NON-HI handle & buttcaps loose,

[jmings]

My dear friends - this is the only place I dare ask this question. Other forums are either dedicated to a specific manufacturer or to historical antique khukuri.

I have a couple of khukuri with loose handles, one is a Windlass Steelcrafts ceremonial khukuri with a 59cm blade and the other a Nepal tourist piece with a 16.5cm blade. Both have peened tangs and loose buttcaps and handles. The Windlass looks like one of the previous owners tried to re-peen the tang and missed a lot denting up the buttcap quite a bit.

What is the best technique for peening the tang?

I figured I'd epoxy the flimsy brass buttcap of the tourist model down after the other repair but I think I'll have to burnish the Windlass buttcap to tighten it up.

IN OTHER NEWS:
I took my smaller krappy kuks to a fibreboard and much to my amazement the deepest cut was made by a deep-bodied (in proportion) slightly rusty kuk that felt no sharper than the rest - it sank about twice as deep. The only thing I can think of is the geometry and a greater back-to-belly taper.

 

[Dave Rishar]

My preferred technique is to clamp the blade in a vise and give the tang a few taps with a hammer. If a claw hammer doesn't do it, a five pound sledge will. I've improvised in the woods by beating the butt of the handle on a large rock.

Worst case scenario: boil the whole mess in water until the laha comes loose, disassemble, and reassemble with epoxy. I haven't had to do this yet. I don't know if the Windlass models use laha or not.

 

[Yvsa]

Because this thread has knife content it is better served in the HI Forum and not the Cantina. Will be moved shortly.

 

[munk]

You actually may not have to disassemble because of heating the laha. Sometimes after getting the handle hot enough the laha will settle and the buttcap become tighter. Tapping the tang end is the way, though.


I think Rusty and others would sometimes try superglue around the cap edge and that would work.


munk

 

[Edward Teach]

I used some of this stuff to re-secure the buttcap on my 18" WWII and it ain't coming off again, ever! The skinny nozzle on the tube enabled me to work it right up underneath too.

 

[Svashtar]

I know Yvsa ia an expert on using the super glues because I saw the super glue finish he gave to a beautiful flute he had, but what I hate about the stuff for bonding is that you open a tube and use it, and then go back a week later and the stuff is like water and useless. I just cut to the chase and use 2-part epoxy for everything now, and buy it in 90 second, 4 minute, and extended setup versions to cover all applications.

I would like to learn how to do that finish with it though, but would probably need to buy the cyanoacrylate stuff in bulk, and as I recall Yvsa said the fumes about did him in...

 

[Yvsa]

I know Yvsa ia an expert on using the super glues because I saw the super glue finish he gave to a beautiful flute he had, but what I hate about the stuff for bonding is that you open a tube and use it, and then go back a week later and the stuff is like water and useless. I just cut to the chase and use 2-part epoxy for everything now, and buy it in 90 second, 4 minute, and extended setup versions to cover all applications.

I would like to learn how to do that finish with it though, but would probably need to buy the cyanoacrylate stuff in bulk, and as I recall Yvsa said the fumes about did him in...

I don't know about being an expert Norm but I have had a little experience with the super glues.
Personally I prefer the liquid in a bottle rather than in a tube.
I used to buy a bottle of super glue, open it, and then come back a week later and find it all dried up.
A friend told me too keep the super glue in the refrigerator and it wouldn't do that, I tried it and I no longer have dried up bottles of super glue laying around.:thumbup:
Our refrigerator has a couple of small covered containers that set in the door and one of them is the designated super glue keeper.
I generally buy at least five bottles of the super glue at a time and I like to buy ten at a time because it seems to last longer.
I use a Magic Marker to mark the opened bottle.

Yep, trying to put a super glue finish on will do you in unless you have plenty of ventilation and with as much exposed wet glue as you have when using it for a finish that means outside to me.
It's been a while since I did the Flute but IIRC I used about seven or eight bottles of the Bondini II on it.
I had read about using a latex glove and spitting on the tip of one finger and spreading the wet glue with it.
I wasn't paying attention and when I bought my gloves I bought vinyl instead, still worked but a finger tip didn't last all that long until it was too hard and unpliable to use and a new glove would be needed.
Still the glove use wasn't unreasonable though and I didn't go through all that many doing the finish.
I know someone will ask how big the Flute was so here are the approximate spec's...
About 24" oal and 2" in diameter.

