Biltong

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May 24, 2001
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A week or so back, I bought the Biltong that Craig found in some odd corner of the office. I was happy to see a package on my doorstep Friday when I got home. The knife was well packaged and had not suffered in it's journey.

Now I understand why Lt. Dan says he smiles whenever he looks at his biltong! Though it's small, this knife is definitely not a toy. The blade is sharp, and sports the same level of finish as my other GH knives. The balance is blade forward, just like a full size khukuri. The grip is small, about the right size for three fingers, and mine is made of a dark wood which I assume is rosewood. I'm not sure what I'll use it for, but it seems to be a good size for a belt/utility knife.

Overall, it's a winner.
Thanks, Craig
 
Glad you've discovered the Biltong, Patrick! It's such a cool little tool but perhaps also a bit of a sleeper. Maybe a lot of other khukuri enthusiasts who don't have 'em would get a charge out of having one around the house....I know I do.

BTW, it's good to see you posting, 'cuz I always enjoy them.

Dan
 
Ha! I thought you'd agree. They should really be a part of the standard GH line, in my opinion. They're just too cool to not be regularly available.

Patrick
 
How right you are about the biltong, Patrick. I didn't know they were available for too long. And the horn one Craig picked out for me was very special indeed, so I just had to make a present of it to somebody I think very highly of.

Maybe I ought to scrape the bottom of the KPF (Khukuri Purchasing Fund) barrel and ask Craig to watch for a special wood handled one someday. The drag of it is that the KPF and Shootin' Fund are one in the same, and it's pretty much drained for awhile. My solution is to hopefully sell my very excellent horn models at a loss, and then stick with wood in the future. I just can't bring myself to use 'em and my Zebras 'cuz they're just so stunningly beautiful.

So wood will be the way I'll go in the future. And maybe an exceptional biltong will come along at the right time.

They really are nifty, and the one I got had nicely figured horn, and the blade was so sharp it was almost frightening.

Dan
 
This talk about the biltong khukuri has whetted my appetite for such a khuk, Patrick & Dan. Guess I'll have to negotiate with Craig for when he next sends me a package, to include one of these! I've been off the forum some time, due to a variety of reasons, one being that my computer was totally on the blink, so now I've got a loan computer till a new one is procured. And when I DID get back on the forum, I found a strange new environment and had to log in to get going again. Only now I have started to become familiar with the forum. :p
 
Originally posted by Johan van Zyl
This talk about the biltong khukuri has whetted my appetite for such a khuk, Patrick & Dan. Guess I'll have to negotiate with Craig for when he next sends me a package, to include one of these! I've been off the forum some time, due to a variety of reasons, one being that my computer was totally on the blink, so now I've got a loan computer till a new one is procured. And when I DID get back on the forum, I found a strange new environment and had to log in to get going again. Only now I have started to become familiar with the forum. :p
Click to expand...

Yep, I hope Craig keeps getting these nifty little knives. Sorry to hear your computer's acting up. I just upgraded my wife's machine at home - what a chore! I think the change in the forum had a number of us confused. There were a few problem the first day, but it appear to be working fine, now.

Pat
 
Johan,
Dan's back as well. Cutting Biltong? Hmm. now you've got me thinking - this would be a good weekend to make some jerky!

Patrick
 
OK guys, are you cooking up something new that I don't want to miss out on here? What's this about a "cutting biltong"?! Am I reading something into your posts that's not really there, or are we talking about revising this perky little knife?

The handle is so short, and I have to wonder about the strength of such a small tang in proportion to the relatively thick blade. A thinner blade would suit me, and a handle that would fit in any hand. This wouldn't mean the handle would have to be much longer, but maybe shaped a little differently, and somewhat like the karda handle, where the end would still fit comfortably in the hand. A full tang might be nice.

Sorry to get carried away as there might not be any interest out there. I'm not totally acclimated to this format yet. Being away the last half of June, and then coming back to this setup was unexpected. Could it be that two weeks w/my uncle Sam and the new digs here has gotten me a bit extra nutty? The biltong is kinda cute as it is.

