Sharpening a Khukri

C

Coronach

Joined
Feb 24, 1999
Messages
368
Now, lest anyone immediately point me to the Khuk FAQ, let me say that I have just finished reading it. I have one additional question.
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The options are this: retain the convex grind or reconfigure the blade to a flat grind. What are the pros and cons of each?

Mike



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"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein
 
One of CS claims about why the Busse Battle Mistress chopped better than the Carbon V Trail Master is that the Mistress is convex grind. I don't know if this is an official explaination from CS or not. It would make sense that the convex grind would split the wood better than a flat grind.

How are you going to do the convex grind?

Will
 
What tools are needed and how do you do it Uncle Bill. I guess I've been putting flat grinds on my blades. Please instruct me.

Coronach, are you done with the acadamy? Are you on the stret yet?

Mike
 
Will :

One of CS claims about why the Busse Battle Mistress chopped better than the Carbon V Trail Master is that the Mistress is convex grind.
Click to expand...

If this was true why doesn't CS just put a convex bevel on the Trailmaster and run it against the Battle Mistress.

-Cliff
 
Question for Cliff:

On the sharpening FAQ you say to use a strop with Tripoli compound, is this difficult to apply to the strop, I mean is there a trick to it? I assume you would have to apply it pretty evenly. I'm not familiar with tripoli compound, will it remove steel significantly to sharpen a dull blade?
 
Hey Jaeger. Yeah, I'm out of the academy and on the streets. Quite a new experience.
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Understatement of the year.
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My precinct has everything from ghetto slums to (no kidding) 4.5 million dollar homes, and everything in between, including the jurisdictional nightmare of bordering on no less than 9 other police agencies' turfs. Fun fun fun.

Also, I think the Khuk FAQ has a good step by step of sharpening the convex grind. now, mind you, I have not TRIED this yet...I might revise my opinion once I do.

Mike


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"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein
 
Thats a good question Cliff, you will have to ask Cold Steel. I found the thread that lead to a CS article it is:


http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum32/HTML/000028.html

A very good question indeed Cliff, since CS uses a slack belt anyways and their stainless steel Trail Master is already sharpened with a convex edge.


Will

[This message has been edited by Will Kwan (edited 04-10-2000).]
 
:
One of the ways to get a nice convex edge is a trick that Cliff Stamp told us about...
Use a piece of flat styrofoam and a piece of sandpaper on it. The styrofoam has enough give to it that a convex edge results automatically.

Another trick is to put a piece of fairly long strip of emory cloth in a vise and sharpen the knife with the cloth held slack.

You could also nail a couple of wood blocks onto each end of a plank and then tack the emory cloth on it end to end leaveing the cloth slack enough to not hit the plank in the middle.
That would enable a person to have both hands free for sharpening.

Of course the easiest way is to do the sharpening on a belt grinder with a slack belt. The one big problem with that is that it is a whole
_Lot Easier_ to screw up portions of the knife edge like the point when ya ain't being to careful.
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Yvsa,(Who is learning how to watch what he is doing with power tools once again.
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)
 
I let the grinding shop do it -- the place I used to take my end mills to get them sharpened did good work and they had all the equipment you needed to do an expert job. I am too poor at freehanding to try to use a sander myself. I'd end up with a totally different knife than the one I started with and that's why I suggest sending the knife out rather than "do it yourself" unless you are an expert. Guys like Yvsa, Dan K, and a couple of other old time shop hands can do this stuff. I and most others can't and better safe than sorry.

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
The trick mentioned with Lansky type sharpeners in Joe's sharping FAQ works on smaller blades.

Unfortunately, I can't see it working on a khukuri. The blade angles on the guide are just too small due to the width of the blade. It would work if the guide was tall enough.

Cliff's method is the best I have seen for a wide blade like a khukuri. I find a slack belt even a fine grit removes too much metal.

Will
 
OMRie, I currently use a green Cr oxide abrasive that Lee Valley sells. You just rub it on the strop. It is not used to sharpen a blade just to touch it up. To actually remove any amount of metal, use the techniques that Yvsa described.

-Cliff

[This message has been edited by Cliff Stamp (edited 04-11-2000).]
 
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