The HI Graveyard?

[Duzzy]

Hey All,

I was perusing the older sections of the HI Forum (page 500+) and I saw a lot of Bura's early work. Right now I feel an early Bura Malla or BAS calling to me.

Any of you sharks have a secret to acquiring one of these? I know that BladeForums has the Marketplace, and eBay, but those haven't turned up much recently. I haven't purchased a Khuk since my others were stolen (I've been flirting with Machetes recently) and I think it's time to get reacquainted.

So where do older (pre-2002 would be cool) HI Khuks go when they're no longer wanted?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Karda]

The only place to find em' is in the places you've mentioned. at least the only places that i've ever seen
The only time you see any real number of older pieces come up for sale is when one of us Cantinista's walk west and the treasure trove is liquidated by his family/estate, i'm both happy and sad to say.....It does say something about our little family, though, that these pieces of scrap metal, wood and horn become a treasured part of our lives.
Usually when older pieces come up for sale, they end up bought rather quickly by someone here and stay in the family, just in a different collection.

 

[JayGoliath]

I would love to have Bura's CAK or Sirupate.
One of the very few Kamis who could make large khuks and small one for asians AND maintain really good balance.

Any blade that bears Bura's sig will be sharked really quick.

 

[Karda]

I would love to have Bura's CAK or Sirupate.
One of the very few Kamis who could make large khuks and small one for asians AND maintain really good balance.

Any blade that bears Bura's sig will be sharked really quick.

Many people feel that way,jay.
There are reasons. IMHO, bura is a master/the royal kami because he has an innate sense of form and function that not many kamis achieve in one lifetime. His sense of form, balance and performance is exceedingly acute.
He is the reason that H.I.'s quality has been top notch all these years.
I can't tell you how much it pains me that he is too sick to do what he loves and may not return to work.

 

[JayGoliath]

Many people feel that way,jay.
There are reasons. IMHO, bura is a master/the royal kami because he has an innate sense of form and function that not many kamis achieve in one lifetime. His sense of form, balance and performance is exceedingly acute.
He is the reason that H.I.'s quality has been top notch all these years.
I can't tell you how much it pains me that he is too sick to do what he loves and may not return to work.
__________________

Karda i feel you.
I could feel the sense of loss in Auntie of what she experienced this year.
Bura's poor health and Sher's departure had certainly pause the flow of HI. EACH kami is different but somehow Bura just blessed with the Midas's touch.
Back in the day the Royal kami would stick around in Shop 1 just to repair and improvise the blem khuk, turned them into jaw-dropper. Each day he challenged himself to be better and certainly he made everyone around him better too.

2011 should be another promising year with great hopes and exciting products launch. We shall see some new designs from Hung and me and a whole lotta goodness.

 

[kamagong]

I have three of Bura's blades -- the first BGRS, a 21" Chitlangi, and the Tarwar that is shown on the shopping site. I'll never sell any of them, especially the BGRS. Bura made a khukuri that was second to none, but this BGRS is special. I feel that the first specimen of any new model is usually the best one. The knives that follow usually end up departing from the original. That was the case with the first Malla, and I think it also applies to this BGRS. Additionally, this knife was made before Bura had a stroke. As remarkable as he was in continuing to work after he suffered his stroke, I admit to seeing a difference in quality in the knives he made before compared to the knives he made after. I consider this BGRS irreplaceable.

Good luck on your search.

 

[pmwc78]

Only 3 Bura's to my name and each is unique and irreplaceable. 17" Gelbu was my first khuk, 20" heavy Siru was a fluke design that is a short sword in handling and my favorite to use, and the 18" Tin Chirra with the dragon-carved handle, Absolute Beauty.

If ever there were an opportunity to pick up some of his work I'd jump on it as well.

 

[tyr_shadowblade]

I've swapped and sold a number of HI blades over the years, but the pair of Bura Movie Models hanging on my wall are here for the duration.

 

[Duzzy]

I figured that it was a difficult request. I have one of the last Tarwars Bura made and I love it--but something about the shape of the early Mallas is exquisite.

Thanks for the responses guys.

 

[kamagong]

I figured that it was a difficult request. I have one of the last Tarwars Bura made and I love it--but something about the shape of the early Mallas is exquisite.

Thanks for the responses guys.

If you're looking for a Malla, look for a khukuri crafted by Kumar. He made the 1st one, and that knife was one of the best that ever came out of BirGorkha. I think it was better than any of the Mallas that Bura made.

 

[Svashtar]

If you're looking for a Malla, look for a khukuri crafted by Kumar. He made the 1st one, and that knife was one of the best that ever came out of BirGorkha. I think it was better than any of the Mallas that Bura made.

Hey guys! Sorry for resurrecting this old thread, but poking around here as I had some business elsewhere on the forums.

