Time to play, "Is it real, or fake"!

[Boywondered]

Hey everyone,

I happened to find myself at an auction today and on a table of knives, lo and behold, there was a very familiar but rough looking shape of a khukuri. I pulled it out of the sheath, looked it over a bit, and decided that if the price was right that I would pick it up and add it to the collection. Well, I walked away with it after paying $10. Now I am trying to decide how good of a decision I made. I have a few pictures below, and as many specific numbers that I could get.

So I ask you, the forum: Do you think it's authentic, or not? I have my opinion, but would like the group to weigh in before I give away my less than expert thoughts.

Both sides of the sheath, with the khukuri in it. As you can see it has seen a few miles...

And now what everyone really cares about...

If the pics don't load, here are the numbers:
OAL: 16 3/8"
BL: 12"
Width at Ricasso: 1 1/8"
Width at Belly: 2 1/16"
Drop: 3 3/16"
Weight: ~1 lb (16 oz) (I don't have a scale handy, so this is a guestimate)
Balance Point: Middle of knife, 1/2" behind the shoulder
The blade is fairly sharp, given it's condition

Spine width:
Upper spine (Ricasso): 5/16"
At shoulder: 1/4"
At Belly: 7/32"
1/2" from tip: 1/8"

The karda and chakmak came with it too. The karda is rusty, but very sharp.

Here are close-ups around the bolster/cho, as well as near the pommel. There are no identifying marks or stamps on the blade to indicate a manufacture date/place. If you look, you can see there are two different types of horn used for the handle. The handle is very dry, cracked, and the two different horn pieces shrank differently highlighting the fact there are two.

Here are two pics with it compared to my BAS. My BAS is a 16" OAL, and 20 oz. The BAS feels slightly heavier than the new-old khuk. The spine is also thicker on the BAS.

The handle fits fairly well in my hand, even for having shrunk, and it feels very light and balanced. There is slight concavity on both sides of the blade (~1/32")

So, let me know what you think.

 

[cj65]

I would buy that for 10. Good snag!

 

[not2sharp]

It looks like a vintage bazar khukri from the 1960-70s.

n2s

 

[Boywondered]

not2sharp - That was the thought I had as well.

 

[Karda]

That being said, it looks like a decent vintage piece, very well worth the price paid.
The only way to tell if it's a usable piece is to check the edge with an Rc file or to use it. Using it may destroy the edge if its not good and probably will likely break the handle as dry as it looks. As it is not highly collectible, I would hydrate the handle with hooflex or mineral oil and put an edge on it and only use it lightly and sparingly, if at all.

 

[Boywondered]

There are some small nicks in the blade where it looks like it was used a bit before. I am still deciding what I ultimately plan to do with it. I like the idea of re-hydrating the handle. I might do a little work to get rid of the large patches of rust. I have my HI blades to use, so there is no reason to beat this one up just for the heck of it. It may just become a display, sans the shredded sheath.

 

[Dirtbiker]

Rub some simichrome or Weanol metal polish on the blade to remove the staining, epoxy on the buttcap and file to shape, then fill a glass with mineral oil and submerge the handle for a couple of days. Should come out looking pretty good.

 

[sweetcostarica]

There was a very familiar but rough looking shape of a khukuri...

Well, I walked away with it after paying $10...

So I ask you, the forum: Do you think it's authentic, or not? Yes!!!

And now what everyone really cares about...

"Holy History" Boywondered! I can't believe I missed this thread earlier. Great job getting this piece of history and for only $10 USD! Nice "real" classic Kukri. I say classic because all of your dimensions are common and expected from this kind of traditional Nepali Kukri that I've seen. Most people know I have a soft spot for these traditional blades and you made my day.

All common measurements for this type of knife
Overal: 16 3/8"
Blade length: 12"
Spine upper spine at Bolster: 5/16"
Spine at shoulder: 1/4"
Spine at Belly: 7/32"
Spine 1/2" from tip: 1/8
Weight: 1 lb (16 oz) roughly

Your guesstimate of about a 16 ounce weight is about average for like Kukris . Just like other traditional blades in Southeast Asia; Barong, Parang, Golok, etc. Early Military Kukris tend to be heavier though.

This Kukri reminds me of other private purchased knives I sometimes see on eBay's auctions. Until you find out more information on this albeit well used kukri I wouldn't use or clean it at all any further. You might have a collector's piece.



Thanks for sharing.

 

[Boywondered]

Dirtbiker - Good ideas. I think for the time being, I am going to wait and maybe just make it a wall-mounter.

sweatcostarica - I am glad I could make your day. I have seen some of the newer "tourist" khuks (my sister-in-laws boyfriend bought one last year against my advise) and a few elsewhere. When I saw this one, and pulled it from the sheath I knew it was different. Fortunately, I don't think anyone else knew or cared what is was so there is pretty much no competition. It would have been nice if the sheath was in better shape, but you can't have everything.