New to forum! - just received B.A.S. (pics, questions)

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May 15, 2012
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Hello everyone! My name is Shaun - new to the forum here, so glad to come across this place! looks amazing, the quality of the homemade knives I have viewed on here are pristine, and all the people seem awesome!
Anyway, I just had a few questions for you guys, hoping to learn some new information. After hearing a countless amount of great things about Himalayan Imports and their kukri's, I had to have one! I ordered the B.A.S. and just got it in the mail after about a week. I requested a buffalo horn handle black one, but they sent me a wood handle one (kinda bummed) I wasn't sure what to expect of a handmade knife (i am very new to collecting) but here are some of my thoughts
-heavy duty
-blade was somewhat sharp, some flat spots, and a tiny little chip/nick in one spot of the edge
- lines and seems were not perfect, but i think that is expected from a handmade knife?
- small little rust/corroded spot in the brass above handle
-handle was basic wood, no stain or coating, rough finish

Taking this all in, I ended up staining, sanding and applied lacquer to the handle, I think it came out pretty well overall. I was just wondering, is this expected from hand forged knives from HI? I am not trying to be nit-picky or criticize the company, I am just wondering what everyone elses experiences are with these knives. Here are some pics!!

Important to note: this knife was NOT a blem - I paid $135

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Good to meet you shaunzmuders.
About receiving wood and not horn. I think even if you request a certain type of handle material it really depends on what's on hand at the time. But I am sure Himalayan Imports does try to fulfill the customers wishes if they have the material. Also it is normal to receive Khukuris from all Nepali manufacturers with completely bare wood. You have to finish it to your likings. Personally I like this (if I order wood in the first place) because I use Tung Oil on all my wooden items including Kukris.
As far as the condition of your BAS, it is all up to the skill and desire of the Kami and his helpers. That's another blessing/curse of handmade items.

But you do have a nice new Kukri and the handle after you lacquered it is very nice :thumbup:.
 
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Shaun,

Welcome to the forum. HI has second to none costomer service so if you want a horn handle contact Yangdu and they will make it right. Mistakes happen in all businesses and this may have been a simple case of this wood handled BAS going to the wrong place.

The rust issue is a fact of life with a traditional kukri. All that has to happen is for them to miss one little spot with the oil and you will have a rust spot. But understand that this is surface rust and is easily removed. You will be dealing with this surface rust as long as you own a traditional kukri. Keep some WD-40 or a silicone gun rag with you in the field so you can wipe them down after use.

The handle being raw part is another ball game altogether. Buying a blem is one thing and you expect to have to do some work but, paying full price for a horn handle and then getting an unfinished wood handle is not reasonable. I would call and see if it is a mistake. The important part is that you end up with the kukri you really want. We see this a lot on these forums where people kind of settle but then get bitter and are unhappy. HI will usually do whatever it takes to rectify their mistakes and make a customer happy.

By the way, you did a fantastic job on the handle!
 
my gosh? that kukri is beuitiful,i would be happy with that..135.00 for a custom hand forged knife from somewhere exotic,is a great deal.i would keep it, i like horn handle but wood is number one in my book.good day to ya.
 
my gosh? that kukri is beuitiful,i would be happy with that..135.00 for a custom hand forged knife from somewhere exotic,is a great deal.i would keep it, i like horn handle but wood is number one in my book.good day to ya.

Thanks for all the tips/input everyone!! I agree with everyone & I am happy with the wood blade now that I think of it, I like black, but if I ever want to change it, its just a matter of sanding and some work. Thanks for the compliments on the handle, everyone! Pictures reallly don't do it justice, it is very smooth in person. And overall, I am very impressed with the quality and workmanship of this blade, I think I will keep it. Thanks everyone!
 
Wow. See I would like a wooden BAS. These are user tools made in literally cottages...cottage industry literally. No CNC machines, no plasma cutters, no electric annealing furnaces. Charcoal, steel, hammer, and anvil. The men...the Kami...who make them are master craftsmen. So a Cold Steel might look more sophisticated but it was made by a machine and not differentially heat treated like yours...the cutting edge is a different hardness than the spine and IIRC the sweet spot is a different hardness than other parts of the edge.

