Mushing my edge-first experience with a chakmak

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PayetteRucker

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Aug 4, 2009
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Tried my hand with the chakmak last night and was extremely impressed with the resulting edge on my Jungle Knife. This thing is like a massive Moro style blade. It's a real slicer now, I'm interested to see how she chops. It wasn't overly difficult, but you have to work towards the edge-if you ever go backwards you're pushing more steel to the tip of the V and you have to work all the way back down again. But she's pretty much got a mirror sheen to her... I need to consider investing in a good long term use honing steel. Could become my finishing touch of choice over wet and dry sandpaper, at this point...
 
I will tell you that the Jungle Knife is a real chopper, it can chop with the best of the khuks as far as I'm concerned. I've lopped a few major branches with mine so far and I tend to like it because it is a bit easier to control than a khuk inside the bushiness of a tree.

So, you JK came with a Chakmak? Or was it one off of one of your khuks?
 
the chakmak came with my WWII-the Jungle knife needed edge work so this was the opportunity to try it, and I REALLY like the outcome. The edge is a polished mirror now.
 
Very cool, Payette:)
After some practice the chakma becomes very useful. Especially after I snicker-snak on a wayward pebble or knot in a log.

Mark
 
Okay I'll admit it I'm totally lost, wouldn't know where to begin to use it and how.. I've done my share of sharpening but never like that.. I'm very intrigued and it never happened without pics:D

anyone have pics of it in action?

Thanks
 
I've found my chakmas tend to work better on blades with a softer temper than the HI khuks they come with, ironically. Once used one to bring an Indonesian golok back to shaving sharp after a bit of chopping. :thumbup:

Many here consider most HI chakma too soft to be anything but traditional rather than utilitarian in presence though.
 
Well, the chakmak would be used like a butcher uses a steel Last Daze. Have you ever seen someone use a steel? One of those steel rods that is then passed along the edge of a knife, back and forth on either side equally to hone the edge? What this does is make all those little microscopic "feathers" along the edge of the blade stand back up and realign themselves. If you look at a sharp blade under magnification, you would see that all knives are essentially serrated. This is what makes a REALLY sharp knife so sharp and what allows it to bight into what it is cutting. What the chakmak and/or a steel does is simply stand those back up for you. If it is a true steel, you cannot sharpen a knife with it, you can only hone the edge that is already there. Argue all you want but the steels that do sharpen all have something other than smooth steel to them and this makes them a sharpener and not a simple butcher's steel. The Chakmak is simply a smaller, portable butcher''s steel.

If you really need pictures on how it is done, I would think there is certainly a video or hundred on YouTube to check out. :)
 
I use large butcher's steels all the time on all of my knives, they do a great job of bringing back an edge, but won't sharpen a truly dull edge.

I never use the chakma on my khuks, as to use one you have to use the opposite motion as you would when using a butcher's steel. IOW, when using a chakma the blade is held stationary and the chakma is moved along the edge, as opposed to keeping the butcher's steel stationary and moving the blade along the steel.

My steels have pretty good guards on them, so I can use them with little concern for injuring myself, but I avoid using the relatively tiny chakma, with no guard, for sharpening purposes.

That's just me, though.

Andy
 
TheLastDaze said:
Okay I'll admit it I'm totally lost, wouldn't know where to begin to use it and how.. I've done my share of sharpening but never like that.. I'm very intrigued and it never happened without pics:D

anyone have pics of it in action?
Click to expand...

I have no pictures, however... I do this standing up at my bench. I prefer being able to look down at the chakma and blade edge as I work.

I place the point of my Khukuri point down about a quarter inch from the edge of the bench and press it just a tad so that it sticks in the wood.. spine is left, blade edge to the right as I am right handed.. blade is at right angles to me or parallel to the edge of the bench. Hold the chakma in the right hand, lay the blade of the chakma on the Khukuri blade at a slight angle (you want a smooth part of the chakma blade, not an abrupt edge) up by the cho and move the chakma down and away as if slicing the edge of the blade edge. The purpose is to burnish and realign the blade edge. Go lightly at first till you develop a 'feel' for the 'feel' of the difference between a smooth burnishing stroke and one that is scraping away metal. It really doesn't take a lot of pressure. Situational awareness is extremely important with 12"+ or razor sharp steel just off your finger tips.

The above technique takes care of the far side of the blade. For the near side, I just turn the blade edge toward me, and CAREFULLY place the chakma blade on the near side while maintaining the same angle and again push down and away from the blade edge while maintaining situational awareness.

Additionally, due to the depth of the belly, you may pivot the Khukri blade around the point to provide better or safer access to the blade edge.

Maintain situational awareness of the edge, go slowly, and always move the chakma blade away from that razor edge.

I have also found that one may substitute a high quality (read that as tool steel) round shaft screwdriver for the chakma provided it has a polished shaft. The advantage is that the shaft provides greater stand off distance between finger tips and blade edge compared to the chakma.
 
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