Putting a handle on a vintage bhojpure

blue lander

blue lander

Joined
Aug 16, 2011
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Thought I'd split this off from the long leaf thread.

Anyways, I decided to test out my newly epoxied handle today, well after the 24 hour cure time. I hacked through a piece of lumber in the yard with no problem. It chopped better than my KLVUK, which is no surprise since it is longer and heavier. What was surprising is that the edge was still very sharp! Considering how soft the steel was when I sharpened it, I expected it to be a mangled dull mess.

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So having passed that test, I decided to keep pushing my luck and baton the blade through a piece of firewood. After a few strikes, I noticed a split forming in the handle. I wacked the blade a few more times, and it completely cracked

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A whole chunk of the handle came out. The tang was still in what was left of the handle, but I was able to pull it out disturbingly easily. The 2 ton epoxy bonded well to the wood, but it popped right of the metal of the tang.

I'm going to take another shot at putting a handle on this thing, but I'm going to take a few days to consider the best way of doing it. I'm definitely not using 2 ton epoxy this time, and I think a bolster is a must. Also, I think a pin in the tang might have distributed the stress to other parts of the handle. I'm also going to make the handle much shorter this time, just large enough to be comfortable. I made this handle the size of an HI one, but this blade is way too top heavy unless you choke up on it.
 
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I can definitely see where a bolster would have helped in that case. Might have held that sliver in and prevented failure. Glad to hear the steel held up well. Im considering buying a longleaf blade only and putting a handle on it as well so Ill stay tuned and see how yours turns out.
 
ive debated one of these blanks for a couple years now.might have to pull the trigger..
 
I've never handled a long leaf, but I can tell you this bhojpur was designed more as a weapon than a tool, at least in my opinion. The balance is more top heavy and the edge profile is much thicker than my KLVUK. This isn't a "finely balanced multi-tool" kukri, this is a "cleave your enemy in twain" kukri. It's good for chopping, but a thinner grind on the edge probably would chop better. If I needed to behead a 400 lb gorilla, though, this is the blade I'd use to do it.

But I am confident the steel in the blade can hold up to heavy use. But as a tool, it's so heavy and unbalanced you might as well just use a hatchet. YMMV, of course, I know there's a lot of variation from blade to blade. And the balance isn't awful or anything like that, I'm just comparing it to an HI kukri which is probably unfair.
 
Here's some things I want to mull over before I try this again:

1: A few people recommended cutting the handle into two halves, and carve out a groove for the tang. Would this have made for a stronger handle? It would have put the seam between the two halves directly where the point of failure was, so my thought is that it would make the handle weaker.

2: Is hickory the right wood to use here? Would something less stiff and more flexible have fared better?

3: I'm thinking a pin towards the top of the handle would be a good idea. The wood handle is at its thinnest (vertically speaking) at that point, and a pin would transfer some impact to the side walls of the handle, which are quite thick. Would one or two pins be better? The tang tapers pretty quickly so the wood further back in the handle is nice and thick all around, so maybe it wouldn't need it.

4: Would creating a larger hole in the handle, then filling with lots of epoxy, have been stronger here? The hole I drilled out was just big enough that the tang could wiggle a little. It looks like the back of the tang just cut right through the grain of the wood. If there had been a round epoxy "plug" around the tang, it might have spread the stresses out a little.

5: Is batoning with this or any rat tail tang just a stupid idea? I know some people consider batoning to be an unfair test of knife strength. It might be too much stress for any handle with this tang configuration.

6: Even though this test didn't go so well, I'm tempted to get a long leaf and try to put a handle on that. But I'm thinking the extra length of that blade would just multiply the forces involved. Is the tang on the long leaf longer than the bhojpure? Does anybody have both to compare?

7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkoLadhy_r4 this is a video of another guy putting a handle on a bhojpure. At around the 8:30 mark he cuts out another piece of steel and welds it around the rat tail tang to make a full tang. I don't have the tools to cut up a piece of steel like that, but I wonder if this is the best way to put a handle on one of these things? Or would those welds eventually succumb to the constant impact of use. The guy in the video decided not to use the kukri after feeling how soft the steel was, so we'll never know how it handled under heavy use.
 
I tend to agree with # 2. Hickory is a very strong wood but it's also very straight grained.

A larger hole with more epoxy would help in my opinion Wrapping the front with something to form a bolster would also be a benefit..

I'm thinking Hickory isn't the best choice of wood based on your results. I thought you were onto something good at first but the straight grain might just be the deal breaker.
 
Maybe everybody was on the right track with the fiberglass resin handles. Any idea what wood might make for a better handle? A birch burl wouldn't have the straight grain issues, but it would sure as hell be more expensive than a hickory hatchet handle. Maybe the grain splitting won't be an issue with a bolster. The crack definitely started forming towards the top of the handle, and it took three of four more strong whacks before it actually split. A bolster might have kept the split from starting in the first place.
 
I agree on the bolster, the jury is still out on the pin. In a straight grain wood the pin just might create a weak link.

I do like a full tang with pins but on a rat tail, I'm not so sure anymore, still pondering on that one.
 
It seems like some people consider hidden tangs without pins a disaster waiting to happen, but other people say that whenever they see hidden tang handles fail, it's always because the pin split the wood so it's better to go without.

I'm looking at using stabilized wood now. With epoxy soaked throughout the handle, I wouldn't have to worry about the grain splitting on me. However, the handle would weight twice as much as unstabilized wood, and it would lose its flexibility and shock absorbency.
 
That's probably a cheaper and better idea than using stabilized wood... Should I wrap the micarta fabric around the tang and build the handle out that way, or make a block of micarta and drill a hole for the tang?
 
blue lander said:
It seems like some people consider hidden tangs without pins a disaster waiting to happen, but other people say that whenever they see hidden tang handles fail, it's always because the pin split the wood so it's better to go without.

I'm looking at using stabilized wood now. With epoxy soaked throughout the handle, I wouldn't have to worry about the grain splitting on me. However, the handle would weight twice as much as unstabilized wood, and it would lose its flexibility and shock absorbency.
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Stabilized wood isn't soaked with epoxy or so I'm told. It's more like fiberglass resin. I've also discovered that not all stabilized wood is created equal. It's all in the formula they use to treat it. I get mine now from WSSI. I had some given to me previously from another unknown supplier and made pistol handles out of it, it was beautiful stuff. First shot they cracked at the mounting screw holes.
The guy from WSSI told me that they were too brittle, his have far more elasticity as they should.
So they should still have some shock absorbing qualities. It is bloody expensive but in some cases the only way to go and with all the dye options it can make some really beautiful stuff.

That being said micarta is an excellent option at a fraction of the cost. I don't know anything at all about wrapping and doing it your self, I have bought slabs of it and made handles, its just like a super tough wood. I don't like the smell or the working qualities of it but it's good stuff.
 
I've made micarta two ways; making a block, and wrapping the handle. I'm much happier with the results of the handle I did by making a block. I used an old pair of blue jeans and fiberglass resin.

I will say you will need a respirator for when you are sanding it to shape.
 
Here's what I'm thinking: Take a dozen or so squares of fabric the length of the handle you want to end up with and 5 or 6 times as wide. Soak them in epoxy and lay them down in layers like you see in all the videos. Fold/wrap the fabric around the tang two or three times. Instead of clamping everything together with one board per side, use two boards per side. One for over the hidden tang, one for the rest of the handle. Once it dries, wrap more fabric around the end of the handle to make it even width as the hidden tang part.
 
Maybe there's a reason the originals have such a tiny handle? The more forward you have to grip the less stress on the handle. :)
 
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