The Big One

It has arrived!

It is marked with a lightly etched cross; Whizz Kid? The knife weighs about the same as a 20" AK, which is listed at 3 or 4 pounds; this is only 56 oz. That's light. The edge is not convex, and thin. I am wondering if this beauty, and it is a BEAUTY!!!, looking like a enlarged Bura chiruwa AK I own, will turn out to be the perfect instrument for me, or not enough? I haven't seen a wooden handle looking this neat since Bura, but it is short, with me having one hand just behind the cho and over the bolster. Is this usual amongst big blades?
Will the edge hold? Can it perform as the 25" AK's are required to do?

Bill knows I test blades hard, yet he sent this. I've had some bad luck with thin edges. On the virtues, we have a faster, thin edged tool with enough weight and leverage because of it's length to do the job. I should be able to swing this thing. It should strike deep.

I am going to test this. I would have preferred a heavier tool, but Bill and I are both intuitive, and he may be thinking what I'm thinking; this thing gets the job done and fits my non-Conan physic. I'm not weak, but I'm not Ranger material.
I can visualize this blade.

Anyone else have the experience of doing too much thinking only to arrive at the wrong decision, when what's right, was right in front of you? I do. So I could sit here and say, 'heavier, must be heavier" and make a mistake.

Lets see what the chopping tells. I keep looking at it.

munk
 
Munk-- Go chop something with it. If it breaks, I am sure that Uncle Bill will replace it. If it is by the whiz kid Shanker (K.S. with the trident/trisul) it should perform well. I have an 18" Ak by him, and it is much lighter/thinner than my 18" AK by Sher, but so far it has proved very durable. I chopped my testing stump (a big heavy walnut stump)with it until I couldn't swing it any more, and it still shaved hair off my arm. I beat the hell out of it, edge, spine, flats, and the only thing that happened was that the buttcap loosened up a tiny bit; I peened the end of the tang over some more and it is good as new.
--Josh
 
I didn't even notice! I forgive and forget quite easily, my wife is the grudge-meister... Also the written word without the voice of the writer can betray the writer, and I may have written some politically charged something or other that put you off, without even realizing it. For that I apologise back to you. Also, i may have been a newbie to the forums, and that it takes some time to fit in with the community.

This makes me hope that all understand that my long posts on subjects are not written with a "holier than thou" attitude. They are merely informative offerings for all levels of readership, based on my research and experimentation.

In any event, water under the bridge, friend. Dwell no more on it. And know that the pen is mightier than the sword, and you have a brother-in arms. As writers, I guess we're doome to write, and write long posts we shall...

hope Keith is doing well!

Keith
 
I wonder how anyone ever consented to marry me?

How did I end up with this 25" AK light? In truth, my arms are long. If I'd ever gotten the bread together, all I could have hoped for was a 20" AK or a 22" Ganga Ram Special. Bill has a hunch and sends me this at a good price.
I went outside to the pile of logs cut by lesser Khukuris I own, all with considerable effort and fanaticism on my part, and wailed into one fat 9" diameter hard pine log. (I cut the original tree down with a 19.5" villager weighing 36 OZ) The temp was 11 degrees. AN enormous chunk of wood flew off. I knew immediately this Khuk would send chunks flying. It bites deep. It swings fast and will not take too much strain to get the inertia flying forward, again a positve, as I am not Special Forces, not 'Sarge', and my forearms are not like Steve Garvey's. I am just the guy who really does cut wood with his Khukuris.

And the handle is too short! I ask Bill and find out they all are too short. To my way of thinking, if you're going to swing this amount of reach and weight you need two hands firmly gripped. There are various modified Khuk holding grips, and I used them. AS this was a test, I left the gloves behind so to see any weak spots in the swinging. Sure enough, blood flows from a stressed crack in my left hand- the helper hand. You don't think I cut the pile of trees by my garage with Khukuris without blood, do you? I normally wear heavy gloves.

I'm all confused. I tell Bill I shouldn't keep it. I've got babies crying in my home, and in another forum people I thought were my friends are blasting me because I disagree with their politics. (they think I'm an elitest because I like the concept of an all volunteer army. They're going in for Charlie Rangel's idea of the draft preventing politicians from sending our boys overseas lightly. Like that's ever stopped war? ) My oldest son is wailing because a toy truck lost its bumper, my baby is crying, unjustly placed into a crib not of his making, and my 2 year old is beating the door down of his bedroom cell, no doubt what he will be doing in 20 years from Deer Lodge State Pen.

