My first Khukuri - HI Bilton
Its not the typical first Khukuri, but the first Khukuri I ordered(18" GRS) should get here next week. (I'm also using this review to get warmed up for the review I plan on making for the GRS.)
I ordered the Bilton because I couldn't stand waiting for my GRS, so I decided to get small khukuri to hold off the anticipation.
Once I received the Bilton, I was impressed at the craftsmanship. Its a gorgeous knife. It has the tell tale signs of being hand made. It isn't perfect, but that was the point. I wanted something that had soul. From the Kami mark key, I learned that Rajkumar made this little beauty.
I have to admit, I did have a little scare when I took the Bilton into the woods. It cut easily and I was impressed with its sharpness. Until I saw that the small 1/4" shoots I was cutting had actually deformed the blade. I had rolling and dents in the blade after only 4 or 5 hits. It should be noted that I wasn't trying to cut a tree down with my Bilton. But, I figured it would be ok to cut the small (1/4" or smaller) offshoots. So, I had a panic moment where I thought I'd either messed up or the knife wasn't made properly. So, I cleaned it up and put it away for a couple days while I scoured the forum for what to do(other than email Yangdu).
After reading that sometimes the knives come with some excess soft metal, and that after this is removed the knife's hardened edge will hold the edge as its supposed to. I was skeptical. But, after using a steel to straitened the blade as much as possible, I brought out the Work Sharp. I was a little nervous. But the result was a strait / sharp blade that holds up under the conditions that a small general use Khukuri is made for. I don't think I got it as sharp as it came, but it will still shave my arm. And after a some offshoot trimming and stake sharpening, the blade showed zero signs of rolling or dents. I have regained confidence in the knife, and can now easily justify carrying it either on my belt or in my bag. It makes a great little belt knife, though the pointy tip of the sheath is going to have to be addressed before it does me some injury.
Not that I wanted my hands to be in this pick, but it does show the beauty of the blade.
More pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78478673@N04/sets/72157629713147900/
Its not the typical first Khukuri, but the first Khukuri I ordered(18" GRS) should get here next week. (I'm also using this review to get warmed up for the review I plan on making for the GRS.)
I ordered the Bilton because I couldn't stand waiting for my GRS, so I decided to get small khukuri to hold off the anticipation.
Once I received the Bilton, I was impressed at the craftsmanship. Its a gorgeous knife. It has the tell tale signs of being hand made. It isn't perfect, but that was the point. I wanted something that had soul. From the Kami mark key, I learned that Rajkumar made this little beauty.
I have to admit, I did have a little scare when I took the Bilton into the woods. It cut easily and I was impressed with its sharpness. Until I saw that the small 1/4" shoots I was cutting had actually deformed the blade. I had rolling and dents in the blade after only 4 or 5 hits. It should be noted that I wasn't trying to cut a tree down with my Bilton. But, I figured it would be ok to cut the small (1/4" or smaller) offshoots. So, I had a panic moment where I thought I'd either messed up or the knife wasn't made properly. So, I cleaned it up and put it away for a couple days while I scoured the forum for what to do(other than email Yangdu).
After reading that sometimes the knives come with some excess soft metal, and that after this is removed the knife's hardened edge will hold the edge as its supposed to. I was skeptical. But, after using a steel to straitened the blade as much as possible, I brought out the Work Sharp. I was a little nervous. But the result was a strait / sharp blade that holds up under the conditions that a small general use Khukuri is made for. I don't think I got it as sharp as it came, but it will still shave my arm. And after a some offshoot trimming and stake sharpening, the blade showed zero signs of rolling or dents. I have regained confidence in the knife, and can now easily justify carrying it either on my belt or in my bag. It makes a great little belt knife, though the pointy tip of the sheath is going to have to be addressed before it does me some injury.
Not that I wanted my hands to be in this pick, but it does show the beauty of the blade.
More pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78478673@N04/sets/72157629713147900/
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As for the soft edge, I experienced it myself with my very first khuk, a WWII. Over polishing appears to be the culprit and it's fairly common. Luckily, it's usually a very thin layer easily sharpened through. That WWII of mine has a great edge now that I sharpened it up a bit, and has held up extremely well. Have fun with your Ganga Ram, it should be one heck of a chopper. Take care.
