Nepalese Kukri

[Doogs]

I just received the most wonderful Birthday present! A Genuine Nepalese Kukri with Water Buffalo Horn handle from my good friends Dan and Melissa (plus an amazing Chocolate Brandy Birthday Cake)

Oops cur the pommel off I'll update later as I also had a few too many B'day beers at the Pub.

[Neilau]

Nice !!

Of the two smaller blades, one should be sharp and one should be blunt.

The blunt one is for striking a spark off a flint to start a fire and the sharp one is like a pocket knife.

Though, I'm told that a true Ghurkha cannot un-sheath his blade without spilling blood, so he has to nick himself with the small sharp blade before he can show it to anyone. That's just what I heard when in Nepal.

There is a story about the choil but I can't remember it - perhaps someone else here knows it.

BTW what length is it?

Great present !!!

[Doogs]

Nice !!

Of the two smaller blades, one should be sharp and one should be blunt.

The blunt one is for striking a spark off a flint to start a fire and the sharp one is like a pocket knife.

Though, I'm told that a true Ghurkha cannot un-sheath his blade without spilling blood, so he has to nick himself with the small sharp blade before he can show it to anyone. That's just what I heard when in Nepal.

There is a story about the choil but I can't remember it - perhaps someone else here knows it.

BTW what length is it?

Great present !!!

Blade length is 10 1/2", Overall 15 1/2" It has the classic brass pommel with a full tang and diamond shaped escutcheon.

You are correct about not exposing the blade without drawing blood but that is more of a ritual of The Gurkhas and its use as a weapon. Not unlike the Samurai and their Katana. Generally these are common in Nepal and are used just as we would use any large knife, small hatchet or machete.

The choil represents the "male" fertility symbol in Nepal. It's shape is indicative of a cows hoof. They also have a feminine version where the choil is actually a hole in the blade. The smaller blades are dull and sharp as you pointed out The dull one(don't ask me to spell it I can barely pronounce it) is also used for maintaining the edge the other as an eating utensil or general purpose blade.


Here's ae Wiki link for some background on the Kukri for those who are interested:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukri

[Neilau]

Thanks Doogs.

Didn't know about maintaining the edge.

I love this site.

[GWiens2001]

Watched as this one was being made many a year ago about 20 or so kilometers out of Kathmandu:



My hand is next to it for scale. Have carried it in many places over the years.

The goat foot on the main blade is sharp on mine. You use it to nick the heel of your palm if you draw it and do not put it away blooded. That tradition ONLY applies to knives used for military purposes. These are general utility knives for just about anything from fighting to skinning animals to chopping wood. (These are much better than a hatchet for chopping wood). There is also a proper way to use the knife if you are going to use it for fighting with the intent of chopping off a head, arm or leg. The ghurkas told me that you hold the handle loose in your hand with only your middle finger and thumb touching. The other fingers are hanging loose. As you swing, just an instant before you contact the soon-to-be severed limb, you snap your other fingers tight. This whips the knife into more of a strong arc, increasing impact force.

The two smaller 'blades' - the sharp one is for general small knife chores. The other one, as stated above, looks the same on the 'blade' and the spine - both flat with somewhat sharp(ish) edges. It can be used to strike a flint as mentioned above, but it is actually used to sharpen the blade of the larger knife. Obviously, in this day of diamond steels, it is better to use one of those.

Use light machine oil to lubricate the blade. If your sheath is loose, wet the leather. It will shrink as it dries, making the sheath tighten around the blade. If it is too tight, then lube the blade, fully put it into the sheath, then smack the knife (while in the sheath) just below where the blade enters the sheath on the inside edge, against your palm a couple of times. That will help stretch the leather a little, making the knife easier to remove. Even if the sheath is holding properly, you should slightly wedge the blade in the above method to hold it in place better.

These knives are typically made from spring steel. Mine came from a Mercedes truck rear leaf spring. It is heavy and solid.

