Show me some handle mods?

Guyon

Guyon

Biscuit Whisperer
Super Mod
Joined
Mar 15, 2000
Messages
45,835
My second HI khuk came in the mail today--a WWII Villager by Bura. Already whacked a few limbs with it. It came shaving sharp and ready for action. A good all-around size (16.5", 23 oz.) for chores.

Solid wooden handle on this one, and I'm thinking about a bit of grinding/sanding to make the handle fit my hand a little better. Then some tung oil after its all said and done to make the grain stand out.

Who's done a little handle sanding? Got any pics?
 
I've been known to refinish a few.
Steve

Hilt.jpg

katanaguard.jpg

kerambit2.jpg

KobraHandleSmall.jpg

Gelbu_Handle.jpg
 
Steve, those are some great looking refinish jobs! I like those deep reddish grains. :thumbup:

Here's what I did to my WWII Villager in about an hour today with a belt sander, a Buck 110 (whittling), and some 100 grit, medium sandpaper.

Up near the bolster, I used the belt sander to rough in a finger groove for my index finger. Then I did some hand sanding to even it out. I also put in another groove just in front of the ring. The effect is a finger-grooved feel with more palm swell than before. Much more comfortable to my hand. I also rounded the edge a little bit on the ring in order to take out some of the bite while still keeping its functionality.

Here's a pic from the top:

TopHandle.jpg


And from one side:

SideHandle.jpg


And here's a picture of the modified khuk after chopping through a little wood:

WWII.jpg


Before I do any final finishing with finer grain sandpaper and tung oil, I may do some more sanding/grinding on the end of the handle and the buttcap. As you can see from the last picture, the point of the cap tends to bite into my palm when I'm grasping the khukuri tightly. Instead of a point on the top, I may grind wood and metal into more of a comfortable oval.

Rub.jpg
 
Hey, before I start grinding on that rear handle and buttplate, let me ask...

How much wood is there?

If I go pretty much straight across from the ring back, will I be okay?

Excuse the pitiful Photoshop, but here's a contrast that approximates the change I'm planning...

BEFORE:

SideHandle.jpg


AFTER:

Grind.jpg
 
Should be plenty of wood there. I usually do the same mod you're talking about, but not quite as drastic. I leave a little bump on top.
 
I'll have to post them tomorrow. My pics are at work. I've sanded a couple. Never seen anything like you've done though. Sweet. You've got room to work behind the ring. You've gotta post more pics when you get done.

Thats a sweet looking WWII btw.
 
Looks like a good plan to me. I usually take some medium sandpaper and go around the buttcap to even out the edges of the metal with the wood. My hands aren't as big as yours, so I don't usually come in contact with the point at the top of the cap, but if I had that problem, I wouldn't hesitate to take it off.

I noticed that the Pen knives have a very similar top profile to what you plan.

It should look great once it is finished. More pics!

Thanks,

Andy
 
I went ahead and finished the WWII while I had the job on my mind. Did some more grinding with the belt sander and then smoothed everything out with a piece of 220 grit paper. After that, I applied some tung oil and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then, I wiped it off. Done deal.

I can keep applying the tung oil if I want a fancy sheen, but this one is going to be a workhorse. I'll probably put on one more coat and be done with it.

Wound up leaving just a little bit of flair on the back, top handle--perhaps similar to Aadvark's "bump." You can see the profile here:

Handle.jpg


Handle2.jpg


Here's the oval shape to the buttcap I was talking about:

Buttcap.jpg


It feels much better in the hand, especially with gloves on:

Gloves.jpg


Finally, here are a couple of pics of the entire khukuri:

WWII2.jpg


WWII3.jpg
 
sweet mods man!

this mean you're going to sell off some of those extra magnum camps to me ;)

hee

bladite
 
Thanks, man.

FWIW, bladite is almost entirely to blame for my current, moderate (not quite full-blown yet) obsession with the HI khuks.

bladite, I can take a picture of the WWII with the Magnums if you'd like.

Until then... :D

Magnums2.jpg
 
Here's a mod I did a while back. I call it a Khowboy Khukri.Some old-timer forumites might recall this one. :)
 

Attachments

  • Khowboy Khukri.jpg
    Khowboy Khukri.jpg
    17.7 KB · Views: 160
Guyon, that's pretty much what I do. You've taken about 2mm more off than I do.

Are those Camillus Magnum Camps? And (I'm almost afraid to ask) what is the knife in your avatar?
 
Aardvark, thanks for reassuring me the wood was there.

Those are three Camillus Magnum Camps and two Blackjack Magnum Camps. All are Beckers.

Avatar is a Busse Heavy Ordinance Grade (5/16" thick) Fusion Steel Heart. As seen here.*

BlueSkyBusse.jpg


*No trees were harmed in the making of this photo. This pine had already fallen. Notice I Photoshopped out the smudge in my avatar.
 
Busse, huh? That means I'll never have the chance to get one. Very pretty.
 
Hey man, there's always a chance. I daydream of finding a box of them at a yard sale, all priced $10 each.

There's one similar to mine on FleaBay right now, in fact. But those secondary market prices are even harder to swallow than prices from the Busse shop.

The thick Busses are good choppers, probably the best if you want a straight-line blade. I just tried the newest Busse Battle Mistress, and it was a monster chopper.

However, I'm learning about the capabilities of these khuks, and I'm impressed. For the dollars, and if you're open to a curved blade, they absolutely cannot be beaten.
 
I have hope, too: of winning the CA lottery. 112 million, anonymous.

For the price, you can't beat the khuks. Take a look at the BGRS next. About the same size as the WWII, with a little more weight at the tip.
 
Aardvark said:
For the price, you can't beat the khuks. Take a look at the BGRS next. About the same size as the WWII, with a little more weight at the tip.
Click to expand...

I suspect that some of the larger khuks can't be beaten as choppers, period.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top