- Joined
- Mar 8, 1999
- Messages
- 8,911
Had a little more time with it now, and I remain satisfied. I believe this will have a home as long as either I'm still around or unless someone else convinces me they deserve it.
This isn't to say that it doesn't need work on it. The edge needs a good honing. Some of the buttcap needs to be better fitted as it sticks out a few thousandths over the wood. Top and bottom points of the "Eye of God" can be smoothed up. The handle should be reworked to a more oval cross-section, etc.
Ben, there's another way to find the sweet spot. It's the part that the kamis harden more than the rest of the blade. So take a good clean file and run it down the blade as it you were shaping the edge but don't use too much pressure. You'll find that the tip and the back of the recurve are softer. Then notice how when you reach the khuk's belly the file wants to skid or slip off the blade due to the hardness of the sweet spot.
Oh yes, have to file down the tip of the chape so it's more rounded and doesn't poke holes in stuff so easily ( stuff like the flesh of your leg ) Little things like that help the khuk know it's valued and cherished. Then when it's all set to go, give it a good oiling with choji sutra oil ( that's about 1 oz. clove oil to 8 or 10 ozs. Kama Sutra Pleasure Garden oil, and mix thoroughly ). I am serious about using that mix. Ask Yvsa if you don't believe it. He'll tell you how long the scent permeates leather, wood, and steel.
This isn't to say that it doesn't need work on it. The edge needs a good honing. Some of the buttcap needs to be better fitted as it sticks out a few thousandths over the wood. Top and bottom points of the "Eye of God" can be smoothed up. The handle should be reworked to a more oval cross-section, etc.
Ben, there's another way to find the sweet spot. It's the part that the kamis harden more than the rest of the blade. So take a good clean file and run it down the blade as it you were shaping the edge but don't use too much pressure. You'll find that the tip and the back of the recurve are softer. Then notice how when you reach the khuk's belly the file wants to skid or slip off the blade due to the hardness of the sweet spot.
Oh yes, have to file down the tip of the chape so it's more rounded and doesn't poke holes in stuff so easily ( stuff like the flesh of your leg ) Little things like that help the khuk know it's valued and cherished. Then when it's all set to go, give it a good oiling with choji sutra oil ( that's about 1 oz. clove oil to 8 or 10 ozs. Kama Sutra Pleasure Garden oil, and mix thoroughly ). I am serious about using that mix. Ask Yvsa if you don't believe it. He'll tell you how long the scent permeates leather, wood, and steel.