question about khukri sources...

manghu67

manghu67

American Kami Custom Blades / Knifemaker
Joined
Oct 24, 2000
Messages
443
I was able to snag a UBE and kobra from one of uncles UBBBs (I cant wait for them to show up!).

I have 4 other khuks from a different mfg that used to have a forum here on bladeforums, Gurkah House I think it was (it was four years ago and I cant remember the exact name of the place).

These khuks came from Nepal like HI khuks do, and the quality is excellent. Prices were close to HI pricing at the time. I'm wondering if anyone can help me identify which shop they came from or possibly tell me if that other seller was reselling khuks that came from the HI kamis? If I can post pics of the kami's marks (or the khuks themselves), would that help in identifing them? I have compared mine with pictures of HI models and they look spot on.

My khuks are:

Afgan: Blade profile looks kinda like an M43/Hanshee hybrid. Blade is very thick and wide. It's got some serious curve to it. Horn handled. This thing is a monster and is by far the heaviest khuk I own.

Cheetlang: Looks like a Chitlangi. Horn handled. Blade has a nice fuller in it like the Gelbu special. All the cross hatching and engraving match those on the Chitlangi.

Hanuman: Looks like the older, smaller HI Hanuman. Finish is amazing, and has the little tools. This is by far my favorite khuk.

WWIII: This is a custom WWII with a full tang, black micarta handles, and is blued. It came with a kydex sheath. This one is my workhorse. I love it, but unfortunately the blade has a couple nicks in it and in one spot (about 1/4 inch) has rolled :mad: . I have tried pushing this out, but I havent been able to. Pisses me off. This was an expensive knife (and was, in addition to several order screwups, the reason I stopped buying from that other place) at $250, and for that price, I don't think its reasonable to expect a rolled edge when chopping pine limbs.


Any assistance in the ID process (or fixing that rolled edge) would be greatly appreciated!

DJ
 
Manghu that question is a bag of worms that really doesn't need to be opened. All of us that were here when Ghurka House was open are very familiar with Craig Gottlieb.
Personally I, as well as Rusty, absolutely refused to buy anything from him because of the way he done Uncle Bill and HI.
Rusty & I wouldn't even buy the video of the kamis he made when he went to Nepal even though he begged us too.
However I do have a copy of the video that a friend sent to me and have to say it was well done and very informative.;)
 
thats the guy!!! :grumpy: i also seem to remember him messing with uncle...

my intent isnt to dig up the past, all i really want is to find out about my khuks, and if that guy was a reseller of hi khuks...

when i bought the Hanuman, he told me is was done by either a BA or LB Bishwakarma (i cant remember which)... isnt LB Bishwakarma BURA!?
 
manghu67 said:
thats the guy!!! :grumpy: i also seem to remember him messing with uncle...

my intent isnt to dig up the past, all i really want is to find out about my khuks, and if that guy was a reseller of hi khuks...

when i bought the Hanuman, he told me is was done by either a BA or LB Bishwakarma (i cant remember which)... isnt LB Bishwakarma BURA!?
Click to expand...
Okay.;) :D
Manghu, Gottlieb did sell some of, the rejected by HI, HI khukuris. IIRC they had the HI ground off and the Ghurka House initials stamped over the same place. The HI initial's were ground off and then no doubt repolished there to erase as much of a trace as possible so it might be hard to figure out who made what.:(
All of the kami's last names are Biswarkarma which can make things confusing.:rolleyes: :(
Therefore it's very highly possible that another kami has the same initials as Bura!:eek:
From what's been said in the past some of the GH khuk's were just fine as yours seem to be, except the one of course.
A few of us still think that many of the GH khuk's were 'rail common' or in otherwords, made from railroad track.
Railroad track needs a very experienced hand to do properly and can be made into a really great knife if the bladesmith is really experienced as indeed some of the kamis that worked for Lalit were and are.
Rail common khuks would explain the lousy review that was in Blade Magazine, IIRC.
The khus had a really bad edge rolling problem. I'm really sorry about your WW III and I had a gut feeling from the beginning that people were gonna be screwed over that deal.
I've often wondered if everyone that prepaid got their khuk or at least their money back.:( :mad:
 
aaahhh... i understand now... what you say would explain a lot, YVSA...

that would also explain the, ah, edge roll... grrrrrrr... now i just need to figure out how to fix the damn thing...

i say edge roll, but its more like an edge "dent"... im not sure what to do about that, its pretty scarry looking...

looking over mine now, im noticing fit and finish issues...

im really looking forward to getting my UBE and kobra...

all of mine have the same kami marks on them... my digital camera died, but i can photoshop the marks and post them...
 
manghu67 said:
that would also explain the, ah, edge roll... grrrrrrr... now i just need to figure out how to fix the damn thing.

i say edge roll, but its more like an edge "dent"... im not sure what to do about that, its pretty scarry looking.
Click to expand...
Manghu the best thing would be to put a fairly obtuse convex edge on the khuk if it doesn't already have one. The khuks are set up to have an axe like convex edge for chopping. A more obtuse one will strengthen the edge quite a lot.
By the way, Welcome to the Psycho Ward, or Cantina, as you prefer.:D
 
thanks, YVSA... ill give that a shot... looks like a job for the belt sander...

i tell you what, this edge problem has making me psycho! guess ill fit right in here... :D
 
there was a real nice thread recently that showed different types of blade damage and how to fix them, you might search for it....

;)
 
well, i think :barf: sums it up pretty well... that and :mad: ...

damage is not a rolled edge at all, its like a mix between dent and an edge mash, with a couple small chips missing here and there...

i am going to try the hammer and anvil method, because i havent been able to push it back into line with a chakma... failing that, ill have to grind the sucker down, which i dont want to do (but i will if i have to)...
 
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