- Joined
- May 18, 1999
- Messages
- 15,395
I noticed that Munk in another thread asked about the YCS's tang since I had designed the YCS.
The YCS has the standard tang most other khuks have and if the kami didn't splash water on it during hardening then it will never
fail.
Then a few days ago there was some discussion of tangs and it was concluded that the HI Khuk's have what may be called a "full tang" and I can go along with that description although I feel the term is somewhat confusing.
There's always gonna be discussion and controversy over the type of tangs big knives have it seems.
I imagine the argument has gone on since the beginning of the metal age.
Some like the "Chiruwa" style, I'm one who doesn't, at least not in khukuris. Others like what's now being called in this forum a "Full tang", I'm one who does.
And others a "Rat tail" tang which has been pretty much determined that the H.I.Khuk's do Not have although I think it's cutting semantics as "Rat tail" tangs have been around a whole lot
longer
than the invention of the screw to faciliate screwing a nut on the end to hold the handle and guard in place if indeed that's what it takes to describe a rat tail tang.
(Sorry for the run on sentence, a bad habit of mine.
)
With that all said I would like to explain why I say the standard HI "Full tang" is just as strong as the HI "Chiruwa" tang and in my opinion stronger.
First and foremost the standard HI "Full tang" is a helluva lot thicker than the HI "Chiruwa" tang's I have seen which I admit have been few.
If the "full tang" was forged to the same thickness as a "chiruwa tang" where the tang and blade intersect I believe the "full tang" would be wider than the "chiruwa tang" since the "full tang" is damned near the same width as the "chiruwa tang" there!
Full width of the "chiruwa tang" would be met a fair distance back if the "full tang" was forged into a "chiruwa tang" so you have the same amount of steel a good ways back and in the form of a stronger thicker piece of steel with the "full tang."
Prying with the standard "full tang" gives you a piece of steel just as thick or maybe a hair thicker than the blade itself and almost as wide as the handle with a generous amount of steel carried back at not too sharp of an angle for quite a ways.
The "chiruwa tang" on the other hand has been forged fairly flat and fairly thin with hopefully no sharp angles at the junction where the blade ends and the tang begins as sharp angles in that juncture would make a really bad weak spot more apt to break than if say 1/8th inch radii were used.
I would have to agree that the "chiruwa tang" is stronger if it was the same thickness as the blade such as the Busse Line of full tang knives where the thicness is the same as the blade and the tang follows the contour of the handle. See where the confusion can come in?
I used the Busse Line as an excellent example of a true full tang knife. There are many other fine examples.
I would also have to agree that the chiruwa tang would be stronger if it were a tapered tang with the same thickness of the blade and gently tapered back to the butt cap as there would be more steel left and none of the the dangerous junctures.
I trust the standard tangs much much more than I do the chiruwa tangs and in the size khuk I like, 16" to 19", they're not as damageing to the hand and wrist while chopping something really hard.
Yvsa, who has given much thought to tangs and what I like and don't like in them.
The YCS has the standard tang most other khuks have and if the kami didn't splash water on it during hardening then it will never
fail.
Then a few days ago there was some discussion of tangs and it was concluded that the HI Khuk's have what may be called a "full tang" and I can go along with that description although I feel the term is somewhat confusing.
There's always gonna be discussion and controversy over the type of tangs big knives have it seems.
I imagine the argument has gone on since the beginning of the metal age.
Some like the "Chiruwa" style, I'm one who doesn't, at least not in khukuris. Others like what's now being called in this forum a "Full tang", I'm one who does.
And others a "Rat tail" tang which has been pretty much determined that the H.I.Khuk's do Not have although I think it's cutting semantics as "Rat tail" tangs have been around a whole lot
longer
than the invention of the screw to faciliate screwing a nut on the end to hold the handle and guard in place if indeed that's what it takes to describe a rat tail tang.
(Sorry for the run on sentence, a bad habit of mine.

With that all said I would like to explain why I say the standard HI "Full tang" is just as strong as the HI "Chiruwa" tang and in my opinion stronger.
First and foremost the standard HI "Full tang" is a helluva lot thicker than the HI "Chiruwa" tang's I have seen which I admit have been few.
If the "full tang" was forged to the same thickness as a "chiruwa tang" where the tang and blade intersect I believe the "full tang" would be wider than the "chiruwa tang" since the "full tang" is damned near the same width as the "chiruwa tang" there!
Full width of the "chiruwa tang" would be met a fair distance back if the "full tang" was forged into a "chiruwa tang" so you have the same amount of steel a good ways back and in the form of a stronger thicker piece of steel with the "full tang."
Prying with the standard "full tang" gives you a piece of steel just as thick or maybe a hair thicker than the blade itself and almost as wide as the handle with a generous amount of steel carried back at not too sharp of an angle for quite a ways.
The "chiruwa tang" on the other hand has been forged fairly flat and fairly thin with hopefully no sharp angles at the junction where the blade ends and the tang begins as sharp angles in that juncture would make a really bad weak spot more apt to break than if say 1/8th inch radii were used.
I would have to agree that the "chiruwa tang" is stronger if it was the same thickness as the blade such as the Busse Line of full tang knives where the thicness is the same as the blade and the tang follows the contour of the handle. See where the confusion can come in?
I used the Busse Line as an excellent example of a true full tang knife. There are many other fine examples.
I would also have to agree that the chiruwa tang would be stronger if it were a tapered tang with the same thickness of the blade and gently tapered back to the butt cap as there would be more steel left and none of the the dangerous junctures.
I trust the standard tangs much much more than I do the chiruwa tangs and in the size khuk I like, 16" to 19", they're not as damageing to the hand and wrist while chopping something really hard.
Yvsa, who has given much thought to tangs and what I like and don't like in them.