new to forum + (long'ish post)

E

Eric C

Joined
Sep 5, 2002
Messages
162
Hi
I'm new to HI and the forum, but have been browsing it for the last month or so. A good place to be where there is a great wealth of information (more than can be absorbed in a short period) on khukuris, and also for laughs.

After having lost a great struggle with temptation, I recently purchased a couple of blems: BAS and 15"AK (both by K.S.(trisul)) from Uncle, which I received a few days ago. The edge to both knives are somewhat blunt, but I did some steeling with the chakmak (don't know how usefull that was, given the bluntness) as suggested and went ahead and lightly tested them anyway. Used them on some dead wood and green wood, and they seem to get into it just fine. They would not cut through dried palm leaf stem, though. The beefy BAS is heavier than the AK, but the AK handles better.

There are a few questions I want to ask, and would appreciate any comments any of you experts would have. If some of these questions seem trivial, please bear with me..I'm new at this khukuri business :o

1. Most HI khukuris now are made with single 'flat' bevels, from what I gather. However, the BAS that I got appears to have 2 (or maybe it's just that blunt), where as the AK seems to have a single bevel. Both knives have very slightly convex bevels. This obviously leads to the ever perplexing subject of sharpening, but before that...

2. After testing the knives on some wood, I checked the edge by running my thumb along it (I know this is not the best way to test for sharpness, but it was already blunt to begin with), and sections of the belly that took the impact was slightly flattened. This made the edge feel somewhat "wavy". Does this normally happen to the blade? How can I fix it?

Comment on sharpening: I have gone through and run a search on sharpening and got some great tips on some cost effective methods. Since diamond hones are quite expensive here, I tried using various grades of sand paper on a small karda (so small I could include it in my girl's manicure kit) and strop as was suggested in some archived threads, to practice with. I haven't got it shaving sharp yet, but it did get sharper, until I got a little greedy, retried and got it blunt again. However, the karda no longer has a flat bevel. I could have ended up with an HI toothpick had I not resisted the tempatation to keep going. Anyhow, the whole blade has become convex from the sanding.

Well, that's a whole lot out of me for now. As to HIKV...it may be psychological, but if there is a real test for it, I think I test positive :D

Thank you all for reading. Look forward to reading your helpful and entertaining posts, here or elsewhere :)
Eric
 
I would say that the edge should never be wavy even after very hard use! I would have your khukuris sharpened up properly and test them again. I have many khuks that very hard and don't deform at all. I have a couple that are relativly soft and I use them for wall hangers. Test them hard and if they fail or deform Uncle Bill will take care of it!
I would also get a small fine file and slide it across the edge and if it "skates" across and does not dig in the blade/edge it is hardned properly. If it catches it is to soft. Use light pressure when doing this. Good luck!;)
 
Originally posted by SkagSig40 ......get a small fine file and slide it across the edge and if it "skates" across and does not dig in the blade/edge it is hardned properly
Click to expand...
Fine point clarification.......

The hardest part of the edge is located on the belly at the designed point of impact.
That's where a file or other hard edge will 'skate' across the hardened area.
Closer to the handle and closer to the tip will be softer.
Search for keywords 'edge' & 'hardness' in this forum to get plenty of details.
 
TO the cantina.

On sharpening, czech out the Sharpening FAQ. It deals with convex grind sharpening and maintenanace. takea a bit to get used to it, but I think you'll find it to be a superior design.

Blunt areas--the only khuk I've had to date that had a blunt area to the blade was a villager model, and a quick run on the stone fixed it right up.

Good luck!

Keith
 
Chris, Dean and Keith, Thanks very much for your suggestions. I will give the file a try, and sharpen for the next test.
Eric
 
Don't know where you are located, but if you can talk to Uncle Bill, he will steer you right on the sharpening. The FAQ section has a "sharpening" section that is extremely well done, & Mr. Howard Wallace, who posts on this forum from time to time, is a very good source for getting technical questions on the subject answered. In general, the forumites I have met have been very helpful & some are extremely knowledgeable on care & use of a khukuri. You will never go wrong dealing with Himalayan Imports. Uncle Bill & his wife, Yangdu, are the finest people to deal with you will ever find. These damn blades are habit-forming; khukuritis is none-curable. After a while, fixed, straight blades start looking weird, & then get to where they feel strange in your hand. Then you start looking forward to bad weather because downed limbs & trees & etc. give you an excuse to use your kuk's. Left-over 2X4's become practice fodder & if you are right-handed, you will notice your right arm muscles taking on a little more size. By the time you notice any of this, it is too late....you too have the disease. This forum is the only known support group. Fortunately, there is usually a counsellor on duty on the forum around the clock.

I have to go now. My Ang Kola just told me it was time for bed.
 
just lost the post...

:D
Thanks Rusty and DKP. I know what you mean. It has only been a short while since I found HI, and I must admit that I am just about comletely addicted. I was introduced to the khukuri about 10years ago and bought an Indian issue, but soon forgot about it since it was packed away when I moved. It's been 8 years since I packed it, and the other day I found it while unpacking some stuff, and it reignited my curiosity. Then I found HI while browsing the net, and the rest is history. But ofcourse it is more than the knife itself. The history, Uncle's story and the forum does add to its specialty.
Eric
 
aBout 'waves'...some of my khuks have them. I call them 'wavers'; an actual easily visible wave would be more important. Skag said there should be no waves, all I can say is I have a Bura with a waver, two Kesar's, and a waver on a Sher. So, what is a waver? A very slight change of direction of the metal on the blade edge, sometimes as if the surface on a pool of water had stirred ever so lightly, sometimes just a tad more. But it does change the edge geometry just a small fractional amount.
I intentionally test every Khuk to see if they develop more than this. Perhaps others have better technique, but sometimes a blade slips sideways after impact and that is hard on the edge. Yvsa deliberately uses the edge during impact to twist out more wood and I've tried that with good result.

My experiences are not statistically relevant, I'd guess, with only 7 khuks in my possession and another one having gone elsewhere. But the khuks here do hard service with trees in the area. This weekend I cut down a small 6" diameter pine with a 15"AK and some real hard berry tree wood, don't know the name. (if it wasn't cracked I'd have used it for wood work, maybe a gun handle)

In my limited experience the convex edges have not waved. The waves do not appear to grow once created. If they kept growing until the blade was very noticably bent I'd be concerned.

I also get small chips out of some of the tip areas with use. I don't sweat this either.

munk
 
I just got a Sher BAS that's a little less sharp than it could be - perhaps slightly blunted. Possible it took a hard knock during shipment, or that an apprentice didn't quite get the edge right in the first place. Just sharpen it up, and things should be fine.
 
Munk, Uncle, Tohatchi, thanks. I have only had time to sharpen the AK for now.

The file test appears to indicate that the hardness of the blades are fine. Couldn't determine the hardness of the files, though, so that may not be a good indicator.

The sand paper technique seems to work well (240, 320, 800, 1500, + strop with buffing compound). There is a part of the khuk between the belly and the tip that is slightly concave, and that little section sharpened up really nicely and easily. The recurve was also easier to sharpen compared with the belly and the section between them. I am getting the hang of this.:)

Haven't tested it yet. Will keep you posted.
 
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