I look at this thing today. What do I see? For one thing, you all cannot appreciate the 'package' aspect of this unless you could hold it. It is simply beautifully done, the karda and chakma matching the lovely wood of the parent blade faithfully. When you touch the edge, there is a feeling of a 'ring' to it, tuned.
So what is this blade? It is light and fast and big and will hit hard. I don't believe a Ganga Ram of the same weight would cut better, perhaps equal, and I have leverage over that design, and my long arms to boot.

For the first time since I got here, I have a legitimate production modification to request: I want an eight inch handle. I've written Terry to see if his shop is still open. With an 8 inch handle, this thing will not only cut wood, but would sever skulls ala Conan the Barbarian. I told Bill, I hope the Whizz Kid Kami designed this mean thin edge for more than looks, because if it doesn't hold up to the trees I'm felling I'll find out soon.

There are things that come to me in my life I would not have chosen. I would not grab this off the shelf. I've a nagging suspicion it is the blade I need. That happens, you know. It's kind of like if you were in charge of picking all your friends, instead of your friends picking you, you wouldn't learn anything and you wouldn't have as much fun.

So in 7 strokes I was a third way through the log. To cut down the same tree I'd probably hit it over a hundred times with the big Villager.

munk
 
Hey, Munk, definitely sounds like a keeper. Does it have a horn handle? In my limited experience (2 horn-handled khuks, 2 wood) the wood handles seem larger overall. I like you idea of an after market handle, although I am having a bit of trouble imagining how to use a khukuri safely with a two-handed grip-- seems like it might put your body in an unsafe position in relation to the blade/thing to be cut (?) Anyway, glad to hear that the blade is to your liking. I hope that durability with the thin edge never proves to be an issue.
--Josh
 
Josh, you mean because it is a relatively tight arch- the swing- and if something goes wrong you are mighty close to it? oh- wood handle.

munk

Bruise, you can borrow it, but do I do a luminal test on it when I get it back to see if there's human blood on it?
 
Post run-on syndrome? Bah, humbug! No such thing.

( quickly going back and editing about 2/3rd of my past posts ).
 
post run-ons, do friends tell freinds when they suffer from the dreaded post run-ons?


munk
 
Munk-- I guess I was just thinking that a two-handed grip would put your body in a different position in relation to whatever you are cutting than a one-handed grip, maybe more at risk of catching a glancing blow? I'm just speculating since I've never used a two handed grip w/ a khukuri, and my experience with other two-handed grip cutting implements like axes and swords is very limited. The more I think about it though, it doesn't really seem like it would make that much difference.
--Josh
 
Further report on two handed grip and cutting ability.

I've decided this does not need a custom grip as with gloves I can swing it as hard as it can be swung and digs into the wood about as far as it's going to get given it's light weight. After talking to Art S, and I am indebted to his sharing his knowledge, a custom grip is problematic and expensive. I think it's best reserved for heavy 25's.

I cut through a 9" log in 16 degree weather. I am not a fan of thin edges but this one is holding. Not even those 'wavers' customary on such edges after hard use.
Maybe the Whizz Kid really is a whizz.

This blade is lovely, and regardless of your feelings; traditional convex vs thin straight edge, it is too beautiful not to like. It swings well and easily.munk
 
Munk,

Sounds like you've got a keeper thanks to Uncle's ESP!! Looks like kamis other than Bura can make a khuk with a thinner edge that works--at least in this case. I've got a UBE frim Bura that is amazing with a flat grind. It took a long while before I really worked it, but it takes everything. I got burned with a couple of the "wavy" ones that didn't fly last year too, so I can understand your initial trepidation. I'm still holding back a bit one I have a little, even though it is a GRS that has been to Art's miracle-shop a couple of times. Maybe partly becouse I've 'bout run out of tough tasks for it--I'm trying to keep some wood around to cure up for handles for blades from Ragnar. (Unabased plug if Uncle doesn't protest...Ragnar mixed up and order and sent me blades instead of knives--apologizied and and sent knives later, gratis. Of course, he knows that this insures future orders from me, reminds me of Uncle Bill!!)

Just make sure you keep outa the way of that beast-- don't want to hear about a one-legged pecker-pole harvester in Montana. Suspect you and yours would be even less enthused. Enjoy!!
 
firkin, was that really you? You lost your science accent. I slapped this blade sideways (by accident-it happens) and it still did not waver. I don't know what to say other than this AK struck a virgin log (what's that?) and imbeded so deep had to be pried out. And it came out easy. How can a thin edge take this?
Don't know. It's taken.



munk
 
Don't know why I have two arms but i do. Don't know why there's Dylan and Dead and Young but there is. before came Johnson-Robert. don't know why



munk
 
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