The Cock of the Walk - HI's Bale Khukuri is here!

warty

warty

Joined
Mar 2, 2010
Messages
1,416
So my big triangular box showed up today and I got right to work. First thing that struck me was how light the box was, I expected it to be a bit more hefty than it was but it was light as air. All those pesky statistics you all seem to thrive on can be found in the DotD Post. Just read them there for me, OK? :) I got right to work though once I unwrapped this thing with the Flitz and the Ren Wax. I wanted to clean the shipping oil off of it and then make sure I didn't have to polish the thing constantly (especially all of this brass!) so that s where the Renaissance Wax comes in. Once it was all clean and ready, I went out and took these pictures...

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Remember, this is a rooster/cock so these must be little chicks!
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to get a better idea of the size, here it is between my 30" Siru and my 25" Kobra...
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Spines for all of you spine lovers, Bale in the middle...
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here are some closer looks at the head detail...
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Look closely, we all know hen's teeth are rare but apparently cock's have a bunch of them...
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on one side of the head it says, "Made in"
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The other says, "Nepal"
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he even did an inlay for pupils in the eyes!

and in case there is any doubt what this is supposed to be, the bolster says, "Cock"
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here is a nice shot of the inlay and engraving detail on the Sword of Shiva
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couple of "In Hand" shots...
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and finally, the obligatory chirra pron...
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This is the sweetest "Big Blade" I have handled to date. It is perfectly balanced over its length and is light as a feather. In comparison the 25" Kobra I have, made by Sher, weighs a ton and handles like a truck, for that matter the 30" Kumar Sirupati does too where as the Bale from Tirtha would be more like a sexy sports car. Just doing a little air cutting with the thing was a joy. I would truly love to have something like this at 30" OAL, like the sirupati and far less ornate so I would feel better whacking things with it. I have done a fair but of chopping with the Kobra as I bought it fairly well used so it isn't hard for me to imagine using a blade this size but lighter.

Kami Tirtha has some mad skillz. Not only can he make a finely tuned, truly balanced blade but he can also do the inlays, carving and engraving work to make them artwork. As I said before, a blade worthy of a Hero in a great battle.
 
I'd love to know how may hours it took, and how many steps were taken, to produce that khuk. What a beautiful blade you've got there - congratulations.
 
Warty, you obviously wasn't as broke as you claimed in that original thread as YOU BOUGHT IT !!!:D Glad you were able to make it happen, although I know you have a substantial collection, it is apparent to me that your collection will NEVER be complete:D

Cya
 
I am as broke as I initially claimed in the thread. You folks really don't know what money do and don't have... I wish I could make this clear to folks but I suppose it is futile. I am quite impressed with this one and I admit that there are things like this that will come along that I may or may not be deciding I want to add to my collection. I think any collection is in a constant state of flux, you are adding and subtracting to them constantly. What appealed to you and felt like something you had to have one day may be for sale he next, same for those you felt weren't anything you wanted. You may change your mind and decide you suddenly would like one of them one day.

I am especially in love with the ones that are made in the form of an animal. This one is made to be representative of a male chicken. You saw the New Hanuman, which s a Monkey (god actually) and there s also Garud (another god) who looks like a parrot to me but is definitely a bird (or a dragon in some folks beliefs) and finally Biralo which is a cat. Like I say, we all have that "thing" that drives us if indeed we are collecting them. For me, I especially love the animal Khukuris.
 
That is a seriously nice addition to the HI lineup. Thanks for all the excellent pics.:thumbup:
Berk
 
Great snag Warty. I especially like the hand shots as it really brings out the lines and proportions of the blade. Best thing is that it sounds like it handles as good as it looks. Thinking that big pommel w/ the metal decor help set the balance point more toward the handle than Siru or Kobra?
 
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ONE fuller Jay, though it does seem like in that one there are two. It does have a nice satin finish to it verses the usual hard chromed look though and I admit I like this much more myself. This is what I tend to do to mine eventually anyway with a Scotchbrite pad.

Monkeybutt: It is hard for me to tell how heavy the handle or pommel really is because the balance of this blade is phenomenal. I will say again that Tirtha really seems to know how to make a balanced blade. I am guessing he will become so sought after as a kami that it will become hard for folks to ask for him to make their special orders because of his backlog. The balance point on this blade is unlike any other khukuri I have handled. This isn't a chopper at all, this is a weapon for killing an opponent in battle and it feels fantastic to swing around. As Kronckew mentions, even the point on it sort of screams skewer something! :cool:
 
Stunning piece of work. I'll just never get over what a great value HI products are. Perpetually awestruck that its so easy to own something (as Robin Shooter pointed out) that represents so much work & talent. We are indeed a fortunate tribe. Shark on, me Buckos!
 
It's a grow-on-me piece, with the shadows of Chitlangi (large pommel), Sirupati (swords of shiva), Gelbu (one fuller ) and the slithers of Kobra (with the cho).

Looks like Tirtha is giving Rajkumar the run for $$$....Bhakta is coming up as well.

Now i'm thinking just how the Himalayan Prince khuk looks like...

Sweet one!:D:thumbup:
 
JayGoliath said:
....Looks like Tirtha is giving Rajkumar the run for $$$....Bhakta is coming up as well.

Now i'm thinking just how the Himalayan Prince khuk looks like...

Sweet one!:D:thumbup:
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Add to this the fact that Pala is back in shop to supervise everyone;)

Congrats to Warty for an excellent shark shag. This really is a piece of art.
I love the fully tapered spine. Just gorgeous all around...well worth the trouble:D
 
Ugly Duck said:
Stunning piece of work. I'll just never get over what a great value HI products are. Perpetually awestruck that its so easy to own something (as Robin Shooter pointed out) that represents so much work & talent. We are indeed a fortunate tribe. Shark on, me Buckos!
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Hear, hear. Well stated.
 
Gotta say props to both Tirtha and Rajkumar for evincing that havin' O.C.D. is a good thing for a craftsman. However, I gotta give the nod to Tirtha when comparing the Bale to something like the Gigantic Tin Chirra for the striking melding of form + function.

And also kudos to Warty 'cause even being low on cash he ponied up for this unique piece. Damn, had I known this badboy had 'COCK' actually inscribed right on it, well then I coulda been the one to say "pardon me while I whip out my...!:D
 
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That is a really nice khuk Warty! Looks like Tirtha is channeling either Kumar or the KWNN (miss that old crew). Happy to see this kind of balanced weapon making returning to the line ;~)
 
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