Why kukri?

Dried out wild grape vine 3"+ diameter is some seriously tough stuff too!
moogoogaidan, you can modify a standard sheath to Baldric carry. I just finished a sheath for my 20" AK in which I left room to move to baldric carry. As soon as I regain the mental energy to post the pics of making the sheath I will. I was also told that you can wet mold rawhide to a Khukuri blade then cover it with basic or upholstery grade leather to make a light weight "pretty" baldric. If I ever figure that one out i"ll post a how to. The sheath I made for my 20" AK weighs in at 5& 1/2 ounces.
 
I carry one partly because it's much easier to carry than an axe, and more useful than an axe or hatchet or Bowie(blasphemy, I know).
It just does so many things so well. Plus, the only axe I have that takes an edge as well as an HI Khuk is my Fiskars axe, and it's only useful as an axe. Plus it's a bit of a pain to carry around all day. Plus, my HI Tamang is hardly noticeable on my hip. HI knives or no knives. I'm a lifelong fan.
Now I need a Tarwar, AK Bowie, Munk Chunk cleaver, etc, etc.

Machetes? We don't need no stinking machetes. I think a Tarwar will do anything I could ask of a machete and then some.

Then, there's the fact that the HI knives are unique, and beautiful tools. Plus the quality of the product.

I like the rawhide idea, since rawhide hardens as it dries. Only problem with that is the fact that rawhide also shrinks as it dries. The blade may need to be wrapped with something else before wrapping it with rawhide, to keep it from being stuck on the blade.
I may have to try it on one of my cheap Indo khuks, just for proof of concept, before doing it to my HI BC or Tamang. I'd hate to ruin an HI knife. That would make me sick. I don't think I want to go back to a life without HI knives. They're made just the way I like. TOUGH.

+1 on wild grape vine. It's a bugger to cut when it's dry. But it sure smells sweet when you burn it.
 
Jaymo,wipe the blade with mineral oil then wrap blade in Saran (clear plastic kitchen wrap) then wrap in liberally soaked cowhide(rawhide) then nail to a board & leave it to dry (don't stitch it up yet). When it is dry it should have shrunk (form fitted) to the shape of the blade. Remove the blade & cut away what you don't want. What ever would keep you from easily inserting and removing the blade. Then apply Barge Cement or contact adhesive to the outside of the rawhide and the backing of the "cover" material of your choice. Let dry again then stitch and enjoy a nice looking nearly indestructible custom scabbard for your Khuk or other fine cutlery. I have also done this with non-stainless pistols (hence the coat in oil then saran wrap) before shrinking the raw hide to fit approach.
Leather it is renewal-able, its GREEN, it can be carved and painted/stained,cavemen have used it and except for chemical exposure it makes most plastics look like cheap imitators.
 
oldschool, making a rawhide sheath definitely sounds like something I'd like to try! Where do you suggest I buy rawhide?

Jaymo, different folks, different strokes! I have a tarwar, but there's no way I need all that heft and steel in the baking heat of the desert. A light, thin machete better suits my needs: less energy expended carrying it, easier to sharpen, I can swing it faster and with one hand (which is better for thin, hard, wiry brush than a two-handed bruiser like a tarwar), and best of all, it's cheap!
 
Moogoo, shoot me a PM or email with your location and I'll try to track it down for you. Worst case, get a extra large rawhide dog bone and soak it till it gets pliable then flaten it out and let it dry then re-soak and form to the blade. You can do this with normal leather it just isn't as durable.
 
BTW, if you want a baldric on the cheap, you can do what I did at first:

Get a Mosin Nagant sling. (They run about $12).
They are made to sling a 4' long rifle, so there's plenty of length to work with.

They use "dog collars" -- what look like two small belts with buckles on the ends -- to attach to the Mosin rifle. Pass the end of one side through the frog on the kukri sheath, and attach it to the buckle of the other end of the sling. Then take the end of that other end, and wrap it around the outside of the frog and attach it to the buckle of the first end of the sheath. Essentially you make a wide loop that the frog of the original sheath comes in. You can either let it hang free, or pass your belt through the frog to hold it in place at your waist, and then adjust the sling to carry it where you want.
 
Every blade (knife) design has its own uses, but an khukri combines the most of them with one exception - very delicate work. For that you'll need a smaller knife. (hence the karda designs and inclusion to the khukri as a set) I personally prefer to substitute those with a multi-tool.
The only "problems" with a design like the khukri is the relatively larger weight and the carrying consideration.
Small axe, hatchet, bowie, large kitchen knife, machete...(and what else) = ? combined weight. You can only carry a khuk for all of their uses. YES, it is an slight compromise, but only one blade to carry with considerable less combined weight.
After I've found the khuk's blade design I've never picked anything else.

@ moogoo:
The desert is hardly the best place to "escape" :D
 
Why the Khukri? I think others have mentioned it earlier, Versitility. Find what works for you and stick with it. For me, the next best thing would be a Machete. Lots of people say that a Khukri is heavy, so is a hatchet. The hatchets in my mom's car port weigh as much if not more then my 2 most used khukris a 16.5" WWII (21oz) and a 20" Sirupati (23oz).

For shear all out chopping or splitting, the hatchets might out do my Khukris. But when it comes to trail clearing, brush work, thorny bushes, kitchen duty and the like, my Khukris will out do the hatchets. For me, the potentialy small decrease in chopping is made up by the khukris increased versatility.

The right belt really helps when it comes to carrying your blade, be it a khukri, bowie, hawk/hatchet or machete. With the sheath my 15" AK is just over 2 pounds. On my Military Surplus pistol belt or heavy duty leather belt I hardly notice it.

If a blade feels to heavy for you, working out or swinging it a lot helps with that. My ASTK is a big heavy beast, but it's worth it because of how fast it goes through 6 to 10 inch logs. If it's to heavy to swing for a long time, I take breaks and try to use it as much as possible to get used it it. The extra strength doesn't hurt and the increased muscle mass looks good. ;)

Heber
 
Thanks for the tip, Corp! It just so happens that i had a mosin sling coiled up in a nook where i keep my tarwar (the sling was used to cushion the tarwar's chape so it wouldn't gouge my wood floors). Sure enough it makes a GREAT khuk rig. Now only if I could pretty up my sheath to match the military drab of the sling -- i'm thinking something along the lines of ironhandjohn's sheath.
 
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