Test your khukuris. The kamis are in a hurry.

Bill Martino

Bill Martino

Joined
Mar 5, 1999
Messages
34,096
We are having our rash of tang failures early this year. The reason is always the kamis get in a hurry and get the top of the tangs hard -- on a few knives, not all by any means. Yangdu is investigating as to why the rush and has put BirGorkha on hold until the kamis slow down to normal speed.

I've noticed a recent increase in production which is generally a good news, bad news situation. I like having a decent inventory but I don't like having a half dozen tang failures as the price. I'd rather stay sold out and never have a failure.

Anyway, the bottom line is test your khukuris heavily when you get them and be watching for a possible tang failure. Normally, we expect a tang failure one in maybe 600 or 800 khukuris. When the kamis hurry that ratio will drop to one in maybe 100 or 150. If a tang is going to fail it will do so in the first 15 minutes of use so check your khukuris.
 
Oh yeah Uncle - that special Kothimodo you sent me..... I tested it and the tang snapped. Terrible thing, I was devastated !!

What should I do !!

;)
 
Bill,

With, labor at the rate it is going for in Nepal, wouldn't it be better to hire a couple of guys to test each khukuri at the factory. What is the point of testing a knife after the final finish has been applied, a sheath made, and the cost of shipping the thing half way around the globe incurred?

I suspect that after a few break at the factory, the kami in question would be corrected very quickly. Catching it now means that there may be a number of defective knives in circulation.

n2s
 
Aha!

Now, this explains why I have broken two khukuris recently into two pieces.

Not2sharp's idea is an excellent one. Testing the knives there and having the failures there is a good way of providing direct feedback to the kamis.

Hire a big strong guy to do the testing then. The average Nepalese is not too big is he?
 
Originally posted by Brendan
Oh yeah Uncle - that special Kothimodo you sent me..... I tested it and the tang snapped. Terrible thing, I was devastated !!
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For most people I'd say send it back to Uncle. But for you I'd recommend the superglue fix. :D ;) :rolleyes:
 
I just got a Kobra by "Amtrak" (in a recent blem sale). I've done a little chopping with it. Are there any other recommended tests to make sure the tang's OK?
 
Just chop with it really hard and be sure to swing away from yourself. Also smack the flat of the blade against a log or tree. I had a partial tang fail on me doing this test; it wasn't catastrophic (the blade didn't go flying) but it let me know if wasn't going to hold up. If it's held up to chopping already you're probably good though.
 
Having a couple of guys test the knives before they go to final finish is an excellent idea. A couple of years back I complained so much about Dasein failues (hen this usually happens) they actually implemented this idea. Then the kamis slowed down, got careful again, and 2 or 3 thousand khukuris passed the test without a failure. Then they thought testing was a wsste of time and stopped it -- and, hee we are again.
 
Then they thought testing was a wsste of time and stopped it
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The next time they begin to feel that way, tell them to get creative and video tape it. I am sure that your marketing efforts would benefit from a demonstration of what a khukuri can do in trained and capable hands.

n2s
ps. I would be happy to buy a copy of the tape, and suspect that many others would too.
 
Originally posted by Bill Martino ......Then the kamis slowed down, got careful again, and 2 or 3 thousand khukuris passed the test without a failure.
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#1 That's awesome!

Exactly how did they test them?

#2 Maybe there's a way to test the blades without making a big deal of calling it a test.
Maybe, as the kami finishes each khuk, instead of laying it down somewhere,
he must take 10 seconds to chop a fist size lump from a log,
then leave the khuk embedded in the wood.
That means it's ready for the sarki.

Make it a contest or game among the kamis!
Aren't they pretty competitive?
Slap both sides on a post, then 10 chops of each blade
to see how big a notch it makes in a log.

Or something else appropriate.

If the blade was already polished and the cutting left any marks,
you could use it as advertising; "kami tested".
 
Maybe it could be done sometime before the final sharpening and polishing. Anytime after the handle is finished would work, wouldn't it?
 
I second the idea of any video tapes.

Topics I'd like to see would be:

forging (from cutting the spring onward),
making metal parts,
making handles,
making scabbard,
daily use (anyone, anywhere, everywhere)
& the chopping demo too.

A few views of the Birgorkha families, & the people
and life in that area of Nepal would be a great addition.
 
Testing would be a great idea and would save you and us shipping charges on busted khuks, plus the shipping from Nepal to Nevada as was mentioned. Ship me to Nepal and I'll do the testing, you can pay me with khuks and rice!
 
Perhaps a bonus for the kami with the longest failure-free streak? To be awarded monthly or bi-monthly?
 
Originally posted by Skeletor
Testing would be a great idea and would save you and us shipping charges on busted khuks, plus the shipping from Nepal to Nevada as was mentioned. Ship me to Nepal and I'll do the testing, you can pay me with khuks and rice!
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I have this nice triangular box....
 
I'm good. The Amtrak BAS worked a charm, Bura's AK is a trooper, Shankar's 12in AK could hew concrete, and the Bura pen knife has been put through it by Sarge in two Campaigns AND TEXAS!!

I have My suspicions about the paper cutter though....:eek:


By the way, thank you for the advisory information. Reinforces the whole "honesty" concept you got going.:)
 
Maybe it's in anticipation of the move to the new shop, and building up a stock to fill in during the move. Or maybe they have moved and are trying to make time up lost in the move.

This usually doen't happer til around Dasein ( Dasheera? )
 
Can I test by putting all of my mightay 135 pounds on the side of the blades, with the knives balanced on two phone books? :cool: :cool:
 
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