Question about kukri microbevels

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KukrisandCream

Joined
Oct 25, 2016
Messages
5
Hey guys!

I recently got an HI kukri from a friend of mine that has a couple of them. Its a lot of fun to swing around and its been really effective at getting rid of some of those pesty invasive species of trees we have around the property.
Problem is, its got a microbevel on it, and I feel that this diminishes its full potential for chopping and splitting wood, which it is not currently good at. My buddy puts microbevels on all of his kukris so i feel he's biased.
Do microbevels reduce this potential, and if so, how would you get rid of it?

Thanks!
 
Not exactly sure what you are talking about with "microbevels". If you are talking about fullers, those are the grooves that run along the length of the blade in some kukris. In general my advice is that the Kamis who forged your kurki knew exactly what they were doing and that I would not change anything other than occasional sharpening of the blade. If you are looking for chopping power, some kukris are more suited to this than others. A photo of your kukri would help or at least the type, weight, and length.
 
KukrisandCream said:
Hey guys!

I recently got an HI kukri from a friend of mine that has a couple of them. Its a lot of fun to swing around and its been really effective at getting rid of some of those pesty invasive species of trees we have around the property.
Problem is, its got a microbevel on it, and I feel that this diminishes its full potential for chopping and splitting wood, which it is not currently good at. My buddy puts microbevels on all of his kukris so i feel he's biased.
Do microbevels reduce this potential, and if so, how would you get rid of it?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

A secondary bevel probably would diminish chopping ability. The standard convex grind of a kukri is similar to that of an axe, and it keeps the kukri from getting stuck in the wood. The standard convex grind is also what it was designed to use for maximum efficiency.
 
I would agree, convex the edge. It will be a much better chopper when you're done. You can do it yourself with a belt grinder, or a Work Sharp. Go slow, try not to overheat the edge, and you should be fine.
 
My 2 cents - HI Kamis know their stuff - stay away from trying to improve on perfection. Grinder = bye bye warranty...

Also like I said above, if you provide a photo or some model and size info we could give you a flood of information regarding best/intended use of your kukri... Some are better choppers than others, some are better for lighter work, some are pretty multi purpose...
 
In short: convex edge good, microbevel bad.

To restore a convex edge that has been microbeveled, you must essentially resharpen the edge to its original shape.

One of the sticky links at the top of the main page of the HI subforum has several how-to articles on sharpening. Here is the URL for the sticky link:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...me-to-Read-the-Himalayan-Imports-Link-Library

The link also has a lot of other great information about khukuris and Himalayan Imports.
 
OP is not the original purchaser, and said his friend who owned it originally already put the micro-bevel on it, so I'm thinking warranty is a non-issue. If he doesn't feel comfortable re-convexing the edge, it shouldn't be hard to find someone to do it for him.
 
If its truely a "micro" bevel and only a few millimeters up the edge then id just sharpen it on a mouse-pad with sandpaper and the original bevel will eventually return naturally. If they ground four or five milimeters up the edge then you might have to use a flat file and shape it back to convex. Depending on how much material they removed they could have reduced the hardness in the sweet spot and thats not so good. These blades are surface hardened and should not be ground away to the deeper softer material. Mass produced knives frequently use a large grinding wheel to cut the bevel and then micro bevel the final edge simply for fast and cheap reasons. There is no advantage to this shape in my opinion but thats what you get with mass production therefore thats what people are used to. Thats why Budweiser and Miller are Americas favorite beer. Dont mean they are the best but they are the most popular....well. Ill stop there. Pics are great but if only a few millimeters of bevel then just sharpen like the instructions on this forum recommend and you will be fine. Bevel on a Khukri is like an electric blanket on a polar bear. It just dont belong there.
 
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