Start out by putting a glove on and spitting on the tip of the finger you're going to use.
Have the super glue open and ready to go beforehand and immediately squirt some glue on the wood and start rubbing, try not to let it run.
Try to build up a fairly thick coat and cover the wood as evenly as possible.
You will think you've ruined the piece by the very uneven finish but you haven't.
Using about 220 sandpaper sand the piece smooth getting the high spots off.
Then recoat and do the same, do it over and over again until you have a nice thick coat all over the piece.
As the super glue gets thicker and thicker sand it smoother and smoother each time you put on a new coat.
When the finish is as thick as you want it then it's just a simple matter of using progressive finer sandpaper to get all the scratches out and making the finish as even and smooth as you can get it.
When you get down to 1,500 grit then it's time to use the Rottenstone and oil.
Rottenstone can be purchased at fine wood supply outfits or over the Internet.
To use the Rottenstone simply oil a nice soft cloth like an old t-shirt that's been neatly folded to a piece about 2-1/2" square or so.
You want it well saturated but not dripping.
Sprinkle some Rottenstone on the cloth, be fairly generous, and then start rubbing.
The more you rub the shinier the finish will become until it's like a sheet of highly polished glass!!!!:thumbup:
You can then wax it with a good paste wax like Johnson's if you want but it's not necessary.
Super glue leaves a beautiful shiny and Hard finish that just can't be beat IMO!:thumbup:

I was pretty confident when I started and I've had lots of experience putting on hand rubbed finishes so I wasn't to worried although I did think I had ruined it to start with. For most folks I'd recommend trying it on a piece of wood about the size of a broomstick before I started on something valuable to me.

 

[Yvsa]

Jerry my apologies for hijacking your thread. If you're wanting to tighten the handles then Dave has the right idea.
Put the blade in a vise and then repeen the tang.
Use a ball peen hammer and use the peening side.
Tap around the edge of the tang with just a bit of force.
If doing that doesn't work then hit it a bit harder more towards the center so as to move the material down and out away from the center and then using the same amount of force do the same thing on the edge of the tang once again.
This should fix it.:thumbup:

It usually doesn't take all that much to tighten a handle up like this but sometimes there are other factors to figure in.
If indeed there happens to be the laha in the handles then generally any good super glue will melt it and in doing so it lets it run a bit and reseals everything, at least in my experience.
I discovered this quite by accident one day when fixing a loose chape.
If you can run enough super glue into the inside of the handle it should melt the laha and tighten things up too if the peening doesn't work.

But if perchance Windlass or the manufacturers of your other khuk's have discovered modern epoxy then the super glue won't work.
HI has been using a little bit of epoxy, JB Weld, to hold their buttcaps on better on some khukuris anyway.
I discovered this when taking a handle off an original Foxy Folly and thought I was screwed, blued, and tattooed when I discovered the JB Weld under the buttcap.
Fortunately it was just under the buttcap and not holding the handle onto the tang so I was able to remove the handle.

On my full sized Foxy Folly I blued and had Terry redo the scabbard for me I discovered it also had the JB Weld under the buttcap when I was cutting the triangular groove at the intersection of the buttcap and handle I like to do.
Much to my surprise, shouldn't have been, when I finished cutting the groove I found a void between the buttcap and handle.
JB Weld is pretty runny when first mixed up so I was able to use a toothpick and dribble enough of it under the buttcap to fill the void as well as making sure the buttcap would never come loose.

When it comes to tightening handles and buttcaps there is more ways than one to defur a feline.:thumbup:

 

[Rexmundi]

Hello Yvsa,

You mentioned something about bluing a blade, I have just started collecting Khukuri's and I am thinking about 'personalising' my collection.

I have started with my worst blade, one I picked up from a shop in Minali, northern India in 2002.
I have used a diamond file to put some filework on the spine and would like to learn about 'bluing' and 'etching'.

