adhesion on a degreased KLVUK.
 
And south LA bayou as well....lower Alabama and three miles from Bayou La Batre of Gump fame...the author was a local.
 
I've got two KLVUKs, I don't have calipers handy but they're both the same thickness. The only difference is the kind of wood the hilt is made of. Odd thing is one rusts like crazy and the other one doesn't. Both are stored in my shed. Even with mineral oil the rusty one would rust after a few months. I eventually coated both in lanolin and neither has rusted since.
 
I checked my two KLVUKs for length, weight and spine thickness.

The smaller one is 15" OAL, 16oz, and the thickest part of the spine is slightly over 1/4". Probably 15/16" to be precise. The spine is a hair thicker at the bend than at the bolster, which I've found to be true of many khukuris.

The larger one is 16.5" OAL, 22 oz, and a full 3/8" thick at the spine.

Both made by Keshar Lal, although the smaller one (from a DOTD last week) is unmarked. Interestingly, the bigger knife, though 1/3 heavier in actual weight, doesn't feel that much heavier in the hand. Both knives are very comfortable.
 
I very much appreciate all the info......what drove the query was the comments generally made.....great user, best overall for general chores, but not up to heavy chopping, and also comments of light and fast in hand.....

But no further details and i wanted to make sure they were not 1/4" thick or even thinner more macheteish tools, and you guys have all come across in all detail required to answer any question of THAT being the case....NOT.
 
I just put a coat of automobile wax on my KLVUKs - prevents rust and also keeps sap from sticking to blade quite as much. Easy to re-do when needed!
 
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