My new BAS!! (Blem from 7/16)

[Shinook]

My new BAS!!
(Blem from 7/16)

Got this beauty in the mail today!!

This is my first full size khukuri. And as much as I love my HI Bilton, it isn't in the same league.
I ordered a 18" GRS a while back, but it hasn't made the journey from Nepal yet. I have needed a khukuri many times recently, and so when I saw this BAS blem calling to me, I jumped on the opportunity.

The blade is a work of art, that Rajkumar can be proud to have made.

It does have a bit of damage though. Any advice on how to fix this knife would be greatly appreciated.
There is a small crack in the handle here:

And the pommel got hit and damage the wood / separated here:

The handles on the karda and chakma are also cracked.

 

[afultz075]

As far as fixing the cracks, I would mix some epoxy with sawdust, and shoot it into the cracks with a syringe, smooth over and let cure. That should be plenty strong. Perhaps someone can chime in with a better method?

 

[Shinook]

Thanks afultz075.

I've never used epoxy, I guess I need to start practicing my mixing and injecting techniques. I guess it would bind the metal pommel back to the wood?

How difficult is it to flatten/straiten the metal of the pommel back out?

 

[afultz075]

I meant using the epoxy to fix the crack in the front of the handle, but i've used it as a gap filler with success as well. I bought a used villager 13" CAK off the exchange awhile back, and it had a spot with a gap between the handle and tang about 5 mm long and 1mm wide, and the epoxy/sawdust trick worked out great and blended in nicely, so yes, you could use it to fix any gaps in the pommel as well.

I would take a light (4 oz or so) ball pein hammer and try to straighten out the pommel a little more (I wouldn't go too crazy as you don't want to crack the wood, light taps only), then shoot the epoxy/sawdust in with a syringe. Don't use Loc-tite epoxy as it sucks and doesn't seem to cure right, Devcon brand seems to work best for me.

Good luck! I wanted to snag that blade the other day as a project knife but you beat me to it, please let us know how it turns out!

 

[davidf99]

One of the photos, the one for "There is a small crack in the handle here," didn't appear, at least in my browser. However, I was able to see it by copying and pasting the URL -- http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8144/7606642888_b6276c8303.jpg -- into another browser window. That small crack should be fixable with a little epoxy.

The side of the pommel that is separated from the wood looks like an easy fix. Get some epoxy into the separation, clamp the blade in a vice (with something soft to cushion the steel) and tap the pommel gently into place with a small wooden mallet or a small hammer with a piece of cloth taped over the metal (to avoid marring the brass). Scrape off any epoxy that oozes out after the tapping. After the epoxy cures you can file off any rough edges on the brass.

I recommend Devcon 2-ton epoxy (clear). How to apply? A syringe might work, but epoxy is fairly thick and it's hard to squeeze it through a narrow syringe. What worked for me is to tape around the crack to protect surrounding wood or brass from the epoxy, then press the epoxy into the crack with a putty knife or even a flat piece of wood. If you press hard you can pretty much fill the crack no matter how deep it is. Maybe in more than one pass. This will work on a larger crack or a very narrow crack where you couldn't get inside with a syringe.

Use the putty knife or piece of wood to scrape off any excess epoxy, then remove the protective tape. The process works better if you use the regular, slow-setting epoxy rather than the quick-setting kind. It gives you more time to get it all right. Sometimes the epoxy settles down into the crack under its own weight and then you can apply a second layer after a few minutes or an hour. Of course you want to have the knife lying with the crack up as much as possible so the epoxy doesn't tend to run out of the crack before it sets.

I have read about the technique of mixing sawdust with epoxy or glue so that the repair better matches the surrounding wood. It sounds like a good idea but the one time I tried I coudn't get it to work. I didn't know how much sawdust to mix with the glue and it didn't come out right. If you want to try this, I suggest that you practice on some scrap wood first.

Of course after doing all of the above you use progressively finer grades of sandpaper to get the repaired area to match the finish of the surrrounding wood.

I'm not sure about the best way to repair the other end of the pommel where the brass is dented in and a small chunk of wood is missing. You're going to have a tough time "undenting" the brass and could end up loosening the whole pommel. Maybe just accept that as a "war wound" and settle for filing down any rough or protruding brass edge.

You could use some kind of hard filler to replace the missing chunk of wood. Maybe someone else can advise what kind of filler would be strong enough and not look out of place. Or just sand around the area and call it part of the "war wound." It's a pretty small chip and there's a point of diminishing returns.

Good luck and please post photos afterward.

-- Dave

 

[Shinook]

Thanks guy!

<I fixed the link, sorry about it now being correct the first time.>

I'll pick up some Devcon epoxy today, and start practicing on some scrap wood.
I want to get the project started as it is not very usable right now without severe discomfort.

 

[Shinook]

I completely understand why the BAS is so popular! This knife is amazing. I've handled an 18" AK before, and that is my only other full size Khukuri for comparison. I'll take my BAS any day over an 18" AK. I'm sure that the AK is a better chopper, but it felt clumsy and unwieldy in my hand. (I have big bear paws for hands) but this BAS feals so natural and secure. I'm still not an expert on the use of a Khukuri, but this knife made me feel like I'd had on in my hand for years.

Before I handled this Khukuri, I though people liked the BAS because of sentimental reasons and that while it is sure a fine knife, that people were getting them because that is what the Gurkhas use.... I was SSSOOO wrong!

I love this knife!!!
I'm still looking forward to getting my 18" GRS, but this little blem BAS and I have a bright future together. I think it being a blem(and my..."functional"...repairs...) will increase the likehood that I'll put this knife though harder use than I will a Khukuri that I ordered off the website. My blem BAS is going to be a user for sure.

 

[Yangdu]

Nice pix, thank you for sharing