Shop News

[Yangdu]

Nepal is experiencing power shortages that keep the shops and the Kamis
without electricity for 16 hours each day.
This problem means that the Kamis have been unable to keep up with your
orders. So, any special orders that many
of you have purchased will not be delivered with my usual speed.

We all hope this problem gets solved soon and we can get back to work
creating your special orders for knives and
swords. As soon as it gets resolved and the Kamis can get back to work,
I will announce it here.

I thank all of your for your patience and truly appreciate it, as do the
Kamis.

 

[DocH]

HI Ms. Yangdu,
Thanks for the update, and I KNOW that I speak for Sandy and I that we DO understand RE the Power situation.
When I was a Teenager, My Family spent years in different countrieswhere My Mother was doing the M.D. Thing as well as Public Health Instruction, and I most certainly understand the sporadic electric supply problem.

Ed n Sandy

 

[lcs37]

Sorry to hear about the electrical problems affecting our Kamis livelyhood.

A good generator or two would sure help, maybe.

They may have to fall back on work practices that sustained them for years and years.

 

[thombrogan]

Hoping all will be well soon.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

Smoke up for positive progression and a quick solution.

 

[Yvsa]

I'm betting a few rustic village khuks from HI would sell like pancakes at an IHOP half price sale!:thumbup:

 

[jnphares]

Those "Yeti hunter" khukris seem to sell very well. I didn't get one, but I like that they have less swell in the pommel -- each person is different, but I don't find handles that flare a lot at the pommel to be comfortable; I like some to help gripping, but not too much.

As I thought about it, I may have misinterpreted Yvsa's statement about the "rustic village khuks". I'm not going to remove my comment, because I really do prefer the more cylindrical handle styles that flare just a bit at the pommel, but it really is a bit off-topic for this thread.

 

[b.c.molin]

Hope that a resolution to the disputes comes quickly and production gets back to normal. :thumbup:

 

[Berkley]

Here's a link to an article about the nature and causes of the problem, as well as what is - and isn't - being done to resolve it.

 

[Karda]

Here's a link to an article about the nature and causes of the problem, as well as what is - and isn't - being done to resolve it.

Thank you berk!
That sheds a light on the nature of things. I should've known it was something the Maoist's have had their fingers in for so long, it's just like them to be blaming everyone but themselves too. truly sad that Nepal is taking a step backwards from hydroelectric.

I'm wondering right now how much it would take to outfit the shop with a wind turbine or photoelectric cells to make it both earth friendly and self sufficient? But my worry would be that maoist's would'nt like that idea much and it would cause the shop unwanted attention.

 

[seaice]

Hydro generation projects take time to construct and thus would not sort the immediate problem..... so if the Nepal government do get surplus diesel generators from China as a short-term fix, is that not a sensible measure regardless of them being Maoists?

a wind turbine

I'd say please ship over all the useless, prodigiously subsidised environmentally-devastating wind-turbine monstrosities from this country, asap.... except that would mess up Nepal like it already has Britain, so on second thoughts please don't; and these wretched wind-turbines need other power-generators to be kept constantly running in order to cover for their inefficiency and output-shortfalls in any case.

 

[Karda]

Hydro generation projects take time to construct and thus would not sort the immediate problem..... so if the Nepal government do get surplus diesel generators from China as a short-term fix, is that not a sensible measure regardless of them being Maoists?

It would be alright, if they were talking about it as a short term fix....However such is not the case. So far it's just speculation that anybody is going to do anything either way, which by past record is a familiar maoist diversionary tactic. Did you read the link?
It just seems to me, given the potential for hydroeclectric and other earth friendly power production in that country, that taking a step backward is senseless. However true measures will always find stumbling blocks as long as the graft and corruption is present.

I'd say please ship over all the useless, prodigiously subsidised environmentally-devastating wind-turbine monstrosities from this country, asap.... except that would mess up Nepal like it already has Britain, so on second thoughts please don't; and these wretched wind-turbines need other power-generators to be kept constantly running in order to cover for their inefficiency and output-shortfalls in any case.

I'm only talking about sending enough to run the shop , not the country. So that khukuris can be made, Kami's and families fed and clothed and H.I's mission can continue unabated.

 

[greenwoods]

Hydro generation projects take time to construct and thus would not sort the immediate problem..... so if the Nepal government do get surplus diesel generators from China as a short-term fix, is that not a sensible measure regardless of them being Maoists?


I'd say please ship over all the useless, prodigiously subsidised environmentally-devastating wind-turbine monstrosities from this country, asap.... except that would mess up Nepal like it already has Britain, so on second thoughts please don't; and these wretched wind-turbines need other power-generators to be kept constantly running in order to cover for their inefficiency and output-shortfalls in any case.

It might sound like a good temporary fix. The problem beyond temporary may end up being the parts and repair workers the Chinese will very likely include into the sale or contract. So a perceived temporary fix, until something better gets built, ends up being a dirty, long term commitment:thumbdn: that the current bureaucrats will keep in place as long as they get their payola.

