Category Archives: Blades and Edged Weapons Including Khukuris

Blades and Edged Weapons Including Khukuris

Blades and Edged Weapons Including Khukuris, Himalayan Imports Khukuris

How To Rehydrate Khukuri Wood Handles

I am routinely asked how to rehydrate khukuri wood handles that have dried out over time.  This is a service we provide when tuning khukuris and have learned a few tricks along the way that we can share.  We approach rehydration or moisturizing by using a 50/50 mix of quality boiled linseed oil (BLO) and turpentine, which we purchase by the gallon from our local Ace Hardware store and sometimes Lowes.  The turpentine helps thin the BLO and avoids it becoming unduly tacky.

The procedure is pretty simple so let me outline it.  I see handles that often need some tinder loving care such as this Keshar Lal Villager Utility Knife (KLVUK) khukuri handle:

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My first step is to do any wood repairs such as gluing cracks, filling holes and sanding.  It is very common to find a poor fit between the end cap and the wood for example and I will true it up all the way around either with sanding strips or a sanding mop such as what is shown here:

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A mop is good for fast touch ups but not for leveling surfaces or otherwise intentionally shaping the wood.  I buy big shop rolls of 1″ wide sand paper in 80, 120, 220 and 320 grits so I can select the grit I need.

The next step is to soak the handle in the turpentine and BLO mixture.  I shoot for it being about 90-100 degrees and soak the wood for at least four hours.

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I then rub the handle down with a blue shop towel to remove the liquid and let it air dry for about a day.  The results are striking.  The below photo shows three KLVUKs that arrived with basically the same color of wood that I picked for this story for that very reason.  The bottom handle is untouched.  The middle handle is after sanding and the top handle is after following the above process.  This helps you see the results.

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Here is one of our completed KLVUKs:

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I hope this helps you do some care on your blades as well.

 

Blades and Edged Weapons Including Khukuris

Great Simple Knife Sharpener the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker

 

Guys, one of the sharpeners I use a lot for touch up of smaller blades (not the khukuris) is the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker.  The unit is as simple as can be – the brass rods are to protect your hand and then it comes with two pairs of stones – fine and medium basically.  You put the stones in the angle of your choice and the hold your knife straight vertically as you run the blade down the stone.  The unit works really well for maintaining pocket knives and blades that are ballpark 5-8″ – much longer and it just really gets tedious.

Now I don’t use the medium grit brown colored traingles much.  I use the fine and the optional Ultra-Fine triangles for most of my maintenance.  The Ultra-Fine stones (ceramic really) can put a hair popping razor edge on blades.  One thing to bear in mind if you you want the ultra fine stones is that Spyderco sells them by the stone – why?  I have no idea and think it is confusing – you really need two.

I keep this on my desk (at home 🙂 and do touch ups when I am on the phone, need to take a break, etc. and pretty much use it every day:

[amazonjs asin=”B000Q9C4AE” locale=”US” title=”Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker Knife Sharpener 204MF”]

Here are the Ultra-Fine stones – remember that you need to buy two:

[amazonjs asin=”B0019JTNDQ” locale=”US” title=”Spyderco Ultra Fine Triangle Stone”]

 

In case you are interested, here are instructional videos from Spyderco:

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

Blades and Edged Weapons Including Khukuris

Moisturizing Leather Sheaths

I get asked how to moisturize leather sheaths regularly.  Up until now, my go to solution was either Mink Oil or Neatsfoot oil that I would rub in by hand.  The idea is that the heat and pressure of your hand helps the oils to get worked into the leather.  This has worked fine for me for years.  I was recently recommended to try “Lexol Leather Conditioner” and have been doing so for about a month.

The following photos if of a khukuri sheath that was very dry.  I applied the Lexol, still rubbed it in my hand, and then buffed off the residue.  It seems to have done a very good job.  I have done a number of items now including work boots and the Lexol seems to work.  I have been rubbing in two passes – not just one.

