Wet khukri and sheath problems

Daniel L

Daniel L

Gold Member
Joined
Nov 2, 1998
Messages
1,974
I finally managed to take an off track walk into the bush with my beloved 17.5inch WWII - basically this involved quite a bit of walking in a stream (ie totally submerging the khukri) and srambling on rocks and thru the bush. The brass tip on the sheath did well to protect the sheath and the leather held up well without any waterproofing treatment. Many times I emptied the sheath of water since the drainage isn't that good.

I did a bit of chopping "practice" and washed my kukri in the stream and happily resheathed but I did not realise until I got home that quite significant rusting had occurred. At first I thought it was wood sap but it was rust - this occurred over a period of 6 hours (from time of dunking to time I got home).

Once wet from being submerged, the sheath (the wood actually) does hold the water - you really have to dry the sheath out before resheathing. Following from the thread about sheaths in the jungle, I imagine the leather will hold, but because of the water-holding (esp when walking in deep water), this will cause the blade to rust very quickly.

It has been noted that if a knife is used everyday then the rust is really only cosmetic as the usage (and resharpeniong)will stop the rust from taking hold on the edge.

In fairness, my friend who was with me, was wearing a Kabar and a Cold Steel Recon Scout - both carbon steel blades with leather sheaths thorougly soaked by the stream - but he only experienced light rust on the edges (as both blades are black oxide coated).

If you are going to get the sheath and the khukri thoroughly wet for extended periods of time (as in wading through streams and rivers) then I recommend blueing the blade and if possible, getting a kydex sheath which you can open up and dry faster.

Interestingly, when my khukri was soaked, it started to smell funny - the smell comes from where the blade joins the handle. It smelt like burning rubber - but now that the khukri is dry, the smell is gone. My guess is the himalayan epoxy reacting with the water?

Has anyone else got their khukri and sheaths really wet?



------------------
Daniel
A knifeknut in New Zealand
 
The khukuris will rust fairly quickly if not protected being 5160 or similar. However it is fairly easy to prevent this, currently I use Marine Tuf-Cloth as it is easier to carry than a bottle of Mineral oil.

Concerning the sheaths holding water, I drilled drainage holes in mine.

-Cliff
 
Concerning drainage holes in the scabbards, perhaps this is something Uncle Bill could discuss with the sarkis as part of product improvement on his forthcoming Nepal trip.

Harry

P.S. - Cliff, where on the scabbard did you drill the holes and what size drill bit was used, please?

[This message has been edited by Kozak (edited 13 December 1999).]
 
5160 will certainly rust -- just look at the leaf springs on the old cars in the junk yard. The Marine Tuf-cloth is a good solution for those who work in swamps or other environments which subject everything to getting soaked. A couple of drain holes is also a very good idea. There are ways.



------------------
Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ

 
In "The Mountain Kingdom" by Niven, there is a picture of a Gorkha who had been on assignment. I noticed that his khukuri was covered with rust.

Bob
 
I'll second the vote for marine tuf-cloth. If you can bring along a small bottle of Flitz to polish off any rust, that's good, too.

As we all know, the wood in the sheaths, and the leather on the outside, are both porous materials.

If you are in a situation where you have no supplies, then you can use some natural materials for emergency waterproofing or water resistance. Many kinds of nuts (including pine -- which is very common, can be crushed and the oil put into containers. These oils help separate water from other surfaces and keep it from getting into things like wood and onto the metal of the blade. You could try pouring some of this into the sheath if tuf-cloth or WD-40 isn't available.

Finely crushing the hooves of animals like deer, elk, and others, then boiling the powder, will produce an oil than conditions, preserves, and waterproofs materials such as wood and leather... The oil boils to the surface of the water and can be scooped off and used on the things you want protected. After you scrape everything off the top of the water, you can boil off the rest of the water, and the remaning stuff in the container is a very strong glue, that could serve as an emergency epoxy replacement for repairs in the backcountry.

Hope this helps!

Best,

Brian.
 
Brian,

Boiling animal hoof's sounds like a receipe for "neatsfoot oil".

Big Bob makes an interesting point, a working military khukuri in the jungle may be rusty with only the edge being maintained. Bill, what are khukuri's like in Nepal?

Will
 
Forgot to mention, my vote is for Tuff cloth too. I also use Rust Check automotive underbody spray as well. I think when the sheath is soaked the Rust Check will be washed off. I don't like to let my khukuri's get rusty.

Will
 
I usually use oil on my blades and am not familiar with tuf-cloth. How long can you use a tuf-cloth and does it clean, too?
 
Another tip for cleaning rusty Khuks in the field, is to use the ash from a camp fire. Wood ash has certain properties in it (I was told exactly what they are when I was younger, but I can't remember them right now) that, when rubbed on the steel, both clean off the rust, and help to prevent it from rusting again.
 
You can use a Tuf-Cloth to clean a blade, of course this gets crud on the cloth. As for how long you can use it. I have been using one for over a year now. I have put some Tuf-Glide on it about half a dozen times when it had dried out significantly.

-Cliff
 
When a khuk rusts its just a cosmetic rust like on a shovel or machete, right? It's still functional. It won't rust like a red wagon and crumble and fall apart. If a khuk is going to be used as a tool primarily and not as a collection piece is it worth the anguish of it rusting? I was filing down my machete yesterday and the edge looks fine, the rust doesn't penetrate beneath the surface.
 
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