Good to be back....Dan
 
Sorry, Dan.
I'll let you in on the joke. In South Africa, Biltong means dried meat. Similar to our jerky, from what I can tell. Here's a couple of links.
http://www.markblumberg.com/biltong.html
http://www.arrowweb.com/aris/rsa/biltong.html

Calling a knife Biltong must sound pretty funny to Johan!
So, we weren't revising the Biltong knife design, but, maybe Craig needs a new Special Project! :eek: Hey, it's something to talk about!

I would also like to see a full tang version of the Biltong. Longer handle - yep, for sure, though redesigning the butt might be enough. How about Panawal style? That might be interesting. Thinner blade ... Hmmm. well, not for me. I like the Biltong blade for what it is. If it were thinner, it would feel different. If I need something small and sharp for cutting, I generally use my Swedish Mora or one of the French Opinel folders. They both have thin blades, come from the factory sharp as the dickens, and quite inexpensive! :D Either of these would be a fine piggyback knife for a khuk, in my opinion.

Another option might be a larger Karda, similar to the ones that come with the Cheetlang.

just a few random thoughts,
Patrick
 
Nice links, Patrick! Yeah, to add to Lt. Dan's chagrin, I'm sitting here eating biltong as I write - lekker springbok biltong a colleague gave me this morning. Shot with a .243 not too far from Bloemfontein on a VERY chilly day. Like the Afrikaans song goes (first three lines literally translated and the fourth one paraphrased):

"Give me springbok biltong
Give me Boer biscuits
Give me lekker coffee
And you know what you can do with the rest!"

What am I cutting it with? Kershaw Black Gulch. Wish I could pass you both some biltong through the screen, but I can't (yet).....
:D
 
Well, Patrick, I guess I just stepped in that with both feet. I don't take myself very seriously, but this stuff happens to me sometimes when I take others maybe a little more seriously than I could. This probably won't be the last time that I get it all over my shoes, either. And I enjoy a good joke...even if it's on me.

Johan, it's GREAT to see you back, buddy. Bring on the springbok biltong! Go right ahead and tell me what I'm missing and how good it is. And I'll bet the stuff is lekker, too. Now, that ditty has some bluegrass potential. Does it have a catchy tune to it? (will e-mail soon)

Be well, guys. And don't go too heavy on the biltong....Dan
 
Hey Dan,
Don't feel too bad. I only picked up on Johan's pun because I was reviewing the past threads on the Biltong where he mentioned it. Also, look over my comments on the Biltong redesign and see what you think. There may be an idea for a new khukuri in this thread yet!

Patrick
 
No worries, Patrick, 'cuz it's all good. It seems to me like there would be some buyers for a reasonably priced, redesigned biltong to fit western hands and be a real cutter. We could lose the karda and have a truely super grade chakma that would actually strike a spark. I think this would be a winner, but such projects take time, so what to do? You've got some workable ideas there.

I had forgotten about Johan's biltong until you guys brought it up. I don't want to say too many good things here about him that he'll have to live up to, but the guy's first rate and could make a dawg laugh.

Gotta get back to the groundhogs (a fellow Virginian on the 'net just sent me some old books and mags)....Dan
 
Patrick, Dan's getting all mushy on me now, but he means well 'cause he's a great guy. Probably a handsome brute too (I've never seen what he looks like). Now take me - my secret is out - Craig put my ugly mug on GH Bladeforums a while ago. It explains the sharp dip in forum participation immediately following the post, and why Bladeforums crashed and had to be reconfigurated.

There's some fascination in writing to soulmates and most of the time you don't have the foggiest notion what's on the other side of the screen, appearance-wise.

Hi, buddy. I managed to entice you out at last. You'll be glad to know there's at least four khuks on the way to me as we speak, and it didn't dent the ol' KPF too much. No biltong, I'm afraid (the knife, I mean).:D
 
Johan,
you are a card! I'd love to sit in on one of your lectures, I bet they're a blast :D

Patrick
 
Agreed, Patrick! He's got it goin' on, doesn't he? He ceratinly has that distinguished, academic look in that mug shot. No doubt the students stampede their way to his lectures, where it's always SRO.

OK, Johan, you've got me between a rock and a hard place on this thread. The only choice I have is to cut my losses and take it like a man. Next time I'll be watching out for you. But even with the heavy abuse and flack, it's great to be back. (Maybe it's like kids testing limits after being away from home for awhile and then being reunited.) #2 and I plan to go hoggin' tomorrow, and a mini jungle will be in the varmint kit for sure.

