- Joined
- Oct 11, 2000
- Messages
- 372
Let me say at the outset that I have only the highest appreciation and admiration for the efforts of the producers of this video "Gurkha Steel", and that all and any comments I make here which might appear to be less than flattering is to be seen as attempts to highlight new questions on aspects which might not have come across very clearly in the video due to lack of opportunity and time. The video is very definitely a boon to all khukuri collectors and enthusiasts and is a must to obtain and study.
I have numbered my comments for easy reference and additional comments by forumites. It is hoped this topic will encourage many forumites to add their own thoughts for the benefit of all.
1 "Lalit owns two khukuri retail stores in Kathmandu." I believe one of these is Khukuri House, but which is the other?
2 "He supplies GH with their inventory." Interesting to know he also supplies "Roof of the World" in Johannesburg, South Africa.
3 "TB supervises over 200 men..." One wonders how many of these are master bishwakarmas, how many assistants etc? Lets assume there are only five masters. Would it not stimulate sales if the khukuris crafted by these masters could have their initials on them? Collector would say: "I have a cheetlang by this or that master bishwakarma of Nepal, obtained through GH." I for one would really love to know who made my cheetlang or any of my other GH items.
4 "Together they supply khukuris to the British Gurkha Regiments..." One wonders if there are also OTHER contractors (in Nepal or India) who do the same.
5 The cho is hammered into the blade with a special punch. This means a specific punch will give an identical cho every time. If the facility has, say, five punches in total, and if each punch is recognisably different from the other, one would be able to identify khuks by punch mark while the punches must last a considerable time.
6 Inlays with brass are put in before tempering. I assume this means special care must be taken that the heating associated with tempering does not melt the soft brass inlay.
7 Differential tempering is obtained by very judiciously quenching the edge with cold water. So the process called "drawing" is not practiced.
8 I am wondering how the edges of the brass bolsters and buttcap are brought together after shaping. I would have though they needed to silver solder them. I saw no indication of this. Can it be done without solder?
9 It was interesting to see the assistant using a khukuri to rough out the shape of the handle from the buffalo horn. Khukuris were also used to help obtain the shape of the polishing wheel while still soft.
10 I always thought the idea of the peened tang point was primarilly to hold the handle to the tang. I see from the video that it is the laha that actually secures the handle to the tang. The peened tang tip only HELPS in this (plays a secondary role).
11 It's marvelous to see an assistant grasping the khukuri by its handle with a tool having rounded claw-like jaws, before filing the forged steel. He does not use his hands for this. He wraps his one leg over the other with the tool handles in between them, to allow the jaws to firmly grip the khuk handle so that he can file the blade. I think this technique needs to be fully appreciated.
12 It was very refreshing to see the good humour amongst the "actors" during the takes. I think the "actors" were alternatively shy, inhibited and at the same time amused and excited by their roles in the video program.
13 Not shown were the actual putting (glueing) together of the two halves of the wooden sheath slabs, the final cleaning up of the stitched leather, and the crafting of the karda and chakmak.
14 TB attempts to cut into one khukuri blade (edge and spine area) with the cutting edge of another. I assume nicks will be caused by this testing process, which will have to be polished out by the kami AFTER TB has put his initials on the buttcap. In fact, I assume final cleaning up of the khuks still have to be done before they are ready to be marketed. For instance, the horn handles appear to be grey, not black, indicating they are still relatively in the rough.
15 The initials in Nepalese script which appears on GH blades need to be stamped in before tempering, so I suppose the master does this at the same time as engraving. There must be special punches for this. (Speaking of punches and the like, I would REALLY like to see serial numbers on high-quality original khukuris! Let the tourist khuks go unpunched!)
16 "I found khukuris from Nepal that gave my country a bad name." I wondered if these khukuris lacked proper finishing, or maybe TB is referring to blades with bad tempering, or both.
17 It was a masterful idea to use the villager at the close of the video! He is shown wearing a khukuri in the front of his belt. I suppose that's tradition to wear it there. I wondered what that khuk looks like up close. Where did he procure it, who made it? How good is it? Is it one of TB's? The villager seems to be using a chakmak held vertically, and striking downwards upon a flint to make sparks for the tinder. But I can't make it out clearly.