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In case you are interested, I’ve had very good luck with the following products:

[amazonjs asin=”B000637TNM” locale=”US” title=”Lexol 1013 Leather Conditioner 33.8 oz. (1 Liter)”]

[amazonjs asin=”B000FJP4NO” locale=”US” title=”Fiebings Pure Neatsfoot Oil 16 oz”]

[amazonjs asin=”B000HJBKU8″ locale=”US” title=”Fiebing MOIL00P006Z Mink Oil Paste”]

I grew up working on boots, gloves and saddles.  If something was dirty, I would use saddle soap but more often focused on conditioning.  It’s amazing what a little care can do to old leather.

One tip – I like the paste mink oil and use a hair dryer to help melt the paste into the leather of boots.  It does a great job sealing them up but it definitely darkens the leather but boy are they supple and waterproof afterwards.

 

Blades and Edged Weapons Including Khukuris

Finally, An Ergonomic Machete That Doesn’t Suck! The CRKT HalfAChance K920KKP

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I have a thing for machetes.  Why, I do not know.  Over the years I have owned quite a few and have a number of them in my garage from various manufacturers and blade profiles.  I am accumulating chronic injuries almost as fast as I am blades it seems.  I have two torn rotator cuffs, tendonitis in my elbows and carpal tunnel in both hands after years of abuse.  Luckily, I can swing a machete albeit slower than I used to and trying to hold on to the handle plus the impacts usually combine to make my hands stiff and wrists ache.  Let’s face it – machete handle design hasn’t changed much in decades.

Now, I like Ken Onion as a knife designer.  I read about his new HalfAChance Parang-style machete (CRKT # K920KKP) and that it had an ergonomic handle.  This intrigued me.  I was first in line to buy his big Redemption knife but while he had the basic shape right, the handle was too small for such a big blade so I sold it.  That didn’t turn me off to his designs though – I probably own at least six Ken Onion designs so I know he knows his stuff.  At any rate, I went ahead and ordered one of the HalfAChance machetes from Amazon and two days later the box arrived.  I opened it and there sat the big machete in an even bigger nice Nylon sheath but I immediately looked at the handle – it was big and had a textured rubber over some solid core.  I picked it up and it felt great!

 

Notice the natural angle to the handle.  I wear XL sized gloves and you can see the handle fits my hand nicely.  The first photo is of it in my left hand and the second photo is of it in my right hand.  The overmolded rubber feels great.

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I immediately went out and chopped on a sassafrass tree I had recently dropped and the HalfAChance bit in deep easily.  I mean it really penetrated – way more than I expected.  I think this was due to the relatively thin 0.1″ thick 65Mn Carbon Steel they used with a flat grind.  Guys, I chopped the limb off and then chopped some more – it was really easy.  I didn’t go hog wild but I can tell you that normally my hand would hurt and it did not.  The design helped me hold the big blade and the rubber really helped with the impact.  Look at the results of a few minutes of work:

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By the way, I also noticed they did a great job on the finish.  It is a powder coat over a bead blast and despite the chopping, it was in great shape.  I saw some dirt and it rubbed right off.  It held up a lot better than I expected – no sign of flaking.

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After testing the HalfAChance for a bit, I was interested in comparing the CRKT Parang to my Condor Parang.  The Condor is very well made and has a nice curved handle.  It’s blade was dull so I took the time to put a nice working edge on it first.  I also took a 15 minute break to make sure my hand wasn’t unduly stressed to be fair to the Condor.

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Well, the Condor didn’t fare very well to be honest.  In the same 5-6 strikes, the Condor did not penetrate as much and the jarring impacts through the wood handle made my hand start to cramp.  I think this is because Condor used a much wider blade – almost 1/4″ (6mm actually) 1075 High Carbon steel.  It has great heft and a short top to bottom profile but it is just too thick.  Look at the difference in results and I tried to use the same number of cuts and force – the left cut was done by the CRKT HalfAChange and the right with the Condor:

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So, to me, the winner and new go-to machete it the CRKT Parang hands down.  It cuts and feels great.  CRKT and Ken Onion did a great job on this one.  Of course, I will have to now order and try the other machete they released, the ChanceInHell!