Do you have any notions about the biltong? (knife, that is!)

And while you've got me on the ropes, you'd better make take advantage of it by giving me your best and not holding anything back.

How sweet it is to exchange a little banter with you guys. It seems like it's been much longer than it is.

Be well, guys.

Dan
 
Yep, it's a great feeling to banter a guy till he drops from exhaustion, if it's done good-naturedly. I recall a guy who received a lot of well-meant flack from some friends of his, concerning his fine ability and skill in a certain sphere. The friends acknowledged this, but heckled him nontheless, to the point where he could not ignore it any longer. So in desperation, he said: "When I see you guys again, I'll not know whether to hug you or kill you!"

Before the forum moderator throws this post off the forum due to lack of relevancy, let me say something about the biltong khukuri in answer to your question, Dan. No, I do not have much to comment on about it, 'cause I'll need to use it first. I think my KPF is going to need a lot of rejuvenating before I'll be able to order one. You know, many people go to extreme lengths to motivate exactly why a given khukuri is best in their regard. Reasons given include sharpening ability, appearance, hardness etc etc, and are often very scientifically or tecnically based. I asked a friend the other day why he liked a particular lockblade-folder. He said, simply: "Ek hou van die manier waarop dit in my hand lê". Translated: "I enjoy the feel of it in my palm." End of argument; no-one could contradict him!

Concerning my lectures, Patrick, you'd be surprised. I try to be very strict, but fair. Sometimes you've just got to be hard. I had one guy come into class one evening, and as he walked up the aisle to sit at the back, it looked as if he was wearing only a raincoat. And this he opened up once or twice as he walked. I thought: this guy is naked and he is exposing himself. I asked him to turn around, and saw he was wearing a jogger and a pink undershirt beneath the raincoat. Acceptable, but very challenging to my authority. So I said, let's you and I go outside for a moment. I asked him, give me one reason why I should let you stay in class this evening. He grinned sheepishly and said, Gee, no, I can't think of one! So I said, "Vat jou goed en kry jou ry!" Literally: "Get your stuff and get your going!" Meaning: So see that you get the hell out of here! And I put him on report on top of it all. I related this incident to his father during a parents' day meeting, and he had a good laugh.


:D Sorry, moderator!!!:eek:
 
Yeah, Johan, I'm taking a dive on this round. Methinks a victory strut might be in order here, kind of like how our overly padded pro football players do when they score a touchdown. I wonder how cricket players celebrate a big play.

Your post reminds me of the time when a neuro ophthalmologist heaped some undue grief on me and I made the paradoxical statement: "Steve, I don't even know why I like you." The guy was speechless, and we're good friends today, especially when he needs a favor.

On Thursday #2 and I chased a few groundhogs, administering some acute doses of lead poisoning, and had an all around good time. We always take plenty of food, cold beverage, and some store bought biltong this time brought this thread to mind. We both took out mini jungles along to clear the excess briars in the fence.

Did I understand you to say in another post that you have FOUR khukuris on order, and NO biltong?! I was starting to feel sorry for your not having a biltong, and was considering soliciting donations to send you one, but now that the news is out, I believe it'd be too hard a sell.:( Whatcha got comin'?

Later....Dan
 
I'm anxious like a kid concerning the four (maybe five) khuks on the way to me. They're not all "on order" (some being swaps), so the dent in the KPF not significant. One I definitely know to be a Panawal. One might be a Dhankute, or else it might be a khuk with an engraved blade, depending on what my friend put in for me. About the remaining one I have no clue. Two are identical standard Indian Army khuks which I am going to put crossed on a varnished wooden shield to further give my study "the Gurkha look".

My club had a match shoot Saturday the 14th, using rifles of pre-1902 vintage. I competed with my reproduction .44 percussion Euroarms Kentuckian using 53 grains Fffg behind a patched round ball. I took the opportunity to wear my WW I Mk I khukuri in its home-made scabbard, and everyone was very interested.

On a sad note, we heard of the demise due to cancer of Cliffy Simpson, one of our club members, who was a Gurkha unit war veteran, and with whom I had enjoyed a number of chats concerning his stint in the Army. Upon retirement he was presented with a SN1, which he showed me about three weeks before his death.
 
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