Playing around with a couple new khuks this morning...

Andrew Colglazier

Andrew Colglazier

Joined
Sep 14, 2006
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I'm a fan of Glock pistols, for many reasons, but one reason I like them is that I feel no pain if I alter a Glock's outer appearance. I've been known to pop off a sharp-cornered mag release button and grind it down on a concrete sidewalk...

That is one of the reasons I like some of the HI offerings.

I'm becoming a fan of HI's BDC line, and just about any of their knives with white metal furnishings.

I've never been a fan of shiny brass. Brushed is much more to my liking.

I have a couple of khuks from HI that have wood handles and shiny brass furnishings. I decided to change their appearance.

I got some 400 grit, purple sandfoam from HD, and some Tung Oil.

I sanded down the handles, cleaned them up, and put on the Tung Oil. At the same time I took the sandfoam to the shiny brass.

The result is, IMO, more pleasing to the (my) eye. Darker wood with more grain, and striking brushed brass.

I know you'll ask for pictures, and I'll do my best to provide them.

The point of my post (and this just reiterates what some of the more experienced HI consumers have already said) is that we shouldn't be afraid to try out different things, and to go ahead and customize our khuks to fit our needs and preferences.

Andy
 
Couldn't agree more Andy. I refinish all my HI handles because the grain and figure of the wood is masked by the rouge used by the kamis. I also usually brush my brass, and also matte my blade. JMHO. I use scotchbrite pads though. You should give them a try. They are much better at curves than one of those pads, and they're reusable.

Good post bro. Pics please.
 
Thanks for the suggestion. Scotchbrite is probably cheaper than the foam stuff, too.

I've continued to alter the appearance of the knives I've gotten recently. I picked my CAK (horn handle) up from the PO this morning.

It is a serious piece of metal! It has polished horn handle slabs and polished brass furnishings. I took the foam to all of that. I like the look much better.

Interestingly, it seems that when horn is polished, it covers up the white highlights quite a bit. Not that the highlights aren't there; they are. But the shiny finish reflects light which makes it difficult to see the white grain.

If the finish is sanded or brushed down a bit to take a way the shininess, then the white is much more visible. This was most evident in the chakma and kard set that came with the CAK. The white grain wasn't visible hardly at all, but with the shine taken off and a bit of mineral oil applied, it popped right out!

Amazing.

I will take pics eventually...!

Andy
 
OK, I'm an admitted newbie when it comes to refinishing things, etc.... the tung oil I put on my backwards blade sword and the handle of a khuk yesterday still hasn't set up.

How long do I need to wait?

Thanks!

Andy
 
The woods probably have some natural oils in them that is preventing it from fully setting up or drying. Try hitting it with a blow drier after you put the first coat on. Once the first coat is on it should go faster for the next coats.
 
I thought about that, but was afraid to try it for fear of softening the finish even more.

I'll give it a try, thank you!

Andy
 
I tried the heat gun, but it didn't seem to make much difference, at least not immediately. I set the scabbard and khuk aside on a shelf and have just waited. The finish is hardening up nicely, it just took longer than I expected.

I've also been playing around with etching. Somebody around here mentioned white viniger, warm, so I decided to try that.

I heated the viniger in the microwave until it was steaming, then set the knive, blade down into a plastic container so the viniger wouldn't get onto the handle.

I started with a baby Chitlaingi, and it turned out well, so I went on to another, larger blade, forget what it is.

So far I'm happy with the results. I would leave the blade in for ten minutes or so, take it out and dry it with a heat gun, then put it back in for another ten, repeat 3 - 4 times.

This brings out several very obvious areas of the blade. The area around the edge from the tip up to the bend of the blade is darker than the reast, and this, I assume, shows the area where the blade has been hardened?

The rest of the blade takes on a nice dark patina, slightly blueish in color.

After the last dipping, I took the blade and wiped it down with a clean cloth, then wiped it down with mineral oil.

The finished result is quite pleasing, I think.

Andy
 
Well, I'm having trouble with the pic thing. First, my wife has our digital camera, so can't use that. My Sony camcorder uses discs, no memory stick and can't connect to the computer. It also doesn't take very good pics.

I'll see what I can do, though.

Andy
 
Here are a few pics (hopefully) that show the refinish job I did on the wood handled khuk, and the white viniger patina I put on the blades of the three knives.

If you look at the pic where the khuk and the chakma and karda are displayed, you can see the difference between the white blades of the small tools, and the patina on the blade of the khuk.

The khuk had a basically unfinished wooden handle and shiny hardware. I brushed the brass and put three coats of tung oil on the handle.

Thanks for looking!

Andy

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Great knives Andrew. You've just gotta refinish the wood handled one. Once you sand off all the rouge it'll be really eye popping. For the tung oil, I usually wipe off any excess after it starts to get tacky. Then recoat as needed.

Every once in a while take those horn handled khuks and submerge the handle in mineral oil for 24+ hours. I use a big stadium cup (plastic) for this. Then when you take it out vice it over the cup and allow it to drain back into there for another 24. Then wipe. MMMM. Goody.
 
aproy1101 said:
Great knives Andrew. You've just gotta refinish the wood handled one. Once you sand off all the rouge it'll be really eye popping. For the tung oil, I usually wipe off any excess after it starts to get tacky. Then recoat as needed.

Every once in a while take those horn handled khuks and submerge the handle in mineral oil for 24+ hours. I use a big stadium cup (plastic) for this. Then when you take it out vice it over the cup and allow it to drain back into there for another 24. Then wipe. MMMM. Goody.
Click to expand...

Andy, you hurt my feelings! :p I did clean the rouge off the wood handled khuk! What you see is my refinish job.

Actually, there wasn't any rouge on that one, it was plain, bare, unfinished wood. The finish you see is tung oil.

How do you like the patinas?

Andy
 
love the pics andrew... keep up the good work :thumbup:
your patina job is excellent :cool: i think im going to scrotch brite my kumar karda tonight :D
 
Oh. You used tung oil, and the wood is sisau?

Good for you on adding a finish. I think the confusion came more from your picture taking skils than any problem with your finish.

The patinas. Lookin good. I blued my foxy folly, and its a stunner.
 
aproy1101 said:
Oh. You used tung oil, and the wood is sisau?

Good for you on adding a finish. I think the confusion came more from your picture taking skils than any problem with your finish.

The patinas. Lookin good. I blued my foxy folly, and its a stunner.
Click to expand...

Yup, I should have done a "before and after" thing, that would have pointed up the changes. I was surprised that the khuk came with no finish on the handle, no rouge or anything, just bare wood. With the tung oil it does look like one of the sisau handles.

This camera takes crappy pics, no real detail capability :mad: .

Andy
 
I use Watco's Danish Oil, and find it a little clearer than Tung Oil. But an oil finish is definitely the way to go IMO. Though, admitedly, I'm no Steve Ferguson, and he makes a Tru Oil finished piece of wood look like a gift fit for a God.
 
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