Rain, rain go away

ric0shay

ric0shay

Joined
Apr 19, 2002
Messages
286
Has this ever happened to you? Your out in the yard or in the bush with you favorite work hard Khukri. The light rain turns into something biblical and you catch yourself wondering how the he!! your going to keep your Khukri dry?

For me, I goop the sheath in a home brew mixture of
min spirits (little bit)
parafin or candle wax , but the mixture should still flow readily
then add linseed (I've used bees wax too)

I like a thick consistancy, it takes a day and a half for it to be tacky but no sticky and two-three days for it to be dry enough to use. I gotta tell you, it's shiney and uglier than my half sister. :eek: :foot: but it does offer some protection. I cut the same mixture with a bit more min spirits and goop this on the handle as well. The handle will look nice and feel nice too. It feels like a naturally oily wood :)

I also wear it under my rain jacket or poncho, wipe as good as I can before returning it to it's sheath.

What do you do that works to keep the rain off/out


"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy"
Cap,n Khirk...I think
 
Try melting some snowseal beeswax into the leather with a hair dryer. Water proof forever.
 
I have used Thompsons Waterseal in the past. I haven't done it yet with Khuk Scabbards, but with others it worked really well. Cheap too, and not so messy.

Andy
 
Great suggestions aproy1101 and bigjim. It would be nice to do something a little different Ganga Ram Special when I arrives.

Rick
 
I've used both mink oil and snow seal on the sheaths. I don't worry about getting khuks wet, I worry about them staying wet when we're at home.





munk
 
Ric0shay that does sound almost like the formulary for Sno-Seal and Sno-Seal is already made so you don't have to muck around with potentially fire producing agents.

I don't worry about khuks getting wet either. Down here when it's raining it is also gonna be lightning. Playing with a khukuri in a thunderstorm or even with a little lightning around is just like playing golf in the same conditions, not a wise thing to do.:rolleyes: ;) :D
 
Earlier today I was wondering how one keeps the blade clean and rust-free in Nepal. I have my steel wool and mineral oil, but what do you do if you're out in the bush? I've used oil from my hair and body to protect smaller knives on long camping trips, but never something as big as a khuk. Anyone know how it's done in Nepal? Animal fat perhaps?

-Tycho-
 
Wow, I just noticed than when the scabbard was wet I nicked the leather that wraps around to the inside :(
I'm a little worried that the scabbard might warp while drying...Hmmmm if I rub candle wax on the blade then I can hair drier the scabbard a bit and put the blade inside to check for warpage.
The scabbard is only a little damp so I hope this works
 
The candle wax rubbed on the blade works great in the rain! better staying power than the oils I've tried so far

I'm thinking of just making a make shift wet weather scabbard out of corura type nylon and bleach bottle plastic (in liu of the wood interior)


Rick from the wet coast
 
I asked Uncle Bill once what the khukuris in Nepal looked like and how they were cared for.
Uncle Bill said, "Rusty and sharpened when needed.";) :rolleyes: :p
 
The lightening statement brought this question to mind; ( don't laugh, I actually think things like this) Obviously, waving your khuk in the air during a thunderstorm is not smart. Are you in much less danger if the khuk is sheathed, or does that matter to lightning bolts?



munk
 
I honestly don't think it will make one bit of difference. If you're anywhere near a tree, the easiest path to the ground will be through the tree, and not through you or your khuk, regardless of whether or not you're waving it around.

It's only when you're out in the open that having metal around will tempt the lightning... and then it won't matter too much whether the khuk is sheathed or not.
 
Kazeryu said:
I honestly don't think it will make one bit of difference. If you're anywhere near a tree, the easiest path to the ground will be through the tree, and not through you or your khuk, regardless of whether or not you're waving it around.

It's only when you're out in the open that having metal around will tempt the lightning... and then it won't matter too much whether the khuk is sheathed or not.
Click to expand...

I think Kazeryu is probably right about the first part.

I don't know whether the amount of steel in the case of the size of the khukuri would make any difference or not but I would think the bigger the khukuri and therefore more steel presented would be more apt to draw lightning than a small khukuri.
However I do think that if you were in the open and raising the khukuri over your head while chopping something would be more dangerous than if it were sheathed on your belt, maybe not though.:confused:
Anyway the best thing to do is get inside when you hear thunder if you're in the open or working with electrical or metal tools.
If you can hear the thunder you are in danger of being hit by lightning regardless of where you are.
Stay off of landlines, cordless phones probably okay, and stay away from large windows especially if they are open.
Also don't take a bath or a shower when there is thunder present.
Lightning can and does strike plumbing as well as chain link fences.
IIRC there are more people killed each year by lightning than there are bitten and/or killed by sharks.
If you are outside and can't get to shelter remove the khukuri and any other large metal objects such as firearms and get in a kneeling position with only your knees and elbows touching the ground.
The less contact with the ground the less area the lightning has to make contact and the less likely you are to be injured badly.

Any kind of outdoor activity is dangerous when there is lightning present and something we don't think a lot about and especially when hunting or fishing or just gathering wood unless it is a major storm.
 
I like to think of myself as a moderately smart guy, but you know, every once in a while when someone says duck I catch myself thinking of a funny looking bird that walks funny.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top