My new Chitlangi-seeking advice from you experience ones!

M

ms267

Joined
Jan 6, 2004
Messages
9
Hi, guys. I've been a member for a few months and a great admirer of the discussions, and this is my first post. Just wanted to say first off that I've been very impressed with the civility, professionalism, and camraderie in this forum. Very nice to see.

So here goes . . . I've finally succumbed! My first khukuri, a beautiful 18" chitlangi, came in the mail not too long ago. Made by Bura. Like many of you, I am amazed by the quality of the blade and how balanced it feels in my hands. It came promptly in the mail, and now I am torn.

There are some minor, cosmetic issues that I'm figuring out what to do with, and ask you guys for your advice. Please bear in mind that I think the blade itself is fantastic, and I would first rate the service I received from HI first-class ,and plan ( hear goes my admission of the HIvirus you write about) on purchasing another blade in the next month.

First off, the cho is quite irregularly shaped (ie jagged), and is unpolished and therefore black on a good portion of the top surface, not just on the sides. Given the symbolic significance of the cho, should I expect this part of the blade to be more perfect? A helpful forumite advised me to file down the inside part of the cho, but it's the surface part that I don't know what to do with. I'm not a professional blade smith.

Also, the cross-hatching design on the handle is irregular (ie cuts not parallel) and some cuts run over and beyond the circular boundary cuts that are supposed to contain them. (I suspect knife slipped while cutting)

Finally, the karda and chakma handles are designed with different patterns. Don't know if this is normal.

Now, Uncle Bill has already kindly offered to replace the Chitlangi. But before I cause him the trouble, I wonder if there's anything I can do myself to fix some of these issues by hand. Also I wonder if such minor cosmetic blemishes come hand in hand with getting such a good blade at what seems to be a very fair price. If I change out the Chitlangi, than I may lose a blade by Bura, who is one of the best, they say. (But then again, I can't believe HI would employ anybody but very competent and experienced artisans, so any replacement blade they send me is bound to be good.)

I hate to sound like I'm quibbling over these matters, but as I wrote, I'm new and am still feeling out the lay of these wonderful blades.

(Or should I just exchange the Chitlangi for that amazing looking 16.5" WWII?)

Or get a new chit, a new WWII, that 15" sirupati, and a dozen others
;) Just kidding, of course--but I have been swept away by the utility, history, quality, and practicality of these blades!
 
fer about what you paid fer it. :) seriously.

"karda and chakma handles are designed with different patterns"
--Intentional. That's so you can tell in the dark or without looking which is which.

Keith
 
Not another one who's going to polish the inside of the cho!! Well, you'll have company- there's several closet cho buffers around here...


I think you should keep it- my chitlangi has some irregularities...perhaps someday when you aquire a more perfect khuk you'll appreciate the imperfect one more. I don't know why that is, but it appears to be so. I really wouldn't worry about it.


munk
 
ms267,

I'd say that what you describe is pretty much what one gets, with few exceptions.

If it is otherwise sound, and you like the feel, I'd keep it. If there is (unlikely) a hardening problem, that is another matter.

If the cho bothers you, the metal is soft there, you can carefully apply some jeweler's files. The inside of the cho isn't finely polished anyway, at least on the "closed ones". I think that they are hot-punched during forging. If part of the side didn't get polished, use some metal polish with fine sandpaper or steel wool to brighten it.

The cross-hatchings are as you describe in my experience.

Whether the handle is horn or wood, (BTW, horn-handled Chits are rarer--takes a bigger piece of horn) you can clean things up by carefully deepening and regularizing the grooves with a jeweler's files, a bit of fine hacksaw blade, or a checkering tool like that used to checker gun grips and stocks. It is tedious, and you will soon appreciate what the Kami acomplished with his simple tools. Progressing to fine grades of sandpaper followed by hand buffing with compound will polish horn (especially if wet-sanded using one of the reccomended horn dressings with fine sandpaper), a search will reveal a multitude of threads on finishing wood handles as well as some on horn. It still won't be perfect, but you can make it look better--or worse, if you're not patient. And don't breath horn dust (you might inhale some nasty microbes), another reason for wet sanding.


Many like a finish on the horn that is less than polished for use and lightly sand them or rough them up with 3M pads. Kind of a satin finish.

Lots (most?) of old horn khuks don't have polished handles and the wood ones from HI aren't finely polished.

What you describe sounds like the way many khuks come. Think of it as an opportunity to add a bit of yourself to the object it it helps. Or leave it as it is.

On some of my khuks with simple rings, the rings don't quite match up wher the cut started and ended.

As already noted, different C and K handles seem to be part of the Chitlangi style, just as some khuks come with differently shaped blades for K and C.



