My YCS and HIKK have finally arrived!!!

F

fausto nasafiaschi

Joined
Aug 6, 2000
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506
Today I’ve finally been able to receive my new HI beauties. They have been sitting in sunny Fort Lauderdale for quite a while before I could get them onboard. With all the new security measures, port gates are not as easy to go through as they use to be. The first one is my HIKK; this is one hell of a knife! The 7” ½ long handle, along with 10” of blade would make it a fit choice as everyday carry for the jolly green giant!
The handle is very comfortable and the knife is extremely well balanced, it feels quite light in the hands for its size. This one is made by the Kami whose mark is the lamp, the blade is very made, the fullers and the edge bevels could look like they have been ground instead of forged. I do not have a great feeling for the skull crusher and I think I will grind it round. The handle slabs are gray streaked horn, very pretty, though In the future I could think of re-profiling the handle butt and fit two slabs of black canvas micarta.
The holster need a new frog as the one there slips upwards and doesn’t do much to keep the knife in place. I’ve already a design in mind but I won’t have the time to do it here onboard.
The plain YCS by Sanu is a dream khukri, the curved blade shape along with the blade belly and the deep fullers are really beautiful features. Bill says that the blade is steel mounted and the steel has been polished to the point of looking like silver, well he's just right: that’s what it looks like. The handle wood is not the usual saatisal but I wouldn’t be able to say which wood (is less reddish and more open grained than saatisal). I will put the handle through a Walosi beauty treatment. A lot has been said about the tools, the bigger of the two karda is a very neat little knife which could make a nice stand alone. The blunt awl, when one thinks of the story behind it, is the funniest thing ever.
Even funnier than the blunt awl, is the fact that I have to leave these knives onboard one of our ship in order to pick them up in may 2002 when the ship will be visiting Italy, what a way to beat the custom!
If you guys want to have a look the YCS is No 13 and the HIKK is no 16 on my album.
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=89127728203&n=419180937
Fausto
 
Fausto -
Great album!! It's up there with Blue's. Even though I had to sign up to view them, pics of a YCS are worth it. I've never run across a fully open-grained Saatisal, but have had places on a couple of handles that indicate that it is possible. Use the regular routine, but after a couple of coats, sand it lightly with very fine paper (600 grit) cross-grain, to fill it with dust, and repeat it for the next (?-4-5) coats. Don't polish with the grain until the filler coats are dry and hard. Keep the oil applications very thin. If you build up the finish quickly enough to fill the grain with just oil, the final finish will be gummy, and after a time won't refract the light - looks like mud :(
 
I still can't get over how much difference there can be between individual khukuris!!!!!!!!
Fausto your YCS has hardly any point at all. One of mine is similar, another, the very 1st one, is more pointy and with the rest all different.
The one thing I have noticed though is that just by looking at the khukuris even 1/8" can make a tremendous difference in the looks of a blade!!!!!:D
Even the 1st model I still have is not near as blunt as this one. Should make for one helluva chopper!!!!!

Y'all know I think there may be enough YCS's in the field now to do a study on measurements if anyone's interested.
We could determine a certain place on the blade, say 3 1/2" back from the point, and measure the width there to see just how much difference there is. We should maybe pick 2 dimensions perhaps had 2" to the above to make it 5 1/2" back from the point.

The only dayumed thing that bothers me about such a process is that it may border heavily on 'Research' and I sure wouldn't ever want to be classified as an 'Researcher'!!!!!!!;) :D :rolleyes: :p :eek: :D
 
I noted that the HI bird and trout Bowie I have ( as well as the last two 12" ang kholas ) should really be referred to as dui chirras. A beautiful form seldom seen in the western world. Now I've ground and filed the tang and handle and they fit my hand ( to use as templates ), a nice oval guard ( don't ask how it's going on, I don't like to lie... ) a set of stag or ivory slabs ( Indiana Jones didn't have a bowie knife did he? ) - must be time to take my medication.

BTW - Congratlations, Fausto.
 
Correction to my previous, the bolster, butt cap, and chape look like silver because they are silver :eek:
I've removed the chape from the holster today (I hate chapes)and it was definitely silver so I've checked the butt cap too and here I'm.
I have a silver mounted plain YCS :D
Today I've put both knives in a nice wooden box and I've left everything with a friend (I hope ;) )on another ship. May next year, hopefully, they will be on my rack.
Fausto
 
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