To Chiruwa or not - That is the question

That is a lot of shrinkage! I would round off the metal edge with a file now, when it is well exposed. Just to take off a minimal amount of metal so the tang doesn't have sharp edges.

If the wood actually comes all the way back you could make the edges match again with a little sanding.
 
Now see, I'd soak before I filed. Get the wood back as much as possible (it's taken me a week on some non H-I knives before). Put it somewhere you can forget it for a bit, maybe fondle another knife or two and come back in a couple days.
 
I like David`s suggestion (file now while it`s well exposed) to round off the edges a little.

Btw I didn't expect much after a day but I prefer taking the pic now as opposed as. Been sorry - I "should of" document this better after the fact.

I'll post here the picture of the day. Day after day... Creating some sort of thread and opening the bets for the amount of recovery we'll get.
(Probably just as exiting as watching hairs growing) :yawn::D:yawn:
 
Lol ndoghouse
It actually was super exciting.

I wonder how much influence the room/oil temperature has.
 
Jens Schuetz said:
Lol ndoghouse
It actually was super exciting.

I wonder how much influence the room/oil temperature has.
Click to expand...

That's another thing. I was tempted to increase the temperature with a light. Currently it's Canadian "normal" room temperature +- 65 deg :-)
 
I think the type of wood probably has the most effect on how much absorption you get. The piece in my test was Asare and is a very light porous wood. Satasal is very dense and dont seem to soak up near as much (maybe it does?) but we all know it shrinks cracks. That test KLVUK still has an oily sheen to it but it doesnt feel slippery or oily when using it. If I did it all over again I think id soak it one day in mineral oil wipe it clean and then about three days in BLO or something similar to what pugs is doing. I think as long as you put something on the handle and maintain it you wont have a problem with it. Getting it back to original shape may not ever happen since you cant rehydrate it with water without rusting things. One of these days id like to build a vacuum chamber from a piece of clear tubing large enough to slip a Khukri inside and make two end caps to close it off. I have a vacuum pump for air condition service I could easily pull a vacuum on it to absorb stabilizing chemicals into the wood while on the Khukri. I think Id start with Satisal and treat it as oak for starters. I dont know the effects of stabilizing chemicals on steel or laha for that matter so it may not be possible? It would be fun to experiment with tho.
 
snowwolf said:
That's another thing. I was tempted to increase the temperature with a light. Currently it's Canadian "normal" room temperature +- 65 deg :-)
Click to expand...
I heated mine 2 minutes in the microwave until it became borderline uncomfortably hot.
It stayed hot for a loooong time. Much much longer than water would.
Did it make a difference? I dont know since I didnt compare identical wood with and without heat. It became less viscous for sure and should soak in better but maybe warm woods fibers behave differently? So it seems likely to work better but not 100 percent sure. Yet. :D

A combination of of cold and heat might work the oil in even better if the fibers kind of open and close under temperature changes and work the stuff in. Pure speculation of course and kind of calling for an experiment.

Got some sparewood lying around....:cool:
 
ndoghouse said:
...One of these days id like to build a vacuum chamber from a piece of clear tubing large enough to slip a Khukri inside and make two end caps to close it off. I have a vacuum pump for air condition service I could easily pull a vacuum on it to absorb stabilizing chemicals into the wood while on the Khukri. I think Id start with Satisal and treat it as oak for starters. I dont know the effects of stabilizing chemicals on steel or laha for that matter so it may not be possible? It would be fun to experiment with tho.
Click to expand...

I didn't grasp how a vacuum would increase the absorption, so I looked into the process for stabilizing wood. The vacuum removes air from the pores and voids in the submerged wood. It's after the vacuum is removed that the submerged wood more readily absorbs the liquid resin (at normal atmospheric pressure). The wood then needs to be baked to harden the resin (for the process I read about, at least).
 
It's quite a complicated process and for best durability and use the formula has to be correct.

I purchased some stabilized wood from a guy and made gun grips. Everyone cracked and broke after just a few shots.
Still would make nice knife handles where they are glued and pinned on but couldn't handle being held on with screws and recoil.

A new outfit I use explained to me the first guys formula was off and they were too brittle.

The new outfits slabs have never had an issue of any kind. You can get it clear or with different color dyes, beautiful stuff, just bloody expensive.

He said it could be done at home but it's trial and error and takes some effort to get it right.

I wish I could do it myself for a lot less but I suspect it won't happen.
 
Getting pretty complicated.
Maybe easier to just move to a rain forest & start over with all-new knives, to avoid shrinkage & recovery entirely?
Denis
 
I predict it's good as it's gonna get myself. Be interesting to see but I don't forsee any more improvement.

Unless it's just plumb too thick and not soaking it which I doubt, it think it's nourished.
 
I've been applying Ballistol two or three times a day to two horns for 5 days.
Not seeing much improvement there.

I do like the look of the horns, but I'm thinking I'll stick to wood from here on out.

The wood on the Chitlangi Bowie hasn't shrunk much at all since '06.
Denis
 
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