Does anyone have a tutorial/top tips regarding equipment and method?

Regards,

Gary.

 

[jmings]

Jerry my apologies for hijacking your thread.

Namaskar, Yvsa, you can hijack my threads and move them around any time you want.
This flute sounds interesting. Once upon a time at Knott's Berry Farm I witnessed an ndn playing flutes and was so moved I bought his CD and a flute he was selling. The flute was out of tune and the CD had been recorded in a studio , lacking spirit.

<snip> there is more ways than one to defur a feline.:thumbup:

Ah, Yvsa Gigagei, changing aphorisms around have been amusing to me. I used "More than one way to get the hair off a pussy." on several occasions.
"Red thigh in the morning - sailor take warning."
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall on you."

 

[kronckew]

Hello Yvsa,
...and would like to learn about 'bluing' and 'etching'.

Does anyone have a tutorial/top tips regarding equipment and method?

Regards,

Gary.

it's dirty, messy, smells, and will burn y'all if you spill it on you. so, natchurly, do it in the kitchen on the stove, or in the livin' room on the coffee table. wife will love what you're up to. surprise her by not attempting to tell her before hand. have good divorce lawyer on retainer before she does. casting .577 lead minie balls there also makes wives really excited.

degrease anything to be blued or etched, then go back & degrease it again. just to be safe y'all better degrease it again. don't touch it with yer greasy fingers. greasy steel bits don't blue or etch. fingers are an exception , they etch or get blued right purdy thru grease. the a&e can usually recover function for you if you go quick enough. goggles are good things. buy goggles. thick rubber gloves good too, don't use your wifes, probably too small & hard to get off when you find the pinhole while submerged in etchant.

blueing can be learned by hangin' out at your local gunshop & talkin to the gunsmith's. great way to waste whatever money you have left after hikv. it can also be learned by doing a search here on blueing. hot blueing is longer lasting than cold & gives more even results. see note in para 4. re wifely reactions to doing stuff in kitchen. helps if you have a blue kitchen already.

same with etching. ferric chloride pellets are cheap at your local electronics supply store, used for etching circuit boards but work real fast on knives too. 2 minutes in a strong solution followed by neutralizing in ammonia or caustic followed by lotsa water. dry, then wipe in ballistol. goggles & rubber gloves of course, don't want to get any on the coffee table either. don't get it on the wood or brass bits unless you plan or replacing them real soon.

can also use ketchup, mustard,salt, vinegar, lemons, limes, for variations, tho it takes much longer. again plenty of threads searchable here on how-to's. wives tend to be more amenable to this naturalist back to nature version & tend not to break things (including your personal bits) while you are using it in their kitchen, so it has a lot to offer. the FeCl is more fun tho.


p.s. - for a real treat, try etching in an aluminum pan instead of glass or plastic. don't do it too close to the dog tho.

 

[Yvsa]

Hello Yvsa,

You mentioned something about bluing a blade, I have just started collecting Khukuri's and I am thinking about 'personalising' my collection.

I have started with my worst blade, one I picked up from a shop in Minali, northern India in 2002.
I have used a diamond file to put some filework on the spine and would like to learn about 'bluing' and 'etching'.

Does anyone have a tutorial/top tips regarding equipment and method?

Regards,

Gary.

Gary, Kronckew said it best, "First do a search.":thumbup:
Also if you want to know something different than what's being discussed in a thread it's best to start a new one with your question.
That's why I apologized to Jerry about hijacking his thread when I posted about the super glue finish.
But on the other side of the coin this forum is well noted for the hijacking of threads and the thread veer we experience so don't feel bad about it as it's a fairly common occurance.

First of all run down the list in ddean's thread Stickied at the top of the HI Forum page titled
Tips, Tricks, & Useful Finds and see if the info you're wanting is already there.
If it isn't it should be, hell maybe the super glue finish guide is copied there as well.
Dean's thread is so full of all kinds of useful information it's hard to remember just what all is in it anymore. :thumbup:

If you don't find the info you're wanting then please start a new thread and I'll answer about the bluing in it, okay?