After 10-15 years of heavy use, the glue (made from a tree sap in Nepal) may break apart, causing the bolster to come loose, or even the blade to loosen. If that happens, do what I did... go to a golf pro shop and buy some two part shafting epoxy. That epoxy is designed to handle shocks and impacts without breaking apart. It has been over 10 years since I did the repair on my knife, and it is still going strong.

Take care of that knife. They are not expensive at all, but they are very reliable. You can depend on them. Great present, Doogs!

Gordon

EDIT: The lanyard is not something they do there. Drilled the hole and put the lanyard in myself, as I prefer it that way.

[Doogs]

Thanks Doogs.

Didn't know about maintaining the edge.

I love this site.

Thanks for the interest Neilau.

Also the sheath is designed for cross draw just as if it were a sword. One should never wrap their hand around the sheath when drawing the blade as after frequent use it's possible the blade will eventually cut through the sheath and slice your fingers so you grasp by the sides only.

There's a story about the Gurkha Rifles sneaking behind enemy lines and wiping out an entire company without firing a single shot. The British used to lace their boots in a straight fashion as opposed to the typical crossover style just in case there were Gurkhas sneaking around the trenches in the dead of night. That way they could tell if you were friend or foe by your boot laces and not cut your throat.

ETA: I see Gord did a wonderful write up while I was writing this Thanks.

[VancouverSpecial]

Hi Doogs,

Very nice present! I will have to go and dig mine out - great knives.
I bought mine off an ex-Gurkha when I was 16 years old and visiting Nepal. We were in the mountains West of Annapurna if I recall correctly.

Great thread fellahs!
Sean

[VancouverSpecial]

Watched as this one was being made many a year ago about 20 or so kilometers out of Kathmandu:



My hand is next to it for scale. Have carried it in many places over the years.

The goat foot on the main blade is sharp on mine. You use it to nick the heel of your palm if you draw it and do not put it away blooded. That tradition ONLY applies to knives used for military purposes. These are general utility knives for just about anything from fighting to skinning animals to chopping wood. (These are much better than a hatchet for chopping wood). There is also a proper way to use the knife if you are going to use it for fighting with the intent of chopping off a head, arm or leg. The ghurkas told me that you hold the handle loose in your hand with only your middle finger and thumb touching. The other fingers are hanging loose. As you swing, just an instant before you contact the soon-to-be severed limb, you snap your other fingers tight. This whips the knife into more of a strong arc, increasing impact force.

The two smaller 'blades' - the sharp one is for general small knife chores. The other one, as stated above, looks the same on the 'blade' and the spine - both flat with somewhat sharp(ish) edges. It can be used to strike a flint as mentioned above, but it is actually used to sharpen the blade of the larger knife. Obviously, in this day of diamond steels, it is better to use one of those.

Use light machine oil to lubricate the blade. If your sheath is loose, wet the leather. It will shrink as it dries, making the sheath tighten around the blade. If it is too tight, then lube the blade, fully put it into the sheath, then smack the knife (while in the sheath) just below where the blade enters the sheath on the inside edge, against your palm a couple of times. That will help stretch the leather a little, making the knife easier to remove. Even if the sheath is holding properly, you should slightly wedge the blade in the above method to hold it in place better.

These knives are typically made from spring steel. Mine came from a Mercedes truck rear leaf spring. It is heavy and solid.

After 10-15 years of heavy use, the glue (made from a tree sap in Nepal) may break apart, causing the bolster to come loose, or even the blade to loosen. If that happens, do what I did... go to a golf pro shop and buy some two part shafting epoxy. That epoxy is designed to handle shocks and impacts without breaking apart. It has been over 10 years since I did the repair on my knife, and it is still going strong.

Take care of that knife. They are not expensive at all, but they are very reliable. You can depend on them. Great present, Doogs!

Gordon

EDIT: The lanyard is not something they do there. Drilled the hole and put the lanyard in myself, as I prefer it that way.

Thanks for the great info Gordon
I think mine needs a bit of TLC as I've had it for 25+ years - going to try to find it now.
Sean

[Neilau]

Gordon.

Thanks for the extra info. I love knife lore.

You say that you were there when it was made. Was it forged to shape?

I believe that forging a curve into a blade is very difficult and quite an art.