In case you are interested in specs for the HalfAChance, the following is from the CRKT website:

Dimensions
Open Overall Length 19.5 inches
Weight 1 lb. 4.4 ounces
Blade
Length 14 inches
Thickness 0.1 inches
Material 65Mn Carbon Steel
Blade-HRC 52-56
Finish Bead Blast then Black Powder Coating
Grind Flat
Style Drop Point Parang
Edge Plain
Handle
Material PP Core & TPR Overmold Black with Faux Pigskin Texture
Carry
Carry System Black Nylon Sheath
Weight 6.1 ounces

October 2017 Update – took this on our annual brush clearing trip just before Halloween on property we own and it worked great as usual.  After dozens and dozens of branches, saplings and briars, it is still holding up great.  It is still my preferred machete and use it probably 3-4x per season.

2/27.20 Update:  It’s holding up great and is still my preferred machete for clearing stuff.

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Blades and Edged Weapons Including Khukuris, Tools

Review of the Excellent Ken Onion Edition Work Sharp

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Himalayan Imports Khukuris

Very cool video review of HI Khukuris

As many of you know, I think very highly of HI khukuris – both the organization and the blades they produce.  This is a great video where the reviewer does a thorough job and explains why he likes the MI M43 that he tested so much.  At any rate, if you are interested, check this out as it is very well done:

 

There are three websites you might want to check out to learn more:

1) The actual HI website where they have history, photos and you can place orders:
http://www.himalayan-imports.com/

2) They have a forum on the BladeForums website as well where people discuss their offerings:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/739-Himalayan-Imports

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Blades and Edged Weapons Including Khukuris, Himalayan Imports Khukuris

Why We Branched Into Himalayan Imports Khukuris

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I’ve had folks ask why we branched from AK furniture into Himalayan Imports khukuris.  The answer is simple – both AKs and HI khukuris are incredibly rugged, dependable tools that may not be the most “pretty” things made but you can bet your life on them.  In fact, I got into the HI khukuris after so many board members on www.akfiles.com said over and over that HI khukuris are absolutely the best available.  So, in the fall of 2011, I bought my first HI khukuri – a massive Super Chiruwa Ang Khola.  Then I bought another … and another … and another.  They are addictive just like AKs as well!
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What I found amazing is that the bladesmiths in Nepal (known as “kamis”) are working in the HI factory in very primitive conditions forging these blades from salvaged truck springs (5160 alloy) and using basic hand tools and anvils.  Their methods have been handed down from grandfather, to father, to son for hundreds of years making differentially hardened, field serviceable blades.  The engineering, if I dare call it that, is so amazingly cool.  They figured out what worked and what didn’t by trial and error over hundreds of years.  Each khukuri is unique and reflects the kami who makes it.  These aren’t mass produced pretty knives rolling off a conveyor belt.  Instead they are extremely functional tools with a long proven history.  If you like reading about history, there are so many fascinating references on the Internet and books available!

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At any rate, as I journeyed along, I noticed a lot of guys who owned AKs also owned an HI blade or were very interested in getting one.  Given that we’ve been working with plastics for over three years now, it seemed like a good fit.  Starting in the spring of 2013, we began planning for the custom Kydex sheaths including research into designs, materials and tooling.  Over the course of the summer we made a number of test sheaths until we hit on the current type of design and how to make it.  We also found out that a lot of folks, women included, didn’t just want a sheath – they wanted to get the blade from us as well to one-stop-shop.  Thus, we first started making sheaths for our spare blades to sell plus we got into rehandling the khukuris using the various types of micarta that are available.

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