Sgt. Khadka Balance

Joined
Oct 18, 2003
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I just received the balance from 4/5. It is a nice knife, and 14" long, and a shade over 16 oz. I was surprised at how chunky the knife is. It is slightly over 3/8 in thick and the 9" blade is just over 1 3/4 inch wide at the widest point.

It is a nice knife. The lines are done well, and it feels fine in the hand...it is a handy size.

I was concerned about the knife when the package first arrived, since the postal service seemed to have tried their best to break it. The package was crushed, and it obviously was dropped - but the knife suffered no damage that I could see.

The finish is rough, as I expected from the photo. I like the knife, but I really have more than I can possibly ever use. I have given a couple away - to justify the purchase of new knives. This one is a keeper.

The only possible negative is that the brass but plate seems a bit thin. However - the knife is nice and fits a size niche between the 12" and 15" blades in my collection.
 
I noticed a small "fold" line in the blade near the tip - at the top of the blade. It is not a crack, since it did not go through. I should probably have ignored it (perhaps 1/4 inch long), but decided to change the profile of the blade to delete it. The fold line was parallel to the top edge of the spine of the blade.
This modification led to a drop point, with a rounded contour for the top edge - sort of like a mini baby Ganga Ram.
I used a belt sander and mill file for this process. ...just worked at the top of the blade to drop the point with smooth curve.

This did not change the balance point, and the knife looks very good - it is getting another coat of Watco as I write. Watco has always served to seal the horn and prevent any cracking.

It was sharp as it arrived, and I touched it up. It took a good edge from the cho to the tip.

I once did the same thing to a Bura 12" Sirupati. The Bura had a tiny crack near the tip. I altered the top of the blade to grind out the crack. When I offered my daughter a gift - a choice between the Bura villager or an Amtrak 15" Sirupati - she took the Bura.

This is the only knife I have seen with a small fold mark, other than a holiday present from Yangdu - a small 8" X-Mas knife that magically appeared inside of an order for another blade a couple of years ago.

Can't complain about this great service.

I wonder how frequent these folds are. I have never seen them in my Hi Kami marked blades.
 
Arty,

Good stuff. You've put some of yourself into those blades, and especially to the Sgt Khadka Balance model. I know I care more for the blades I've either worked on, or carried a lot in the field.



munk
 
Hi Munk - I should mention that the change only deleted 1/4 oz from the weight of the knife - it is now 1 lb. 1/2 oz, and the reprofile shortened it by perhaps 1/8 inch or less.

It still balances where it should and feels great in the hand.
The slight curve of the spine looks good - certainly as good as the original.
 
Sounds good Arty. I haven't reprofiled any of my khuks yet. Only because I feel like I'm still getting my grinding legs under me. I wanna get me one of those balances.
 
There is no risk using a file. You can use a very smooth mill file - I use one that is only about 5" long. It is faster with the sander, but there is a risk of overheating. You can avoid this by holding the blade near the place where you are sanding/grinding. You can tell pretty fast if it is getting hot.

Frankly, it is easier to do a good job with the file than the 1" belt sander. You just get the angle of the side of the spine, and draw the file towards yourself for a smooth cut. The file is perpendicular to the angle of the blade. I clamped the blade in a woodworking vise at the end of my bench, with the sharp side down and point toward myself. I worked both sides about equally, without moving the file from side to side. It is just a draw cut. It is a piece of cake to alter the spine, and it yielded a nice blade.
 
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