I bought an old-looking khuk in a junk shop today. It was 'associated' with a British Army Sam Brown belt dated 1917, tho' the association isn't necessarily reliable.
Being technically incompetent, I can't post pix to make identification easier; but I've had a look through the Powell collection pix and the other pix of old khuks in the FAQ, and I'm satisfied that the blade shape and style aren't inconsistent with a 'genuine' (ie non-tourist) khukuri.
The knife is 16.5" OAL, triple-fullered, very well made with sharply defined fullers, a deep double-grooved sword of Shiva and a standard plain cho. The blade style is a Salyan, very similar to the HI logo blade, except that it's fullered and very slightly more pointed. The bolster is steel and of good style. The handle is buffalo horn, decorated with small circular bone inlays; five (in the shape of a diamond) above the mid-handle rings, four (in the shape of a triangle) below them. The mid-handle rings are decorated with embossed brass strips in good style, tacked on with thin brass nails. The buttcap is missing. The scabbard is vert plain, with one embossed diagonal cross decorating the upper part; thick black leather over wood. The frog, karda & chakma pouches, karda and chakma are all missing, although stitch-holes on the back indicate where they used to be.
On the ricasso of the blade there's a mark very similar to that in the same place on the Powell collection khukri, page 5, number C (identified as an 1815 sisneyri); it comprises a diamond on top of a triangle over an upwards-curving crescent.
The blade is shouldered, and evenly and continuously tapered from the handle (0.275" thick) to the point. Thickness at shoulder 0.225". The spine is neatly and uniformly beveled. The very tip of the blade is missing - about 0.125" estimated - and the blade has been sharpened with a stone once or twice. The scabbard has a small diamond-shaped beveled chape.
A touch with a file suggests that the edge is as hard or harder than the average HI khuk.
Any information very gratefully received!
[This message has been edited by Tom Holt (edited 04-08-2001).]
Being technically incompetent, I can't post pix to make identification easier; but I've had a look through the Powell collection pix and the other pix of old khuks in the FAQ, and I'm satisfied that the blade shape and style aren't inconsistent with a 'genuine' (ie non-tourist) khukuri.
The knife is 16.5" OAL, triple-fullered, very well made with sharply defined fullers, a deep double-grooved sword of Shiva and a standard plain cho. The blade style is a Salyan, very similar to the HI logo blade, except that it's fullered and very slightly more pointed. The bolster is steel and of good style. The handle is buffalo horn, decorated with small circular bone inlays; five (in the shape of a diamond) above the mid-handle rings, four (in the shape of a triangle) below them. The mid-handle rings are decorated with embossed brass strips in good style, tacked on with thin brass nails. The buttcap is missing. The scabbard is vert plain, with one embossed diagonal cross decorating the upper part; thick black leather over wood. The frog, karda & chakma pouches, karda and chakma are all missing, although stitch-holes on the back indicate where they used to be.
On the ricasso of the blade there's a mark very similar to that in the same place on the Powell collection khukri, page 5, number C (identified as an 1815 sisneyri); it comprises a diamond on top of a triangle over an upwards-curving crescent.
The blade is shouldered, and evenly and continuously tapered from the handle (0.275" thick) to the point. Thickness at shoulder 0.225". The spine is neatly and uniformly beveled. The very tip of the blade is missing - about 0.125" estimated - and the blade has been sharpened with a stone once or twice. The scabbard has a small diamond-shaped beveled chape.
A touch with a file suggests that the edge is as hard or harder than the average HI khuk.
Any information very gratefully received!
[This message has been edited by Tom Holt (edited 04-08-2001).]
