Men at work in BirGorkha. Pix - 1.

Bill Martino

Bill Martino

Joined
Mar 5, 1999
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Top -- An apprentice watches Bura pounding hot steel and tries to learn something.

Center -- Kumar pounds hot steel.

Bottom -- Sgt. Karka grinding away.

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ

[This message has been edited by Bill Martino (edited 03-08-2000).]
 
Uncle Bill, how long does it take to get the metal red hot, and how many times do the kamis have to reheat it during the shaping process?
 
SF,
The mass is one factor, the quality of the fuel and ambient air temperature as well as the amount of oxygen (air) forced into the fire box.
How many reheats?: 1) How fast can a guy hammer, 2)What steel is being used, 3.Mass again 4)complexity of blade design 5) Ambient air temperature again 6) how many mistakes need to be corrected. There are more answers, but some are going to be a little esoteric.
Dan
 
Safety comment: Sgt. Karka is doing well by keeping out of the "line of fire" that could happen if the disk shatters. See my comments on the "Men at work - 3" thread.

He still needs eyewear
smile.gif
.

Also, that bucket of water is possibly a traditional "just in case of fire" precaution, or at least you can bet it'd get used that way in a pinch. But now that you've got electricity in the mix, a fire extinquisher rated for electrical fires could be crucial.

Jim
 
Another question -- does reheating the blade have any real affect? All else being equal, would a finished blade that had been reheated 10 times be any different than one that had been reheated only once?
 
Sgt. Karka is our safety officer among other things like being the chief expeditor. I think our wheels spin at 1500 rpm -- power is 50 cycles. I didn't check so can't be absolutely sure. No wheel explosions to date and I don't look for any.

The wring in the shop is haphazard by US standards but no fires and no electrocutions to date. The guys do respect electricity I noticed.

Steven I don't think the steel cares how many times it has been heated. Dan or Yvsa could probably clench this statement or improve on it.

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
OH! Right, at 1,500RPM you've got precious little to worry about re: stone shattering.

Cool. I'd still recommend an extinguisher.

As to the steel: the good news is, 5160 is just barely "simple enough" that you can heat it and cool it an infinite number of times without screwing it up. As long as the final heat-treat and temper cycle is right, no problem.

Modern high-tech stainless like ATS-34, BG42, 440C and the Crucibles like 440V/420V are a "one shot only" proposition on the heat-treat and are usually considered unsuitable for "heat'n'beat" massaging such as the kamis do. 440B is a rareish stainless that CAN be forged, Randall uses it on their forged fishing knives.

5160 is right at the border between high-carbon and "tool steel". And while not stainless, it's not "eager" to rust. Some tool steels can be forged, others can't.

5160 is a GREAT steel for big, tough blades. Jim Hirsoulis at Salamander Armory swears by it for big European-type swords. It's only real rival is L6 and the difference is close enough that a superior heat-treat matters more than which steel you're running. The kamis know 5160 real well, no sense having 'em switch.

Jim
 
Thanks for input, Jim.

Re the extinguisher, about the only thing in the brick shop that will burn is the charcoal and the insulation on machines and wires. I'm not sure there are extinguishers available.

------------------
Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
I see. Then again, you'll soon have living quarters on the second floor. Still, it's hard to see how the flames could get there.

Lesse...have you made sure the circuit breakers/fuse boxes are quickly available? The Sarge, Bura and a few key others need to know how to kill power like RIGHT now. Kumar too, he's there the most.

Jim
 
Killing power is readily available and everybody knows how to do it -- just in case somebody gets "stuck".

Construction in Nepal is almost exclusively from bricks or cement. Fire is a remote if not impossible hazard. Even sinks, cabinets, and countertops are almost always cement. There is nothing to burn except furniture and precious little of that.

------------------
Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
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