Wayward WWII Era M43

Dirtbiker · Jan 17, 2015

As many of you here know I tend to come across lost and forgotten kukris from a time long past. Today I received a really nice WWII era, M43 pattern, private purchase, kukri made by Allied steel in Calcutta I believe.

Specs
18" long
Horn with brass
23.3 oz

This one appears all correct and original to the time period. This one is unique as it is horn handled and uses brass accents. This does put it outside of WWII action as brass was in great demand and it wouldn't have been wasted on decorations. Karda has the correct copper banding but the chakmak did not and appears to have never had it. Sheath is great except at one time or another the blade was inserted carelessly and it poked out through the outside bend of the sheath. PS this thing is sharp, I mean near shaving and the edge appears unaltered. Never had one this sharp.

Here are some before and after pictures. All I do is clean them with polish and elbow grease as to not destroy their original finish.

Have some trouble with photobucket so more pictures to come.

Now after about an hour

Not all of the rust blemishes came off but most of it looks new.

Now for my secret weapon... An overnight soak in mineral oil to really make the horn come alive.

The sheath needs attention but I've run out of my leather conditioners so it will have to wait.

DarthTaco123 · Jan 17, 2015

Wowowowowowowow! Beautiful khukuri, weird to see m43 and something under 30oz.

davidf99 · Jan 17, 2015

Very nice. That's my favorite blade shape and the handle looks good, too.

Scara · Jan 17, 2015

About how thick is the spine?

Dirtbiker · Jan 17, 2015

DarthTaco123 said:
Wowowowowowowow! Beautiful khukuri, weird to see m43 and something under 30oz.

Well I'll tell ya, I wouldn't trust it to chop hard wood. A 30oz HI M43 can handle just about anything you can throw at it.

DarthTaco123 · Jan 17, 2015

I have a 38 oz m43 coming in Monday (didn't arrive in the post today), if it handles wood like my Purna dui chirra, I'll not be afraid of taking it to hard wood.

Gehazi · Jan 17, 2015

very cool, love everything about it !

Dirtbiker · Jan 17, 2015

Scara said:
About how thick is the spine?

Starts at about .30 at the bolster and narrows down to below .15 near the tip.

WFD · Jan 18, 2015

Hi Dirtbiker,

A beautiful knife, do you mind if I ask a few questions:

Does it have a full tang like the HI M43s? (sorry if that's an ignorant question, don't know much about historical kukris)

Are those horn caps over the rivets that hold the handle to the tang? If so, it's a wonder they are still there after all those years.

What did you use to clean up the blade?

Thanks,

- Bill D.

Rhinoknives1 · Jan 18, 2015

Great piece of History and a heck of a blade!
I have an interest in obtaining a WWII Kukuri. How do I establish that its authentic?
I know there are ways to pre maturely age steel and horn.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. If you want to keep your thread all about this fine purchase, then please PM me.

Thanks.

JayGoliath · Jan 18, 2015

Nice score DirtBiker.

On the leather conditioner, try Obernaufs.

jdk1 · Jan 18, 2015

DarthTaco123 said:
Wowowowowowowow! Beautiful khukuri, weird to see m43 and something under 30oz.

The weight of this one is right on for a vintage M43.

Nice Score DB! I saw that one and thought about it as well

DarthTaco123 · Jan 18, 2015

Oh, I knew it was right, just the difference between these and the HI ones.

philllll · Jan 18, 2015

Amazing find! Can we see a close-up of the stamp?

Dirtbiker · Jan 18, 2015

Rhinoknives1 said:
Great piece of History and a heck of a blade!
I have an interest in obtaining a WWII Kukuri. How do I establish that its authentic?
I know there are ways to pre maturely age steel and horn.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. If you want to keep your thread all about this fine purchase, then please PM me.

Thanks.

Most all vintage kukris have hallmarks in their construction that can tell you their appoximate age. I started by useing google and researching vintage kukris. Lots of good info out there on the web.

Dirtbiker · Jan 18, 2015

philllll said:
Amazing find! Can we see a close-up of the stamp?

Here you go...

Dirtbiker · Jan 18, 2015

WFD said:
Hi Dirtbiker,

A beautiful knife, do you mind if I ask a few questions:

Does it have a full tang like the HI M43s? (sorry if that's an ignorant question, don't know much about historical kukris)

Are those horn caps over the rivets that hold the handle to the tang? If so, it's a wonder they are still there after all those years.

What did you use to clean up the blade?

Thanks,

- Bill D.

Yes, M43 and MKII kukris all have a full chiruwa tang.

I'm not sure if the caps are horn or not but they are really in there.

To clean the blade I use a polish called weanol (German) and wash it in hot water with plain old dish soap.

philllll · Jan 18, 2015

Thanks for the pic, Db. That thing is in outstanding condition.

J W Bensinger · Jan 18, 2015

Very nice! I had a Pioneer Calcutta but it was kinda junky-It was the one I cloned and sold. That is pretty slick.

WFD · Jan 18, 2015

Dirtbiker said:
Yes, M43 and MKII kukris all have a full chiruwa tang.

I'm not sure if the caps are horn or not but they are really in there.

To clean the blade I use a polish called weanol (German) and wash it in hot water with plain old dish soap.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks Dirtbiker!

Bill D.