Yet another khuk mod (collaboration)

Daniel Koster

Daniel Koster

www.kosterknives.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 18, 2001
Messages
20,978
Sorry to hit y'all back-to-back with this....but I can't keep this one under my hat any longer....

Blade is non-H.I. Tin Churra. Reused existing brass bolster...tossed the rest.

Handle is Stabilized Curly Maple - the finest to ever pass through AlphaKnifeSuppy.com, with a brass buttplate (more bowie-like, less chitlangi-like).

Quickdraw sheath is by Vess - Vadim Grynko.

Had a lot of fun with this one. I asked Vadim to inlay the sheath with toolworking "inspired by the handle". Whatcha think? Spot on, if you ask me.


Enough yakety-yak...enjoy the pics. :D


khuk.jpg
 
I like that handle, Dan. As a matter of personal taste I don't care for finger groves and like that you've kept the historic shape of the traditional khuk handle here. The curve invites one's hand to hold it.




munk
 
THAT ....


IS ....


BEAUTIFUL!!



What a piece of maple!! Sheath is fantastic! Great blade too!

email sent...


:thumbup:
 
Oh, it looks OK I guess, for something just thrown together kinda haphazard like. (yawn...) :yawn: :D

Actually, it was more like :eek: :thumbup: :cool: when I first saw this. I have two of these blades, both from different manufacturers, but the same style, and would love to get a variant of this someday. I have a couple of Bura's tin chirra's, but they are true HI chopping beasts compared to this blade profile.

Great, great work Dan, and that sheath is incredible work as well. They really complement each other.

Regards,

Norm
 
Best ever Dan. $0.50 a day and all the rice you can eat at BirGhorka as Bill would've said.:thumbup: ;) :D
 
Dadgum Dan, if I had a knife that pretty I'd have to buy a tux to wear with it. That's about the most awesome piece of curly maple I believe I've seen. Love that stuff, makes durable knife handles with a warm, friendly, feel to them, sorta like curly birch.

BTW, what kind of leather did you make that scabbard out of? It complements the curly maple handle beautifully.

Sarge
 
I can only take credit for the handle work....Vadim (Vess) did the sheath. Hopefully, he'll log on soon here and give us a detailed report...
 
Like Norm, I requested that Dan display this one; his latest "makeover" for me...

Dan' Koster's work is excellent, and Vadim Grynko really impressed me ; he can definitely be given artistic license, and deliver the goods. :) The extra hassle of sending the knife to Canada paid off in the end.

In the near future, I hope that Dan and his collaborators will successfully create a another special khukuri for me. ;)

Thanks, Dan!
 
Good feedback...me like! :)

This one was thicker leather than I normally use. It pretty much had to be since the blade is pretty long, so I didn't want any perforated thighs because of 6 oz leather, not to mention the sheath would look flimsy if the leather was thinner. So it's a little thicker, practically armor grade leather, vegetable tanned cowhide with Medium Brown Pro-Oil dye. The belt loop and the retaining strap are the usual 6-7 oz. The snap closure is depressed into the leather on the inside, and covered with a circle of soft leather, so there won't be any nasty scratches from the snap either.

So with the retaining strap open the knife can be pulled staight up or sideways and up to get it out. The fit turned out very close, the tip portion doesn't rattle or anything. Hopefully it'll work well in actual use.

The wood on the new handle is really great, there's a 3D grain to it when the light hits it that the pictures just can't capture. And the blade is also very well done.
 
The khukuri (non H.I.) alone delivered to your door would cost about $200... The wood itself for the handle was $90, and the handle was custom made to fit my hand, taking into account two different measurements of my hand.

Dan completely tweaked the existing steel; blade geometry was corrected as much as possible, a full convex edge was ground and FULLY sharpened, the blade was polished, a buttplate was made and fitted, and the handle was hand finished.

You'll need to figure in the shipping back and forth to Canada, and I still don't know what Vadim charged me for the sheath. I do know that he's reasonable, and the quality is excellent.

Shoot Dan Koster an e-mail for specifics, or better yet, visit his website and peruse his pricelist for the services he performs. You'll see the custom modifications he's done for others, and the craftsmanship will immediately put your mind at ease if you do end up sending him a knife to work on.

Kindly mention my name when you place your order, bismark77; my 10% commission will be used to help defray the expenses incurred for this project! :D
 
Okay, that is fantastic. I love curly maple that ain't too dark, and the sheath matches it wonderfully.
 
Tiger-striped wood... or is that me in the reflection?

*must* get on Dan's list- AK bowie needs that kind of love.


Ad Astra :eek: :thumbup:
 
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