WWII - Beautiful Blade!

jdk1

jdk1

Gold Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
2,040
I received my DOTD 16.5" WWII on Friday. It is a beautiful knife. The hairline cracks Auntie spoke of are about as hairline as you can get, a real non-issue. There is a chip or indention at the butt end of the horn handle, but, again, a non-issue for a DOTD. It felt great in my hand and I felt blessed to have gotten the knife. I live in suburbia now, with nothing to really cut in my yard. A little looking privided my quarry: a Princess palm with two stalks, but no frawns (sp?) left over from the topnotch (not) job the landscape crew did when I was way too busy to trim dead foliage myself.

Now to the issue. The stalks were about two inches wide and maybe a 1/2 inch thick in the middle, and green. I wacked one a couple of times, since it moved and flexed when hit. It came down and then the other followed. maybe four hits each. I pulled the blade up close to my eyes to marvel at my new blade and noticed about an inch and a half of the belly, approximately two inches from the tip, appeared rough. I ran my finger along the blade and it felt ever so slightly rough in the same spot. Closer examination revealed an area of tiny chips, sort of like micro-serrations, along the contact area of the blade. And yes, I have 20-15 vision (the rest of me is falling apart though:)). This after only two small palm stalks. Hardly clearing a jungle campsite.

My question to the experts is: is this to be expected? I looked at my 15 year old Cold Steel LTC, which is 1/8 " thick and has seen abuse from a more adventurous past, and saw nothing like this. Could this be a temper issue that slipped by? I don't mean to air dirty laundry, and I would normally go straight to the manufacturer (Auntie) with the question. But, this forum is like a family and I figured the experts could provide some guidance. Please help! Thanks for your time.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It could be a heat treat problem, it also could be that there is a softer outer layer of steel on the edge that can be formed after the buffing process. Try sharpening them out and see if it happens again. Also some woods are prone to picking up debris, silicates as they grow. If you are still experiencing a problem after sharpening, then contact Auntie with pics of the problem area.
 
jdk1 said:
I received my DOTD 16.5" WWII on Friday. It is a beautiful knife. The hairline cracks Auntie spoke of are about as hairline as you can get, a real non-issue. There is a chip or indention at the butt end of the horn handle, but, again, a non-issue for a DOTD. It felt great in my hand and I felt blessed to have gotten the knife. I live in suburbia now, with nothing to really cut in my yard. A little looking privided my quarry: a Princess palm with two stalks, but no frawns (sp?) left over from the topnotch (not) job the landscape crew did when I was way too busy to trim dead foliage myself.

Now to the issue. The stalks were about two inches wide and maybe a 1/2 inch thick in the middle, and green. I wacked one a couple of times, since it moved and flexed when hit. It came down and then the other followed. maybe four hits each. I pulled the blade up close to my eyes to marvel at my new blade and noticed about an inch and a half of the belly, approximately two inches from the tip, appeared rough. I ran my finger along the blade and it felt ever so slightly rough in the same spot. Closer examination revealed an area of tiny chips, sort of like micro-serrations, along the contact area of the blade. And yes, I have 20-15 vision (the rest of me is falling apart though:)). This after only two small palm stalks. Hardly clearing a jungle campsite.

My question to the experts is: is this to be expected? I looked at my 15 year old Cold Steel LTC, which is 1/8 " thick and has seen abuse from a more adventurous past, and saw nothing like this. Could this be a temper issue that slipped by? I don't mean to air dirty laundry, and I would normally go straight to the manufacturer (Auntie) with the question. But, this forum is like a family and I figured the experts could provide some guidance. Please help! Thanks for your time.
Click to expand...

Did you cut the plants down close to the ground? Is it possible that the edge came into contact with the ground at the end of your stroke?

Andy
 
Resharpen and try again.
Also, are you certain the blade didn't have those before you chopped?
pheraps it wasn't completely sharpened to start with...

and...I'm no expert...but edge loss (from an activity as yours) is NOT something to be expected from a HI khuk. period
 
The Stalks were elevated, so my blade never got near the ground. It was kind of like cutting two saplings, except tough and fibrous. Still, not more than about 8 half-hearted chops. I have tendonitis in my right arm, so I have to take it easy right now. If it weren't for that, I'd try to sharpen the spot right now and find a seasoned oak log and go Gurkha on it.

I checked the blade pretty well when I received it. I wanted to see how sharp it was. It wasn't razor sharp at any point, but seemed plenty sharp for it's intended purpose. Sharp enough where I was scared I might accidentally drop it on my foot, or a cat! I'm not good at sharpening. That is something I planned to rectify in the future. I have an 8 year old and a 10 month old right now, so I have very little time for anything which doesn't have "work" in the title. I have a lansky type set up, but feel this won't work well for a khukri. I recently picked up a set of three flat, card shaped diamond shapeners, can't remember the brand. These are my only hope. I'm just bummed thinking about it. Has anyone else experienced this?
 
Most kukris I got except villagers, had a soft outer layer of metal that I could easily file away. When I go through that metal, the file just skated on the metal (be careful if you do this -- it's real easy to cut yourself when the file suddenly skates, good reason to use a file handle).
 
Don't despair!
Use 1000 sand paper on soft mouse pad, or the finest grid of your diamond cards.
try again on the same wood (preferably) and on the same blade spot.
If the "problem" reapears, follow Karda's advice.
 
I got a minute and tried theflat diamond sharpeners. I smoothed out the area and, holding the stalk in one hand and kukri in the other, gave the stalk a few wacks. The blade seemed unchanged. Unfortunately, I discovered I absolutley cannot sharpen a kukri! The blade is huge and thesharpeners small. It seems like I will do more damage than good. I followed the sharpening thread, but I hate to mess up my blade "practicing".

