Armory Sponsor
Posted: 5/30/2012 5:58:28 AM EDT
|
Just finished a heavy kukri as a dedicated horse knife. In conjunction with the Oregon saw it'll see hard service clearing trails. We are spending quite a bit of time on horseback this spring scouting, and it and the saw help to even the saddle weight.
For hard use afield, I heat treated it to about RC52 {I do my own heat treatment} for ready sharpening with a new file. Handle is three pieces of walnut, 3/4 tang to keep the weight up front. Heavy 3/16 inch iron rivets securing it. Blade is a scrapped processor bar, with the provinence apparent on one side "Windsor". The other, my stamps. I double bevel ground it, a bit unusual for me and my heavy field knives as I usually chisel grind them, but the kukri is normally a double bevel, and I wanted more of a sabre/axe grind so that's what I went with. Lots of file work. I also added a guard, not traditional to Ghurka kukri's, but Colonel Hunter is pictured wearing what looks like a guarded kukri in a photo in "Shots Fired In Anger" and I wanted one for other purposes so I branched off a bit and added it. With the .242" thickness of the 13-inch blade it is a massive affair tho with quite good balance and a fairly wide sweet spot. I am frankly quite skilled with a parang as I use one constantly and the kukri requires quite a different cutting approach. Different. My daughter's boyriend is a fan of the kukri and I helped him make one to his design last winter. I wanted a axe replacement for scouting so I made this one. It is absolutely shaving sharp. 
With the Scouting rifle; 
Glue up of the handle, before finishing... 
|
|
Quoted:
Good looking tool. I use a Golok here in PA for brush cutting. The Martindale is a good tool. I made a slightly modified copy some years ago. It rides on my 4 wheeler. Above, I forgot to add; Blade is cold blued and carded several times. Handle will get 20 or so coats of Tung Oil, and the leather scabbard got my special treatment for large scabbards. After dyeing and thorough soaking in silicone rubber, and drying, a couple coats of Tung Oil and it'll be ready to reside on the horse tack. All weather, regardless. |
|
Quoted:
Love the gaurd on it. Nice work! Thanks. Necessity is the mother... The radius at the ricasso is actually a hole in the processor bar. In the layout of the blade, I just "work around the hole" and incorporate it as a stress reliever and as part of the work flow and "art" so-to-speak. The guard type I've used before, with a filed portion on top to act as a match striker, but the "artistry" actually comes from the hole. I'll take luck over skill any day! 
|
|
Quoted:
Alot of great work there. Thanks. It is a ton of work with my tooling, which is minimal. Lots of hand filing and elbow grease. I have one for sale {on EE except I didn't read the rules and repriced it and the thread got locked...  } but rarely sell them, but am proud of the fact that some of my knives that I've donated to servicemen have been carried thru combat operations in several theaters of the GWOT. They are admittedly crude by the standards of modern manufacturing technology, but temper and heat treatment and handling are very good indeed and mine are used hard.
Anyway, it's a fun hobby. |
|
Quoted:
I've enjoyed looking at your other work, but this is my favorite to date. Thanks. It is a keeper. My parangs serve more diverse purposes and this one is more specialized in what it does well, but devoted to the horse tack as a trail clearer, it's a winner. A few more; 
|
Armory Sponsor