Kamagong is right, and come to think of it, I've never even seen a Bura Malla. I have 6 of them, 4 by Kumar and 2 by Sher, and the Kumar's are the best. Kumar also made the very first Malla in 25" in satisal as a special order from Uncle Bill, which he did a wonderful job on; Mike (Ad Astra) got the mate of it in Horn. He did it at the same time as the first 25" Chitlangi, as a pair for me; I often wish I had kept one of them in horn, but thought the wood would hold up better over time and could be refinished it necessary.

Kumar did a wonderful job on all of his knives, (as long as you didn't buy a knife from him around Daishan time...! )

Man, I sure miss this place...! Sounds like things are going well though with lot's of new faces.

(I can tell I should have checked here first though before pricing a couple of things lately...!)

Hope you guys are well, and blessings and smoke to the Kamis, Yandgu and the computer shack in Reno. :thumbup:

Norm

P.S. Love that farm knife. The first model I've seen in a long time that I've yearned for. Looks just like a reversed R-1 Stick Knife, and I'm sure cuts even better. Best. N.


R-1 Stick Knife Initial Review pics, 9-30-2006:

 

[Steely_Gunz]

NORM!

You're always welcome here, bud. Dust off your bar seat and have a sit-down a little more often, will ya

 

[Abaniko]

NORM!

You're always welcome here, bud. Dust off your bar seat and have a sit-down a little more often, will ya

Seconded! Hi Norm!

 

[Karda]

NORM!

You're always welcome here, bud. Dust off your bar seat and have a sit-down a little more often, will ya

+10!

Watch this to the end, it'll make ya chuckle....
[youtube]HPqPAKqzx7M[/youtube]
[youtube]QVS3WNt7yRU[/youtube]

 

[stickfred]

What Steely and Abaniko said +1 Norm. Always glad to have the earlier gang show up and share. I know that interests change and lives get busy but it is always an honor when one of you surfaces again on the Forum. Even the Duck popped in recently. No need to be strangers. You helped build this forum and you're always welcome.

Peace

Rick

 

[Howard Wallace]

...Kamagong is right, and come to think of it, I've never even seen a Bura Malla. I have 6 of them, 4 by Kumar and 2 by Sher, and the Kumar's are the best. Kumar also made the very first Malla in 25" in satisal as a special order from Uncle Bill, which he did a wonderful job on; Mike (Ad Astra) got the mate of it in Horn. He did it at the same time as the first 25" Chitlangi, as a pair for me; I often wish I had kept one of them in horn, but thought the wood would hold up better over time and could be refinished it necessary....

Here is a picture of the first Malla, along with a quote from Bill.

This is a replica of a khukuri found buried under the floor of BirGorkha. It was nearly eaten up by rust but the kamis knew it was an old timer and suggested to Gelbu that he take the remnant to HMG Archeological Society for ID. The HMG experts figured it was a quality piece from the Malla period so we are going to call this model khukuri the "Malla" khukuri. And, it generated so much interest with HMG and the kamis that Kumar actually got more help and advice than he wanted!
The khukuri is 19 inches, 2 inches wide, 7/16 thick and weighs about 2 & 1/4 pounds. There are a couple of unique things about the khukuri which should be mentioned. The spine is flat (rather than in the traditional "V") like my old Salyan, our logo khukuri. Karda and chakma are works unto themselves with brass bolsters and chos.

The handle is of grey horn. It is a very fine knife, among the best I've seen. A few years ago it was passed on to a young man beginning his first tour of duty with the US Marine Corps.

 

[Svashtar]

Here is a picture of the first Malla, along with a quote from Bill.



The handle is of grey horn. It is a very fine knife, among the best I've seen. A few years ago it was passed on to a young man beginning his first tour of duty with the US Marine Corps.

Yes, I remember this well, and it is the Cadillac of all Malla's, truly exquisite work! At 2.25 lbs. it weighs exactly what a 25" Malla would weigh several years later, while a 19" would come in at around 23-25 oz., so they definitely got lighter. I remember very well when you gave it away Howard, with a quote about "lay not up your treasures where moth and dust corrupt" or something like that. One of the more generous gestures I've seen on the forum, if you don't mind my saying so.

Thanks to all of you for a generous greeting. I was out of work for a long time, got back working in mid-2008, and for over a year was unable to access BF from work. At night I'm studying to get my MBA so that's 4 hours nightly, so I really shouldn't even be playing hooky here!

Trouble is every time I show up I see yet another cool knife. Last time I checked in Bura was still OK, Sher was thinking about leaving I think, and I wasn't sure about Kumar. There was a newer Kami Vim who was making some really nice stuff as I recall.

I hope the situation in Nepal gets resolved soon, for everyone's sake, and knives are flowing again in record amounts.

Regards,

Norm