Sharpened my Karda

S

Sutcliffe

Joined
Dec 5, 1998
Messages
659
When I bought my first HI Khukuri I asked Uncle Bill about the usefullness of the Karda. He said "you could peel potatos with it". Now that we have functional Kardas soon to be rolling off the Assembly line and gracing the scabbards of newer HI Khukuris I decided to try my old issue karda. First of all it wasn't that sharp. I sharpened it up and it took a very good edge(shaved hair off my forearm). However, the handle is so short that you just can't grasp it effectively enough to get any control for any serious cutting that I tried with it. Is it like the Appendix, something that we have, but doesn't really do anything? What do native Nepali's use to cut with when the Khukuri is too big? It does peel a pretty mean potato though. Thanks Uncle Bill for solving the problem.
Always a pleasure,
Sutcliffe
 
Hey, I was thinking about posting the same Q. The Chakma is pretty nifty and certainly works (although, curiously, only on the khukuris; on other knives, it doesn't seem very effective). But the Karda seems more customary than functional.

Sure, you can get it sharp enough to peel potatoes, but it's still not ideal for the task. The newer handles should make them more functional; but comparable to a small fixed (that I'd carry outdoors anyway), or even a decent folder?

So, what do folks use it for?

Glen

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“The piano has been drinking” -Tom Waits



[This message has been edited by storyville (edited 16 October 1999).]
 
To tell the truth, I almost never use mine. I always have something better laying around but I suppose if I were in the wilderness with only the khukuri and not my drawer full of various knives, I'd sharpen up the karda and put it to work.

The new models should have decent size kardas and chakmas, fully hardened and much more useful than the old standard models.

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Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
http://members.aol.com/himimp/index.html
 
A 3" blade works fine.You have to get around the short handle.Just use a couple of fingers to grasp the handle and lay your fore finger on the spine for control.
 
I was out yesterday tring this same thing. Got a razer edge on the karda and find that it is really hard to use with that short of handle. Still comes in handy for those finer cuts where i really don't need a 12" blade. If you want to see terror just try cutting a thread or scraping a sliver from a 10 year olds finger with a 12" chainpuri. Maybe they trust me but their eyes sure get wide. Also I read that the chakma is/was used as a striker with flint to start fire. I have used flint & steel for years but have yet to see a chakma tempered hard enuff to spark. Do you think maybe they could make some to go with the new kardas? That would be very handy.
 

I used Forward Curving and it's karda (which is a decent size) to cut myself a rune-stave this weekend. The khukuri cut the stick, and made a decent draw-knife to make a flat spot for the runes (although I did use a real draw knife and spoke shave to finish it), and the karda worked great to actually incise the runes onto the flat spot. Then I darkened the runes with a piece of hot iron. Very Viking.

Couldn't have done it without a sharp karda.



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Namaste,
Jeff Paulsen

"Oh, a magic khukuri. Why didn't you say so?"
 
I'd say the old kardas could be used for skinning, I lot better choice than a khukuri, maybe. I've used mine to poke some holes in aluminum foil that was over a fire grill. I once tried to peel some rotten peaches for their cores to make charcoal (way too much time on my hands). I found out how sharp my karda's point was when I slipped and did my impression of a Gurkha blessing ritual.
 
My second laugh for the morning, Bob. But, don't feel like the Long Ranger. I poked a hole in my wrist a couple of weeks back with a 15 inch AK I was playing with. Probably went in a half inch and I was lucky that I missed major artery and veins. Got a 30 minute lecture from Pala on khukuri safety!

But now it's healed, no infection or problems of any kind. Good reminder for me -- and everybody who reads this. Khukuris really can stab and cut! Be careful!

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Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
http://members.aol.com/himimp/index.html
 
I've found out the stabbing power of the khukuri myself as well. Several weeks ago, I was chopping some branches up, and managed to stick myself in the knee. Just a little bit of blood, nothing serious.
 
With regard to kardas and chakmas, I have to report that I was pleasantly surprized when I got the 18th Century Kumar Bishwakarma khukuri. Both the karda and chakma were exceptionally well done. The karda was 6 inches long, razor sharp(I shaved with it the other morning) and the chakma was 5.5 inches long. Both were forward curving in design, almost like miniature Sirupatis in appearance, and as mentioned, usable.

Dyad'ko Bill, will the new kardas & chakmas be of a similar design?

Harry


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"Khukuris are our obsession and we're late for therapy!"
 
Sounds like the new kardas may even be nice little pieces on their own. Do you suppose it might be possible to get them made separately ? An nice 8" OAL karda with it`s own sheath would be like the nepalese version of a Swedish mora. I`d buy one (or two or three
wink.gif
). Marcus
 
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