Modified 12" Sirupati

B

Brian C

Joined
Jan 22, 1999
Messages
2,414
I've been meaning to make this post for some time & Harry's "Special Projects" thread reminded me it was overdue. One of the khuks I bought last summer was this "little" 12" Sirupati. (Made by Sher, with an 8 1/4" blade & sporting a 1/2" thick spine, only a khukuri khuk would call it small.
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The buffalo horn handle was nicely shaped & fitted but at barely 4" long, including the bolster, I found it a bit short for my medium/large hands. With a 4-finger grip, my hand was extending onto the blade behind the cho. I could get a 3-finger grip on it, with my pinkie supporting the pommel, but the point on the top of the butt plate would dig into my hand with use.

Enter my Dremel tool! I first used a fiberglass reinforced cut-off wheel to remove the bulk of material & then switched to sanding drums to start the reshaping. Once I had the shape I wanted, I moved to hand polishing using progressively finer sand paper. Finally, I buffed the handle with a felt wheel on my Dremel using buffing compound. Anyway, here is the result:

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BTW, the flash & enlarged picture show some minor finish imperfections that aren't visible to the naked eye. Also, the patina that is somewhat visible in the picture of the whole piece is intentional, brought about by lemon & lime juice.

Because of the concealment potential of this "little" khuk, I decided to try my hand at fashioning a Kydex sheath for it. I am pleased with the results, particularly for a first attempt, and will probably make a few others as time permits.

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The first picture shows the blade locked in place & the second shows the way in which the blade must be drawn & inserted. The Kydex provides a snug & secure fit for standard vertical belt carry. However, since I have a few other carry thoughts in mind, I added the strap with a "lift-the-dot" fastener for extra security. A TekLok belt fastener with give the sheath multiple carry position options. I am also planning on either buying or making a shoulder rig for concealed inverted carry.

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Cheers,
Brian

He who finishes with the most toys wins.
 
Well done, bro'.

I've come to expect no less.
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Blues

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Live Free or Die

Blues' Knife Pix
 
Brian,
"It's NOT fair"!No one person should be as talented as you(only other I know of is our NDN friend)!Nice job!
jim

 
:
DAYUM!!!!!
Brian That Is Super Nice Work on All You've Done!!!!
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Now are you gonna do hard scabbards for the rest of us?
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We could blacken the blade and brass and have
"Tactical Khukuri's."
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That's something I might be interested in someday.

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&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;---¥vsa----&gt;®

Each person's work is always a portrait of himself.

---- Samuel Butler.

Khukuri FAQ
Himalayan Imports Website
 
In addition to blackening the blade, I would think that in order to qualify for being a tactical blade it would need to also be partially serrated.

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I love both the small khuk and the scabbard job. could you please tell me where do you get the kydex sheeting? I wouldn't mind to try to do something like that for one of my khuks (even though I'm sure it wouldn't look 1/2 as good!).
Ciao
Fausto
 
I'm also playing with kydex(concealex actually) try blade-tech,they make the stuff.I payed $2 sq. ft. bought 16 ft.
 
Thanks for all the kind words, folks. You're going to make me blush.
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As far as making these for other people, ah... no.
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I wish that I could make that offer but I work very slowly by hand with the Dremel being about as automated as I get. Add to this inherent slowness the fact that all work is done inside, in a NYC apartment, during the winter months and I would make the kamis special order turn around look like instant gratification.
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I had gotten the Kydex from a friend who now works almost exclusively with Concealex, which is supposed to be easier to work. I'll second Brent's recommendation of Blade-Tech as a good source of supply for Concealex as well as the related hardware. BTW, there are a bunch of threads in the Shop Talk Forum & Archive on the topic of making Concealex/Kydex sheaths for those that want to try their own.

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Cheers,
Brian

He who finishes with the most toys wins.
 
Very nice Brian, I especially like the sheath. Sure you don't want to make any more
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?

What did you use to get the color back in the horn handle? As per your previous postings I've used my Dremel tool to grind the handle & butcap down, although I haven't gotten around to sanding yet, it's going to be a long winter here in WNY
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. My 12" Sirupati is a Kumar with approximately the same dimensions as yours except it's ~ 3/8" thick.

I mentioned the same thing to Uncle Bill (" a small knife"??) in an email - I must be buying to many khukuris if a 12" Sirupati seems like a small knife
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The handle is very comfortable now, again, thanks much for the ideas/directions Brian.
 
Jon, just buffing alone brought back the color in the handle. When you get to the buffing stage, work slowly & make sure heat is not allowed to build up. Otherwise, it can leave a brownish burn on the horn, requiring you to go back to sand it out.

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Cheers,
Brian

He who finishes with the most toys wins.
 
Nice work, Brian. Soooo when are you going to send me this khukuri?

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After all, we DO have to keep this from tempting Jim!

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Harry
 
Thanks for the kind words, Harry. However, flattery won't get you anywhere in this case. Jim will just have to wrestle with his own devils. This one is a keeper.
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What we need to do is convince Terry to try his hand at Concealex sheaths. Having worked with both, I can say that leather is a harder & more time consuming medium with which to work. I'm sure that with his talent & his shop, Terry would be able to turn these out in no time.
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Cheers,
Brian

He who finishes with the most toys wins.
 
anybody thinking of trying this do it! I've only made four so far(2 khuks & 2 CS knives) and it's much easier than I thought it would be. I'm working on a design with a karda right now.funny this thread pops up 2 days after I get my concealex.
 
That is really nice work Brian.

I really like the sheath. Did you heat your kydex in your oven and did it make much of an oder?

Do your neighbors wonder what you are doing at the apartment?

The sheath reminds me eating candy during class time at public school. Once caught by the teacher the candy would be shared amongst the class.

Will

[This message has been edited by Will Kwan (edited 01-05-2001).]
 
Thanks, Will. Although the neighbors probably often wonder what I'm doing, this would have gone largely unnoticed.
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There was a very slight odor, barely perceptible even in the same room.

I heated the Kydex on a baking sheet in my wife's oven. Thankfully, it was a very clean operation. My venison jerky project of a few years back is the reason we have our new self-cleaning oven,
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Cheers,
Brian

He who finishes with the most toys wins.
 
Oh Yes, As Rusty would know ,
(I've Got to TRY IT). Thanks Brian very nice
clean looking job, Outstanding fit for a home
Project. Thanks For the Link and Information.
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Jerry

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