Imagine a family that buys a generator to power their home because of frequent power outages, due to an old power grid or maybe harsh weather shutting down the grid for several days at a time. Now imagine the grid is not repaired and now the generator becomes the sole source of power for the home. Imagine all the parts and labor to maintain this full time, it just became a dirty, long term fix.
I don't know the right answer to fix the problem. It just seems like the Chinese are offloading a bunch of dirty generators on a people whose recently past and current government are interested in padding their wallets rather than serving their people.
The irony is that the Chinese are involved in constructing the biggest hydro dams in their own country and in the world, (especially South America). They have the infrastructure to offer That kind of help. I bet it's very cost effective to ship these generators to such a close country.
The Chinese are horrific polluters, they had to shut industry down around Beijing for quite some time just so the Olympic athletes could breathe
Northern China is so polluted from coal plants, IIRC one new one goes online every day, it's actually altered the water table so much the cities may be sinking. They are busy transporting all their water from the south just to keep their cities working.

So, I guess I don't trust the Chinese business practices.
This is just my opinion

I worry for the Families in Nepal, many people we have grown to love and care about. Such a beautiful place, so many places destroyed by greed.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm being contrary to your post, Karda, I agree with you in that I really would like to help our Kamis:thumbup:, and I think that maybe they could benefit from a few shop generators. It's the big, semi-tractor trailer pulled ones from China I'm worried about.


Mark

 

[Karda]

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm being contrary to your post, Karda, I agree with you in that I really would like to help our Kamis:thumbup:, and I think that maybe they could benefit from a few shop generators. It's the big, semi-tractor trailer pulled ones from China I'm worried about.

On the contrary...It sounded like we're in agreement to me.
I'm worried about Nepal as a whole too, but like UB once said : we can only worry so much, and what H.I has on it's plate just trying to keep things going is worry enough. I just brought up the turbines and photoelectric cells so that the shop wouldnt have the added expense of feeding fuel to generators and could be proud of being earth friendly and leading by example.

 

[greenwoods]

On the contrary...It sounded like we're in agreement to me.
I'm worried about Nepal as a whole too, but like UB once said : we can only worry so much, and what H.I has on it's plate just trying to keep things going is worry enough. I just brought up the turbines and photoelectric cells so that the shop wouldnt have the added expense of feeding fuel to generators and could be proud of being earth friendly and leading by example.

I hear you Karda and you have some good ideas:thumbup:

We have an antiquated power grid where we live. The power goes out if the wind blows. I used to use a generator quite a bit. Now i just keep an old Dodge mini-van under a car cover, with an extra bladder of fuel in the back and it is much more efficient than any but the higher end $4k and up diesel generators.
And more than once it was useful as a backup vehicle. Maybe the answer is some kind of compact deisel automobile for the HI shop. It could run a lot of juice.:thumbup:


Mark

 

[Karda]

I hear you Karda and you have some good ideas:thumbup:

We have an antiquated power grid where we live. The power goes out if the wind blows. I used to use a generator quite a bit. Now i just keep an old Dodge mini-van under a car cover, with an extra bladder of fuel in the back and it is much more efficient than any but the higher end $4k and up diesel generators.
And more than once it was useful as a backup vehicle. Maybe the answer is some kind of compact deisel automobile for the HI shop. It could run a lot of juice.:thumbup:


Mark

Whaddya use? a heavy duty power inverter or something on the van,to hook up to your house?
I used to have plans around here somewhere for building a genny out of an older chevy alternator...Danged if i can find it though.

 

[DocH]

Hmmm...
What My Fellow Ny's Say!!

Sorry... too cruddy feeling to type much right now.
Ed

 

[greenwoods]

Whaddya use? a heavy duty power inverter or something on the van,to hook up to your house?
I used to have plans around here somewhere for building a genny out of an older chevy alternator...Danged if i can find it though.

We had an external plug added to the gas furnace electrical motor to run off of the genny, it works fine off of one of the 4 plug inverters from the van. I have 2 four plug inverters in the van, one in the front cig lighter socket, one in the back cig lighter socket. I like using the sockets for the second fuse they provide,(the first being the one in the inverter).
We've run 2 electric heaters, a tv, the furnace motor, 2 60w lights and the computer and occasionally a microwave from the van, for 3 days.
It's not ideal and I think the deisel would work better, but there is what works and what doesn't work for now:thumbup:

Mark

 

[Karda]

We had an external plug added to the gas furnace electrical motor to run off of the genny, it works fine off of one of the 4 plug inverters from the van. I have 2 four plug inverters in the van, one in the front cig lighter socket, one in the back cig lighter socket. I like using the sockets for the second fuse they provide,(the first being the one in the inverter).
We've run 2 electric heaters, a tv, the furnace motor, 2 60w lights and the computer and occasionally a microwave from the van, for 3 days.
It's not ideal and I think the deisel would work better, but there is what works and what doesn't work for now:thumbup:

Mark

The reason i asked as we've live on a crappy part of the grid too, it fails on us from time to time (not so much lately) and i was contemplating using my old dodge van much as you are.
Are your inverters at least 1500 watts? or More?

I don't know if pala would even have access to a vehicle to do this with but it's another idea for solution, depending on how long this blackout period in Nepal is going to last.
The only other way i can see is to break out the oil lamps and hook the old bicycle grinder/buffer back up, go back to the old way and be Nepali and persevere. I just fear that production quota will suffer.

 

[gravertom]

maybe final polish/assembly could be temporarily set up in the US? I know flying in a couple of polishers from Nepal would not be cheap, but it may work.

maybe just have them make villagers for a while?

maybe??


Not trying to make light of the situation, but hoping the suggestions may spark other thoughts.

take care,

Tom