Unfortunately mine was "liberated" from me many years ago and the only ones that I have come across since then were "tourist models" or insanely expensive.

You are correct. They are really good "choppers" and an excellent all purpose large "camp knife".

[GWiens2001]

Gordon.

Thanks for the extra info. I love knife lore.

You say that you were there when it was made. Was it forged to shape?

I believe that forging a curve into a blade is very difficult and quite an art.

Unfortunately mine was "liberated" from me many years ago and the only ones that I have come across since then were "tourist models" or insanely expensive.

You are correct. They are really good "choppers" and an excellent all purpose large "camp knife".

It was mostly cut to rough shape, excess metal filed away, then forge shaped..

Gordon

[Deadlock]

Not a choil, but a cho. See this link:

http://www.gurkhas-kukris.com/khukuri/parts.php

Interesting to see these myths are round the world now! One such being that the knife must draw blood whenever it is unsheathed. Not true. The kukri is an all-purpose everyday tool. It actually must be the modern day equivalent of the Stone Age hand axe.

The story I've read is that if the knife is unsheathed 'with intent', in a battle during a war, then it must draw blood.

But the ol' bootlace bit? Now that IS a myth!

[Doogs]

Not a choil, but a cho. See this link:

http://www.gurkhas-kukris.com/khukuri/parts.php

Interesting to see these myths are round the world now! One such being that the knife must draw blood whenever it is unsheathed. Not true. The kukri is an all-purpose everyday tool. It actually must be the modern day equivalent of the Stone Age hand axe.

The story I've read is that if the knife is unsheathed 'with intent', in a battle during a war, then it must draw blood.

But the ol' bootlace bit? Now that IS a myth!

Choil is the English term for the "cho"

http://www.jayfisher.com/_borders/KnifeAnatomy12.jpg

As for the bootlace "myth" My father was a Royal Engineer 821/33 temporarily assigned to the 10th PMOGR in Cyprus '58-'59 as a UXO/BDE and he was the one who told me about the bootlaces. That's a pretty solid foundation for a myth. My nephew has the plaque they awarded him unfortunately the two Khukuri they presented him with disappeared somewhere (customs?) in Germany. As you may know returning troops used commercial flights when leaving the Med./North Africa at that time.

[Deadlock]

Have to disagree with you I'm afraid.

Choil is not the English translation of cho. I understand a choil to be an unsharpened section of a blade just in front of the guard or handle.
The cho on a kukri has the same function as the shallow groove, the 'drip', on the underside of a stone windowsill. On a kukri, it's for blood to drip off.

The bootlace story's an old one alright, but I still maintain it's a myth.

[Neilau]

Have to weigh in here as I was the one who introduced the term into the topic.

I don’t know if cho is the Nepalese translation of choil but as you say the choil is the unsharpened part of the blade just in front of the handle.

This is very often (nearly always) marked by a semicircular or inverted V shaped cutout. This is what is commonly referred to as the choil.

I have been collecting knives for over 50 years (got some beauties too ) and know a few makers and can say that when they refer to the choil they are always referring to the cutout.

I think that over time the term has come to indicate the cutout and has probably drifted from its original meaning.

As for the blood dripping off……..can’t see it.

Every time I have cut off somebody’s head or arm (for disagreeing with me) there is very little blood on the blade… .

The so called “blood grove” on large blades are there to lighten the blade not to allow the blade to be easily withdrawn.

Your turn...

[Deadlock]

Choil. All the dictionaries I've looked up say, ''19th century, of unknown origin.''

Maybe it does come from the Nepalese word. Not impossible.

Here's a link to a page which has the most concise definition of a choil I could find:

http://www.agrussell.com/Knife-Encycloqedia/a/110/

Now maybe it's me who's been taken in by an 'urban myth' here, but I've always 'known', that the shape of the cho was to stop blood from running onto the handle. I've never cut anybodys head or arm off, so I'll have to defer to you on that one...

I know what you mean about the ''blood groove'', i.e. a groove running lengthwise both sides of the blade. That's not what I'm talking about here. Kukris don't have them - at least not the traditional ones.