Work-sharp and Khukuris

Bookie said:
Not trying to be smart here, so don't take it that way. After you have used your new khuk and need to sharpen it, I suggest you just grab a stone and have at it to see what your blade is going to require. I have khuks that will sharpen with a plain ol' flat and almost worn out Carborundum stone very nicely and be finished in 5 minutes or so. Others require different stones to accomplish the same task. Ask yourself just what kind of edge are you trying to achieve. Do you need to shave with it, slice strips of paper, or chop wood & brush? I really don't need a fancy edge as I don't have the pretties just to hang on the wall, nor do I want to spend the extra bucks on a fancy rig. A few more khuks could be obtained with that kind of loot.:D Do the minimum for what you are trying to achieve and keep the expense down as much as you can. When you start sharpening that khuk the very first time, your common sense is going to tell you everything you'll need to know about what you want or think you want. Been there. Done that.
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Smart XXX;) j/k I have to agree there with doc.:thumbup:
 
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vcbvcbvcb said:
Thanks for the info in the sharpening thread. My new Khukuri will be missing the karda and chakma. I have a EZE-Lap "fine" diamond rod with 600 grit. Will that take the place of the chakma, or is it to aggressive for touch-ups?
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No, that will work just fine. For field use, a sharpening rod is hard to beat for big blades, especially big blades with a recurved edge.
 
Bookie said:
Not trying to be smart here, so don't take it that way. After you have used your new khuk and need to sharpen it, I suggest you just grab a stone and have at it to see what your blade is going to require. I have khuks that will sharpen with a plain ol' flat and almost worn out Carborundum stone very nicely and be finished in 5 minutes or so. Others require different stones to accomplish the same task. Ask yourself just what kind of edge are you trying to achieve. Do you need to shave with it, slice strips of paper, or chop wood & brush? I really don't need a fancy edge as I don't have the pretties just to hang on the wall, nor do I want to spend the extra bucks on a fancy rig. A few more khuks could be obtained with that kind of loot.:D Do the minimum for what you are trying to achieve and keep the expense down as much as you can. When you start sharpening that khuk the very first time, your common sense is going to tell you everything you'll need to know about what you want or think you want. Been there. Done that.
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Sorry you don't like my rig, but I can at least explain why I get 'em to slice so cleanly through newsprint. You see Bookie, the animals I hunt are made of paper mâché. It just makes it easier to skin 'em out. :)
 
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I hate to have to keep reminding people to watch their language in this forum. Please do better before I have to formally do something I don't want to do instead of speaking about it.
 
What you say sounds reasonable, and your presentation didn't sound like you were being smart. Since I am a user more than a maintainer, I'd like to do the minimum necessary. The Khukuri has a unique blade shape and frankly I don't sharpen straight blades all that well. I was trying to get advice so I didn't screw up the edge. I think the safest approach for me until I know what I'm doing may be the convex mouse pad and sandpaper method. As I understand it, the people of Nepal have used the the Chakmak for several hundred years in the field, which made me think it might be indispensable. I'm not getting one with my Khukuri, so I was looking for a good substitute.
 
vcbvcbvcb said:
What you say sounds reasonable, and your presentation didn't sound like you were being smart. Since I am a user more than a maintainer, I'd like to do the minimum necessary. The Khukuri has a unique blade shape and frankly I don't sharpen straight blades all that well. I was trying to get advice so I didn't screw up the edge. I think the safest approach for me until I know what I'm doing may be the convex mouse pad and sandpaper method. As I understand it, the people of Nepal have used the the Chakmak for several hundred years in the field, which made me think it might be indispensable. I'm not getting one with my Khukuri, so I was looking for a good substitute.
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In Nepal the Chakmak is only really used for tapping back folds and burnishing the edge to maintain it. For sharpening many will find a stone coarse enough for sharpening laying around and use it.
 
vcbvcbvcb said:
...the people of Nepal have used the the Chakmak for several hundred years in the field, which made me think it might be indispensable. I'm not getting one with my Khukuri, so I was looking for a good substitute.
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A bit of ceramic rod will serve the same purpose. It is hard enough to align an edge and can also do some sharpening.
 
The karda and Chakma problem was solved pretty easy. I bought a 3” black handled ceramic paring knife at china freight tools for $5.99. After shortening the handle and sanding it down where it meets the blade, it slipped right into the sheath. It functions as both tools. The ceramic spine acts as a Chahma. It slides over the edge of the khukuri with about 20% more friction than a smooth ceramic rod, which I figure is probably good. It’s a knife so it functions as a karda. I know ceramic is delicate so I may make a second one. If it breaks the pieces can still be used as a Chakma in a pinch. I’m not worried about it breaking and losing the knife function, because I’ll have the khukuri that ate New York with me. I know it can’t function as a striker with a fire steel, but the khukuri is a huge piece of carbon steel. Will see it my plan works in real life.
 
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