And welcome, newly infected one.
 
as in many artforms it is the imperfections that make a work of art unique, perfection is only obtainable by God. Some other mfg. could get closer to it by using a machine, but then it wouldn't be the same & we wouldn't be here on this forum.... I'm sure the kami's could probably take a bit more care at times, but time is money & they've got families to feed so it is all a balance.

as above , you can add your own unique input to the handle and add more character and mana to the khukri. The Bura blade is probably worth it.

or you might screw it all up & have to send it off for a new handle....
 
kronckew said:
as in many artforms it is the imperfections that make a work of art unique, perfection is only obtainable by God.
Click to expand...

or perhaps we see god in the imperfections... hints of something that doesnt seem right, something that makes the mind wonder.

i dont know where that came from... anyways, for the khukuries that ive gotten, if they were perfectly built, they wouldnt be nearly as interesting. ive always said that you never really know a knife until you sharpen it. with a khuk, i have found that i dont know them until i sharpen them, buff them, fill the but plate cracks with superglue and sand smooth, and complete hand rub everything in oil :). the more work you end up doing on it, the more it is yours, something that you'll identify with, if only in body memory, every time you use it.
 
Good advice from all. As most of us are such khukuri nuts, we sometimes forget how imperfect some of them are. For someone accustomed to factory made, and fine custom knives a khuk will seem, and is, less than perfect. The kamis, while fine craftsmen, are trying to eke out a living under harsh circumstances, and just like all human beings, sometimes cut corners. If you send the chit back, what you get back will be similar.

For your Chitlangi, if you are handy, and choose to do so, you can file the inside of the cho with jewelers files. The side of the cho can be polished with an electric drill or dremel tool with a felt wheel and some buffing compound. The checkering can be cut deeper and cleaned up a bit with what is called (I think) a veining tool. This is a v-shaped knife used by wood carvers. I found mine in a large craft store. You have to be very careful and it will take you a couple of hours.

Another alternative, you can send the blade to me and I will make these cosmetic changes for you at no charge. I do this work on all of my khukuris. Either way, enjoy your chitlangi, feel the magic it is blessed with, and oh, be careful!

Steve Ferguson
 
What Seth said (both times). :) And welcome to the Cantina! BTW, the jeweler's files of which we speak can be found at Sears for about $10 or less; they aren't the best but they work fine on the soft steel around the cho. You can get a better set from www.knifekits.com, but it'll cost a bit more. Either one is a good choice for casual use IMO.
 
I've come to think of all of them as 99% knife kits. You get all of the functionality at a great price and if you wish, can do the remaining 1% at your leisure. I try to keep them clean and lubed, and even when I buff them back up, don't worry about any marks that don't come out within 5 minutes. The marks after chopping gives them character. If they were machine perfect they wouldn't be nearly as interesting, and on top of that, I'd be afraid to use them.

Remember...these things are not made in an OSHA approved, clean, lighted, ventilated power tool run shop with a snack bar, but by guys squatting on the dirt floor of a concrete block structure with not much more than fire, a few tools and devine guidance.
 
Kismet said:
You're a good man, Mr. Ferguson. :)

Kis
Click to expand...

I wish I was, but thanks. ;)

Do you guys feel partially responsible when somebody isn't satisfied? It's a little nuts, but I do. It's kind of like when you have really good friend, and introduce them to another really good friend, you want them to like each other. And they don't always. And it bothers you a little. Like I said, a little crazy.

Have a good day guys. :)

Steve

Nasty, That's a really good way to look at it, a 99% finished kit.
 
Steve...it's a lesson I learned a long time ago. If I have something nearly perfect, I stay nuts trying to keep it that way and that takes all of the fun out of it. :-)

I like to buy cheap (ie used) but high quality firearms for the same reason...I tend to shoot them a lot and that training is worth *so* much more than shiny!
 
Nasty, I know EXACTLY what you mean. That's why none of my knives are worth anything, the first thing I do when I get them is sharpen them or chop something up. But I don't buy them to look at so it's all good. :)
 
As I recall, I got a set of 6 Nicholson jeweler's files at Home Depo. Not as cheap as some, but they are one of the better brands. The wood-carving tool is good idea.
 
Though many have posted it earlier, I have to get in a few nags while I can...

You have to remember these knives were made by a guy in a third world country squatting on a dirt floor with mostly hand tools. I thought the same things as you when I got my first khuk.
 
I have found that sometimes those "little things" that are "wrong" with a given blade with time become part of the "magic" that blade has. Little imperfections that would allow me to pick my blade out of a pile of khurks and that have (imperfections that is) no effect on the fact that I will be long gone before the Khurk blade even gets going. Little cosmetic things don't bother me very much, add something to the blade in most cases. Alot depends on if you want a show piece or a user I suppose. If it is a blem then it is worth twice the price you payed for it, if it was something that you ordered from Uncle Bill that you wanted to be perfect and display then I for one can understand wanting it as "perfect" as possible. Welcome and good luck with it.


edited to add BruiseLeee is very correct in what he says above.
 
reading your post brought back those memories (like Bruise said) and I thought "Have I gotten lazy in the eye? (non-critical)"

...actually, I think I still notice stuff, but now when I see it, I smile. :D
 
Hmm,, I thought all those "imperfections" were supposed to be there. Indeed these things are not made on CNC machines and do show the crude process by which they are made. Even the fancy ones are made to used more than put in an art exhibit.

Best thing to do is use it. If you don't have a wood pile handy at least get a 2X4 and wail on it. Chop it in half. If the tang or the blade breaks then send it back to Uncle Bill. If not, enjoy the smile this will put on your face. You will feel invincible. Like having a hand-held nuke.
 
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