My First Khukuris

C

chetchat

Joined
Jul 15, 1999
Messages
603

Kami Sherpa, Uncle Bill, Fellow
Forumites :

Namaste!

Today I received my first ever khukuris
- a 15" Ang Khola made by Prakash, and a
15" Sirupati "blem", both offered by
Kami Sherpa a few days ago.

Oh my....
smile.gif


The accolades I've seen posted here
about HI khukuris are well deserved, to
say the least. Both knives are beautiful
while still within their scabbards. The
leather, horn handles, brass accents and
fittings are all indicators of the care
and detail that went into their making.
The chakma and kharda (sp?) are true
partners to the blade and scabbard, not
an afterthought cranked out for
decoration.

Drawing the AK from the scabbard : the
fresh oil glistening in the lamplight
off the well polished blade; the heft;
the blade detail and engraving; the
Heft; the solid feel when wielding
it...the HEFT!!

Very cool
smile.gif
Feels good in the hand. I
was torn between wanting to *whack*
something with it, and placing it on my
mantle where the leather, brass and horn
would catch the light just so. For now,
the mantle won. Tomorrow's another day.

If the AK is a water buffalo, the
Sirupati is an impala. A healthy,
robust, and somewhat chubby impala,
granted
smile.gif
This is a "blem", eh? I found
the blemish with my magnifying glass.
Barely
smile.gif


Where I live, the Everglades are a
stones throw west of me. There is an
abundance of thick tropical foliage that
will feel the Sirupati's bite before
winter (what we in Miami call "winter",
anyway) arrives.

Today was a good day. My thanks to the
kamis, Kami Sherpa, and Uncle Bill for
making it so much better.
smile.gif



Nick




[This message has been edited by chetchat (edited 29 September 1999).]
 
Hi Nick:

Many thanks for first impressions. They are always appreciated and I have found that forumites love to vicariously enjoy the thrill.

It might be of some interest to you because of location to know that a coupel of my oldest customers are Florida Fish and Wildlife Rangers who carry HI khukuris while on duty in the swamps. As an alligator deterrent.

------------------
Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
http://members.aol.com/himimp/index.html
 
Nick,

We're both brand new to HI Khukuris. I've only had my Gelbu Special a few days. It was admired and handled and gawked at for only a short time before I had to use it. Many others have said it before me, but I'll repeat in my own words - part of the beauty of these knives is in the using. I have a new appreciation for my Gelbu Special now after using it and letting it tell me things I didn't know before.

Enjoy your Khukuris. Thanks to this forum, I often think of the Kamis and how these wonderful tools are made! It really does make them special.
 
Ah... new HIKV victims.
wink.gif
I just got one of Prakash's 15" AKs also, Nick. I'm planning to play with it and my new Busse Basic #9 this weekend on a couple of trees that Floyd knocked down upstate NY. It should be fun.

Although the Busse is about the same OAL, it feels like a karda compared to the AK. I'll post my impressions next week.

------------------
Cheers,

--+Brian+--


 
One thing I meant to add to the post above, was the character these knives possess. Not cookie-cutter production line junk like you see in catalogs...

Uncle Bill : I saw a pic of a 'gator who met his maker via khukuri chop, don't remember where I saw it though. Big 'un, too! The 'gator, I mean
smile.gif


Bob : OK, good to know there's another newbie out there who understands my babbling
smile.gif
And these two knives will be used a bit, at least. But I have a Millennium Special on order whose steel will touch only my palm, scabbard, and air. A wall hanger extraordinaire
smile.gif


Brian : Yup, I got the HI bug. And that Busse be a big dog-gone utility knife! *LOL*
 
Namaste everyone,

I too, received my 15 inch AK today and was seized almost instantaneously with an almost irresistable urge to break into a Khukuri Dance, to the music of Khachaturin's Sabre Dance. I hesitated, then realized that there was no wood pile in sight! Bad! Very Bad! With an anguished moan I slipped the AK back into the scabbard, vowing not to remove it until it could be properly used...

My initial findings:

length 15.5 inches
max blade width 1.5 inches
finish - pretty good, just need to remove a little Himalayan epoxy near the buttcap for a neater look
handle - good feel, fits my hand just so right, a natural extension.
weight - feels just right.
karda - good, but need to remove a bit of extra epoxy from the handle/blade junction. handle a bit rough in a couple spots but easy to smooth over
chakma - good, same story as karda
scabbard - excellent workmanship

Thank you Uncle Bill!

Now to find a wood pile just asking for some attention....

Harry

------------------
"Khukuris are my obsession and I'm late for therapy!"

[This message has been edited by Kozak (edited 29 September 1999).]

[This message has been edited by Kozak (edited 30 September 1999).]
 
Chetchat, Bob, Kozak: now you know there really is a spirit connected with these things.

And Chetchat, look up the new "Leopards and Gators and Bears, oh my!" thread for the links to all three stories.
 
Pakcik Bill.

CONFIRMED HIKV VICTIMS

N.e..p...a....l.....H......o!
 
Chetchat, Bob,

No matter how many khukuris some of us have, each new HI inspires that feelings that you described. Quite simply, each HI has a feel and character of its own -- a "spirit" as it were. Other knife folks probably think we are crazy. But there something about these knives that are absent in production knives and, sadly, even in some of the so called "custom" knives.

sing

AKTI #A000356
 
Many thanks for valued input, all.

I think perhaps shop 2 is putting more spirit into their khukuris than any shop in Nepal -- especially considering the recent Bishwakarma puja they did in the shop.

I know this is a little gory to discuss in our society but during their Bishwakarma puja the kamis threw blood all over the shop, making sure forges, grinders, power tools, hammers, chisels, tongs, files -- everything -- got a good blessing. In this matter everything they do is now blessed so how can a khukuri made under these conditions be anything but blessed from start to finish?
And, they even extend the blessing to include the new owner of the knife.

As I have often said, in their own way these kamis are very religious and spiritual folks. Here in the West it is sometimes difficult for us to understand this but it is as it is.

------------------
Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
http://members.aol.com/himimp/index.html
 
They might consider some of our rituals a little strange, too -- like putting a dead tree in your living room and hanging ornaments on it, for instance.

-Cougar Allen :{)
 
Americans have a rich culture and ritual life - we just don't notice it. Think about a wedding: bridal shower, bachelor party, best man, maid of honor, throwing the bouquet, giving away the bride, the reception, throwing rice... there are rules for all of these, and while you don't have to follow all of them, a wedding with none of them is pretty odd to us. Thanksgiving and Christmas are both packed with strange rituals - not always religious any more, but even atheists put up trees and exchange gifts; everyone would have a turkey on Thanksgiving if they could.



------------------
Namaste,
Jeff Paulsen

"Oh, a magic khukuri. Why didn't you say so?"
 
Speaking of wedding rituals, did you hear about Shannon's wedding? In his first try reaching under the bride's skirts for the girdle he pulled out a rubber chicken ... we all know what catching the bouquet and catching the girdle mean, but what happens to the guy who catches the rubber chicken??? Mad Dog McClung was the one who caught it ... we'll just have to watch and see what happens to him....

Seems to me, since we must assume Shannon's bride was a virgin at the time, the rubber chicken has a miraculous origin. I've suggested experimenting to see if it'll cure loathsome diseases, but there seems to be a shortage of volunteers suffering from loathsome diseases to experiment on so far ... for details see the Mad Dog Forum at www.knifeforums.com -- I think the thread is titled "Shannon's Wedding" but it might be "Shannon Gets Married" or something like that.

-Cougar Allen :{)


[This message has been edited by Cougar Allen (edited 01 October 1999).]
 
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