What you did looks fantastic. You have a very nice Khukuri there that your grandchildren will be fighting over someday!
 
I'll bet the bad spot in the brass is on the top of the blade correct? What you are seeing is where the kami brazed the brass together. I have quite a few HI Kukris and all the brass ones have a bit of a beauty mark right there.
 
Shaun that is a really awesome job that you did in finishing that handle! It is inspiring me to decide similarly what to do with a number of my own wooden handles. Thanks for sharing the pcitures.
 
Sorry about not getting the Horn handle. I'm sure Aunt Yangdu will read this and want to speak with you, if you haven't emailed her yet. It looks like you got a Neem Wood handle. This wood comes from Nepal / India and is not grown in the U.S. It has properties and structure like Teak. Because of this, it requires no treatment like the Satisal wood. Neem is rot and bug resistant. The Satisal handles are usually buffed with compound. When finished, Neem looks like Mahogany. Yours came out great. Handles are oiled before leaving Nepal, but likely dry out quite a bit. Like Tomahawk or Axe handles the finish is usually sanded, oiled and waxed, some may stain if they prefer a different color. Sometimes lacquered handles cause blisters or hotspots from slipping with hard/long use. Neem smells sorta like Root Beer when sanded, don't know if you noticed or not. The blade, bolster work is like the others have said. Good luck with HIKV. :thumbup:
 
Sorry about not getting the Horn handle. I'm sure Aunt Yangdu will read this and want to speak with you, if you haven't emailed her yet. It looks like you got a Neem Wood handle. This wood comes from Nepal / India and is not grown in the U.S. It has properties and structure like Teak. Because of this, it requires no treatment like the Satisal wood. Neem is rot and bug resistant. The Satisal handles are usually buffed with compound. When finished, Neem looks like Mahogany. Yours came out great. Handles are oiled before leaving Nepal, but likely dry out quite a bit. Like Tomahawk or Axe handles the finish is usually sanded, oiled and waxed, some may stain if they prefer a different color. Sometimes lacquered handles cause blisters or hotspots from slipping with hard/long use. Neem smells sorta like Root Beer when sanded, don't know if you noticed or not. The blade, bolster work is like the others have said. Good luck with HIKV. :thumbup:

Hey! thanks for all the compliments on the handle everyone! It was the first one I have ever done (haven't had too much experience with the process, but sorta just winged it and glad to see you all liked it! I really enjoyed the whole process too) Wow I did not know that about the wood, that is amazing - makes me appreciate it that much more; overall, I am very happy with the wood handle, and the kukri in general!, I believe the mark on the blade is what was described. I took a little bit of steel wool, and decided to go for a brush aluminum look. I did this on the handle and sheathe. I think it turned out well, I kind of like the brush look, personally. thanks a lot for all the comments everyone!

I have been looking at the seax HI sells, looks very amazing. someone on here did a video on one, and I really enjoyed it.

Thanks again everyone!
 
You beat me to it Lee. As I was reading the post I was thinking it looked like neem. Neem always has that unfinished look. I have one neem, my ASTK, and I like it. As for the other issues, I had to "recalibrate" my eye when I first found these hand made authentic khukuri. They are not machine made. I now appreciate that about them. Your handle looks great and I think you'll really enjoy your khuk. Welcome aboard!
 
If you can afford it shaunzmuders buy the:

15 inch 22 ounce BAS by Tirtha. Few hairline crack in horn handle. Perfect camping/backpack Knife at $80.
or
15 inch Ang Khola by Bhakta. Samll hairline crack in horn handle. Excellent buy for first time HI Khukuri buyers at $90 YBB.

that were posted yesterday. You might be able to make a deal with Yangdu to get one cheaper because of the mistake in your earlier order. Think about it and God bless :).
 
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