18 My heartiest congratulations, and thanks on behalf of all enthisiasts, Craig!
I have numbered my comments for easy reference and additional comments by forumites. It is hoped this topic will encourage many forumites to add their own thoughts for the benefit of all.
1 "Lalit owns two khukuri retail stores in Kathmandu." I believe one of these is Khukuri House, but which is the other?
2 "He supplies GH with their inventory." Interesting to know he also supplies "Roof of the World" in Johannesburg, South Africa.
3 "TB supervises over 200 men..." One wonders how many of these are master bishwakarmas, how many assistants etc? Lets assume there are only five masters. Would it not stimulate sales if the khukuris crafted by these masters could have their initials on them? Collector would say: "I have a cheetlang by this or that master bishwakarma of Nepal, obtained through GH." I for one would really love to know who made my cheetlang or any of my other GH items.
4 "Together they supply khukuris to the British Gurkha Regiments..." One wonders if there are also OTHER contractors (in Nepal or India) who do the same.
5 The cho is hammered into the blade with a special punch. This means a specific punch will give an identical cho every time. If the facility has, say, five punches in total, and if each punch is recognisably different from the other, one would be able to identify khuks by punch mark while the punches must last a considerable time.
6 Inlays with brass are put in before tempering. I assume this means special care must be taken that the heating associated with tempering does not melt the soft brass inlay.
7 Differential tempering is obtained by very judiciously quenching the edge with cold water. So the process called "drawing" is not practiced.
8 I am wondering how the edges of the brass bolsters and buttcap are brought together after shaping. I would have though they needed to silver solder them. I saw no indication of this. Can it be done without solder?
9 It was interesting to see the assistant using a khukuri to rough out the shape of the handle from the buffalo horn. Khukuris were also used to help obtain the shape of the polishing wheel while still soft.
10 I always thought the idea of the peened tang point was primarilly to hold the handle to the tang. I see from the video that it is the laha that actually secures the handle to the tang. The peened tang tip only HELPS in this (plays a secondary role).
11 It's marvelous to see an assistant grasping the khukuri by its handle with a tool having rounded claw-like jaws, before filing the forged steel. He does not use his hands for this. He wraps his one leg over the other with the tool handles in between them, to allow the jaws to firmly grip the khuk handle so that he can file the blade. I think this technique needs to be fully appreciated.
12 It was very refreshing to see the good humour amongst the "actors" during the takes. I think the "actors" were alternatively shy, inhibited and at the same time amused and excited by their roles in the video program.
13 Not shown were the actual putting (glueing) together of the two halves of the wooden sheath slabs, the final cleaning up of the stitched leather, and the crafting of the karda and chakmak.
14 TB attempts to cut into one khukuri blade (edge and spine area) with the cutting edge of another. I assume nicks will be caused by this testing process, which will have to be polished out by the kami AFTER TB has put his initials on the buttcap. In fact, I assume final cleaning up of the khuks still have to be done before they are ready to be marketed. For instance, the horn handles appear to be grey, not black, indicating they are still relatively in the rough.
15 The initials in Nepalese script which appears on GH blades need to be stamped in before tempering, so I suppose the master does this at the same time as engraving. There must be special punches for this. (Speaking of punches and the like, I would REALLY like to see serial numbers on high-quality original khukuris! Let the tourist khuks go unpunched!)
16 "I found khukuris from Nepal that gave my country a bad name." I wondered if these khukuris lacked proper finishing, or maybe TB is referring to blades with bad tempering, or both.
17 It was a masterful idea to use the villager at the close of the video! He is shown wearing a khukuri in the front of his belt. I suppose that's tradition to wear it there. I wondered what that khuk looks like up close. Where did he procure it, who made it? How good is it? Is it one of TB's? The villager seems to be using a chakmak held vertically, and striking downwards upon a flint to make sparks for the tinder. But I can't make it out clearly.
18 My heartiest congratulations, and thanks on behalf of all enthisiasts, Craig!