On another note, the WWII feels great in the hand. The horn feels solid and the handle shape is very comfortable. As has been said, it does have a "soul". The pride of ownership is something you don't get with most items. I'm very, very pleased with the knife. The 16.5" WWII feels more like a large camp/utility knife than a combat weapon, but I will use a large camp knife more than I will use a weapon. That being said, I have no doubt this kukri could inflict serious damage if need be. I just have to make sure I'm not the one damaged! I feel it was a great first real kukri and an outstanding value. Thanks for the help. This is a great place.:)
 
jdk1, good news on the blade. Just be careful on the "follow through" on the swing. Ask me how I know? Lets just say it was a cheap lesson blood wise:eek:
 
Cpl Punishment said:
Most kukris I got except villagers, had a soft outer layer of metal that I could easily file away.
Click to expand...

My theory is that all HIs start out as villagers, then some of them get polished shiny. Sometimes the very edge doesn't get polished all the way & you still see the tiny little lines at the edge that are left over. Doesn't mean anything to me - still cuts stuff & goes away with the first sharpening.
 
Sharpening a khuk is not easy, but not a back breaking labor either.

Did you read this: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3991411&postcount=79
(download Koster's file: http://www.jschrodt.net/knife/koster.zip)
in this tread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=763248

If you go slow and check the blade often you won't do irreparable damage.
Also the amount of time you put in to learn sharpening will be well spend for all future attempts (in you home or in the wild).
 
I would just try practicing on your khuk. That's how I got decent at sharpening mine. I use nothing more than stones and strops to get mine to shave.

As for the chips, I think you'll be ok now. As Karda said, there usually is a soft layer of steel on the edge that has to be sharpened away. Actually, this little anomaly is probably what gave rise to the the legends of the khuks that actually became sharper as the owner used them.
 
I took my WWII and my old Gatco sharpening system (Lansky copy) to work and worked on the blade during lunch, and here and there when I could. The sharpener has worked great on blades in the past, but nothing this big. Once I rigged the clamp to fit that massive blade I used a sharpie on the edge to find the right angle. I went to the widest angle on the system, I believe it was 29 degrees, and it was still not as wide as the original edge. But, it's all I had to work with. It took about an hour total, but I had the 3/4 of the blade closest to the end pretty much razor sharp or close enough. I'll leave the other part as is for now.

When I got home, I went out and picked up the troublesome stalks and chopped away. No damage. I spied a frawn/frond which hung to low and needed to be removed. I took it down with a couple of swipes (tendonitis won't let me really swing) and chopped away at the stalk while holding it with one hand far from where I was hitting. After several minutes of this I exmained the blade. Not a single mark other than the palm juice staining the mirror polish. The edge appeared untouched. Needless to say I'm very releaved and pleased.

I hope I didn't take the edge down to too sharp an angle, but it seemed to hold up great to those tough palm stalks. They have a very tough skin. Thanks so much for all the help. The 16.5" WWII is everything I hoped it would be. It feels perfect in my hand, and I'm 6'3". I highly reccommend this model for utility work. The only problem is I now want other models.

PS. I wish I could change the thread title and remove the "possible problem" part. I want folks to know, without having to read the thread, that the WWII and HI are outstanding. I'm hooked.:D:);):thumbup:
 
jdk1 said:
Not a single mark other than the palm juice staining the mirror polish. The edge appeared untouched. Needless to say I'm very releaved and pleased.
The only problem is I now want other models.
I'm hooked.:D:);):thumbup:
Click to expand...

:D There ya go! Welcome to HIKV madness :thumbup:
 
Jdk1,

Don't be ashamed to keep the "possible problem" part in your titles. You posted about an "issue" and did so with courtesy, respect and without ill intent. These posts will be around for a while so as others come along and have similar problems, they will be able to search and see how you overcame this with the help of HI and other forum members. Thats good stuff!!! They would never be able to find the post if it is titled "everything is rosey."

Similarly, when real problems pop up it is good to see how HI stands behind their work. When new people see how Yangdu runs this company, they don't feel like they are taking a risk buying HI products. They can just read how things are dealt with blow by blow and, the proof is in the pudding. She takes care of business. It takes real integrity to keep the "issues" and bad stuff on the forum when you could easily erase it and make things seem rosey! That is why so many people are so loyal to HI.

JMHO,
Bill
Virginia
 
jdk, you might think about getting an 18" WWII to compliment your 16.5";) It's weird how similar they feel yet totally night and day in difference.

Our beloved late moderator Rusty was a pretty little fella at 5'4" (but I wouldn't have messed with him:D:thumbup:). He thought the 16.5" WWII was just the bee's knees. I have handled one, but I have to say that I much prefer the extra blade and handle length of the 18" version, and I'm only 5'10 or so.

The WWII is an absolute classic design and one of my personal favorites ever after all these years:thumbup:
 
Steely_Gunz said:
jdk, you might think about getting an 18" WWII to compliment your 16.5";) It's weird how similar they feel yet totally night and day in difference.

Our beloved late moderator Rusty was a pretty little fella at 5'4" (but I wouldn't have messed with him:D:thumbup:). He thought the 16.5" WWII was just the bee's knees. I have handled one, but I have to say that I much prefer the extra blade and handle length of the 18" version, and I'm only 5'10 or so.

The WWII is an absolute classic design and one of my personal favorites ever after all these years:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Second this. The 18" is only about a half inch of blade extra and 1 inch of extra handle. The handle size lets you change grips (closer to the blade for speed, closer to the bottom for power). It's a bit heavier of course, but worth the extra weight.
 
Good lord!

You are happy with what you have, and these enablers are already pushing yet another khuk on you!

Flee ! Flee! Flee!


Be safe. :)
 
If you can't fix the problem area then send it back to HI for replacement.
 
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