Lets see your special HI blades!

Various YCS:

 

@mPisi,

What is the story behind that beautiful set of YCS blades? (When I saw the yin/yang, my brain went "YVSA!", but I see you've tagged them as YCS. Smehow I've confused YVSA with YCS. Apparently I'm not yet steeped enough in HI history, or I have a bad memory; probably both.)

 

YCS = Yvsa Cherokee Special, designed by him as one of the first, if not the first, forumite-initiated designs. He made the original model that was sent over.

The one on the far right is a typical example, by Sanu from the early-2002 time frame. Since I got the other more collectible ones later, this is now my main user (not that I get out much). So when people say "Wow, what the heck is that?", I can tell them about the others. This one actually had quite a few ripples in the blade, I ended up sending it to Dan Koster back when he used to do small custom fixes like that. Dan smoothed it out a bit, and added a satin finish, finished handle, and kydex sheath.

Then in late-2002 I think, Uncle Bill had a number of edge failures with the YCS, getting too thin and rushing production, so the kamis stopped making them for a while. The dark wood second from the right was from the first pair that arrived in 2004 I think, when they made a few as a test. That one is by Sher. You can see it is a chiruwa tang, and is quite thick overall, although still very well balanced.

Then with the YCS reestablished as a regular part of the HI line, maybe 2005, some bright person got the idea for a run of special YCSs. Paid in advance and then painfully waited The checkerboard handle by Sher was in the first batch. You would not believe how well the handle inlays are done. That one is on the svelte side. Then the osage orange handled one on the far left was in the second batch, by Kumar. That one is back to chirua and beefy, but with a more pronounced curve like the early one on the right.

I always think it's cool that four of the "same model" can be so different.

 

wonderful !

 

Funny story about the YCS model.....

Edutsi Yvsa took his design very seriously, put a heckuva lot of thought into each design.
He painstakingly make an exact replica/pattern of the YCS and it's accompanying tools down to the last detail, as how he wanted them.
Somewhere along the line in the patterns being shipped to Nepal, the Awl tip was broken off.
It took years and many grey hairs for Uncle Bill, with varying degrees of success for the kamis to start making the Awl with a sharp tip as it should've been.

 

I did but all my pictures failed ;o
here is my photobucket of 3 of my favorites http://s1330.photobucket.com/user/synjebek/library/?sort=3&page=1

I will be adding more pictures after I figure out how to get a clear one so you can see the things better, I want to show everyone what addiction looks like - I literally spent every dime I made from my mateba on knives and books, but mostly knives -- so its quite a pile

can anyone help me figure out why there is that little symbol by bura's moon? that was the first gelbu special me and my brother ever bought and it was only one that had two marks( instead of just HI and kami mark)

 

yeah that dirty siru you see was my first knife, a bura -- it cleaved bones in twain and trees and meats and grasses stumps once even a stone and two nails in a board and I was able to roll it back over -- it lost a full chip into the skull but otherwise has never lost steel to anything it has cut --thanks phil -- the dhankuta weighs a featherlike 13 oz , spotted deer antler grips , another bura --- the yvsa is from the first run a sanu , and then the gelbu there with the strange symbol

I fancy its one of the knives bura and kumar did together because the symbol looks a lot like the devangari k -- but I dont really know , huzzah -- thanks again phil!

all the knives above were made in 1999-2000-2001 era

 

I did that and they all came up broken , i must be adding something ! -- and yeah that last one is a real special knife, so fine, you can tell by the cho how small it is relative to other khukri

 

Woooos, wearing a glove.....................

Very nice knives though.

 

i have those for my books, guns and knives , I will show you my clammy pale and hairless hands in the next photos I take of my buying spree that occured in the last month or so ;o-- that dhankuta is the fanciest of my knives ! I will change that sometime next year I hope, whenever HI is sorted on some better land or something , but thanks bawanna !
I like both your signatures, and agree with them both by the way --

 

If your careful like me you don't need no stinking gloves. Safety first.

 

hmm thanks phil will try that next time ! -- plan on taking more pictures soon ! will post here

 

Your not that shrink dude on TV are ya? Dr. Phil? Some folks tell me I need help sometimes but the little people in my head say I'm just fine and dandy.

Gotta go, two of them are arguing in there as we speak. I better go calm them.

 

advice: only listen to the ones "inside " your head-- the ones you hear outside it are bsing you.