Maintenance of Khukuris?

warty

warty

Joined
Mar 2, 2010
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Metal, wood and buffalo horn... different types of wood actually. How do you all care for your HI items?

I have not had much if any experience with buffalo horn. I now have more buffalo horn to care for than I ever had before in my life. How do you take care of this stuff? What do you use to keep it from drying out? What makes it nice and shiny?

Do we have a sticky or any resource on how folks take care of their Himalayan Imports Khukuris, Knives and Swords?:confused:
 
warty said:
Do we have a sticky or any resource on how folks take care of their Himalayan Imports Khukuris, Knives and Swords?:confused:
Click to expand...
Did you honestly think there wasn't? ;)
I'm sure folks will chime in with their favorite magical compounds and tricks, but this'll get ya started. Myself, i polish with nevr dull once in a blue moon and just keep em' oiled for storage. other than that i do nothing. NY is very nice to khukuris.
http://www.himalayan-imports.com/faq/Maintenance.html
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=610948&highlight=maintenance
 
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Maitenance will depend a bit on where you live. I'm in a bit of a dust bowl, so i'm not too worried about my blades rusting in the sheaths. A little more worried about the wooden handles drying out to nothing and cracking though.

Sharpening aside, i'd say just use a bit of oil on them to keep the rust away, particularly if you're in a moist climate like the W coast.
 
If I won't be using one,I liberally apply pure lanolin to the horn, wrap the handle with some sort of clingy plastic wrap and give it a good rub down with Renaissance wax on any metal surfaces. Unless you actually submerse it for any length of time, it is effectively sealed.

I've come back after 2 years and checked on some that are underground and found them to be perfect.
 
May sound weird, but I use bearing grease on my wood, and non food blades. (also guns)

Some cheap red/purple stuff from walmart, like $3 for a huge thing, never runs out.

One wood it doesn't make it slick, keeps the water out, and actually improves the grip.
 
hi guys
carnuba wax or soak in baby oil for three days for horn or bone handles or for wood soak in raw linseed oil for 72hrs let dry then soak in boiled linseed oil to seal the wood once youve treated the wooden handles that way then just wipe over a couple of times a year to stop the wood handle from splitting and shrinking treating horn handles in the above mentioned fashion will help stop the horn from splitting or flaking and the bone handles from cracking some folkes also use hooflex(from horse supplies i.e. saddles etc) for horn handles too theres a thousand and one remedies out there up to the individual what to use.
mick
 
There are tons of ways to care for them. I use plain Mineral Oil for both the handles and the blade. I usually soak the handles for a few days in the oil, this allows the mineral oil to soak into the horn or wood it seems to rehydrate them, actually on the horn if there is any color in it you will see it come through. I do this every once in a while. and the blade I just rub it on lightly and put it away. I also use Ballistol on them it's kind of universal, good for everything Wood, Horn, Leather. Hope it helps.:thumbup::thumbup:
 
Well, having once owned a gun collection of over 2500 firearms, leather, wood and metal I am fairly good at keeping nice but horn was a new thing for me entirely. Nice to know that good ole Mineral oil, the same stuff I was using for everything else (with some exceptions of course) will work for it as well. I was worried it was going to take a trip to the horse tack shop for some kind of hoof dressing. I had horses too and hoof dressing smells BAD so I was really not looking forward to that at all...

Indiana is pretty benign for the most part when it comes to wear and tear on this sort of thing...
 
For the last 10 years I have been using olive oil on my horn and bone handles
I keep a plastic container with the olive oil in it. when I pick up a old kukri I stick the handle down in the container and leve it for several days. this rejunivates the handle and they polish up real good. I also do this on my HI kukri and have never had a problem.
Jim
 
I give my horn handles a monthly rubdown of Neatsfoot oil. It is used to soften the leather on baseball gloves - and also used to soften painter's brushes. It has some the same base ingredients of Hooflex.

I'll wipe it on, let it sit over night and then buff off with a soft rag.
 
Neats Foot? I live on that stuff, I have gallons of it! I guess I am set then.

I have a real love of leather goods; tack, sheaths, slings and of course as a former biker*, clothing. For this reason I have always maintained a supply of Neatsfoot Oil. I shall give this a try then.

*I was hurt badly in a work accident and can no longer hold a motorcycle up at a stop. I refuse to go trike and can't afford a side car. I now walk with a cane as well.
 
Mineral Oil. Not the best pure lubricant, but you can put it on the blade, the handles (horn or wood) and it is really cheap and doesn't have any odor. I also use it sparingly on the wood framed black leather scabbards, but not on the lighter ones or the sheaths because it will lighten and soften leather.

It is also food grade and will keep you regular. :o
 
ajim1942 said:
For the last 10 years I have been using olive oil on my horn and bone handles
I keep a plastic container with the olive oil in it. when I pick up a old kukri I stick the handle down in the container and leve it for several days. this rejunivates the handle and they polish up real good. I also do this on my HI kukri and have never had a problem.
Jim
Click to expand...

i was always told to stay away from olive oil because it can go rancid. i am guessing it has never happened to your knives?
 
tonydahose said:
i was always told to stay away from olive oil because it can go rancid. i am guessing it has never happened to your knives?
Click to expand...

i heard that too, but decided to try it.

i've used 'extra virgin' olive oil on wood hilts, scabbards, axe and spear shafts, canes, sticks, etc. here in the UK for a number of years and have not ever had it go rancid. it drys into a varnish a lot like linseed oil before it goes rancid.

maybe the local climate/bacteria make a difference? anyhow i'd try it on something 1st before general deployment.

i use 100% pure lanolin on my few horn grips, mineral (baby) oil on the steel. also use ballistol when i can get it, tho it discolours brass.
 
it was Boots' house brand: just ask the pharmacist at boots, comes in a fairly plain tube. (for the non-uk'ers Boots is a chemist chain, or in american 'drug store' or pharmacy...)

don't see it on their website tho, may be discontinued. they do list pure lanolin for breast feeding ladies sore nipples in the baby section :) at £9.99 seems kinda steep. the house brand was cheaper, i'd still ask the pharmacist.
 
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