Actual use and clean up

Mine is HI for sure, keikuru. I had no idea KH makes them too. I think some HI kamis that have left and gone to work at other shops and taken some designs with them, maybe? Or it's a copy? Yours looks to have a slightly shorter blade and almost exactly the same handle. Who knows...
 
Reviving this old thread, because it was the closest I found.

I'm looking for details, maybe I'm over thinking it, but here goes.

I'll use my KLVUK a lot around the yard. Everything leaves sap. Trees, blackberries, ivy, everything. When I'm done I'll wipe it dry, then wipe it with a mineral oil rag. (Oh, I did a vinegar patina back when.) It's looking good. But, some of the sap doesn't come off. I can rub it with the oil cloth, but it stays. Whatever, it seems fine.

Well, my AK I'm not using as much, it still looks so pretty, mirror finish and all. But it still has some sap marks from what little I have used it. I've wiped it, soaped it, oiled it, rubbed it some more. The marks are still there. Are they a well earned beginning of a nice patina? Or, are they rust spots waiting to happen if I don't put in a little more elbow grease and get rid of them? I'm hoping for the patina one. I'd just hate to find out in a few years that it was the beginnings of rust.

And now, I just got a 21" Chitlangi, she's a beast. I don't want to keep these knives in the closet, but I want to feel more comfortable using them.

So, tree sap and plant oils/resins. How hard are you trying to get it off? Quick wipe and then oil it up? Weekly hard wash, and scrub it off? Don't even worry about it, because it makes the patina?
 
I never leave my blades dirty.
Once they have been used and marked up I no longer worry about the mirror finish. I wash them thoroughly with soap and water using both a soft dish pad, but also sometimes a scotchbrite pad to get all the sap and dirt off and leave a more or less satin finish on them. Then, I thoroughly dry them, oil with mineral oil and put them away until next usage. I follow this same procedure to put them away for winter.
 
I have a couple of particular blades that I use for forms when I am practicing various martial arts. Obviously those blades stay mirror finished (haven't had to wipe blood off yet though had a close call with the Suga and a random sparring with hubby) The heavy use outdoor blades are villager finish so I scrub them with a brush similar in bristlie-ness to a toothbrush and rubbing alcohol. Then dry them and mineral oil. The moderate use blades seem to get a lot of tape glue residue. So I clean them more or less the same way and they are staying pretty shiny. But occasionally I tackle one with the simichrome and refine the polish a bit. Scratches are earned hard work marks, Dirt and sap are destructive get them off.
 
Use alcohol. Highest percentage you can get preferably the 91% rubbing alcohol you get at the grocery store. Water does not dissolve most tree sap and most oils do not either unless you scrub the heck out of it. Oils will soften the sap and eventually it will come off with much scrubbing depending on the type sap. If you want to readily dissolve tree sap use alcohol. Do it immediately after use. No scrubbing just wipe it off. If it has been there for days then it can stain the blade because most tree saps are acidic and it will patina the surface. Gasoline or lighter fluid will also work great but not so friendly to your skin etc.
 
Goof Off works super for getting sap and the sticky stuff that wants to just smear around. If you have a can of bug and tar remover for your car that works well too.

In the sink for initial cleaning Dawn dish washing soap is the best I've found. I use it for car washing etc too. Don't get any of that anti bacterial gentle on your hands so we can hold hands and be friends stuff. You want the good stuff.
 
I never leave my blades dirty.
Once they have been used and marked up I no longer worry about the mirror finish. I wash them thoroughly with soap and water using both a soft dish pad, but also sometimes a scotchbrite pad to get all the sap and dirt off and leave a more or less satin finish on them. Then, I thoroughly dry them, oil with mineral oil and put them away until next usage. I follow this same procedure to put them away for winter.

This is pretty much the procedure I follow. Satin finishes will repel rust more effectively as well, as they hold onto the oil longer. After use I use a scotchbrite pad soaked with any kind of oil, WD-40, 30 wt., Ballistol, doesn't matter, and rub out the scuffs and wipe dry, leaving a slight oil residue.

If the knife is ever re-sold and the buyer wants a full polish, then a few minutes on the buffer will make it look "as shipped" again.
 
Please forgive any lapses in decorum, as I am new to the HI family and this is my first post.

I have only two HI khukuris, an 18" WWII and a 21" Gelbu Special, both with chiruwa handles. I too had a great deal of reluctance in making that first cut with each (almost brought tears), but did so anyway, as they are meant to be used.

Just out of luck I suppose, the first thing I tried worked great to remove the sap and other stains, and that was foaming bore cleaner for cleaning the bores of firearms. This is the stuff that comes in a container that looks almost like a can of tire sealant/"repair in a can", but without the part on the end to screw it onto the valve stem on your tire. This stuff is formulated to remove gunpowder residue and copperfouling from rifle/pistol/shotgun bores.

I just squirted a line of it on each side (it looks like shaving cream) and smoothed the foam around on each side of the blade with a folded paper towel. I was careful to keep it away from the bolster and handle, as I'm not completely sure what it will do to laha. (Seeing as laha is sap based, I'm assuming it probably wouldn't be good).

I just keep working it around gently with the paper towel, making sure to keep it only on the blade, then wipe it off with one or two more paper towels. Some spots are a little more stubborn than others, (and I may just have wimpy sap in this part of the world) but this process has never taken more than a few minutes for me. It is non-abrasive, so does nothing for scratches in the steel.

If anyone here with more experience cleaning khukuris has tried this and has found it to be a bad idea, please correct me.
 
I would think it would work great. Plain ole Hoppe's #9 would probably work too. I'll have to get another bottle, I keep the one I have in the bathroom, use it for aftershave.
 
Welcome Sleeper0311! You woke up in the right place and it not a dream:thumbup: pinch pinch!
 
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Citrus-based cleaners like Citra-solv and Di-solv-it work very well for removing sap and the like. I've also found that Di-solv-it works very well for cleaning up gunky old stocks, in addition to the metal, on old milsurp rifles, and even leaves a nice lemony scent.
 
A nice lemony scent is a fine and wonderful thing. There's some nasty stuff out there. Nice lemony is much appreciated.
 
LoL Moparsbob. The one I use is an Orange base but I have to agree it sure does an excellent job on stocks, and would be great for the wood handles of Khuks too. The smell is a serious plus considering some of the things we used for cleaning weapons in the past. Hubby has an old M1 that had some sort of fungus/mold UNDER the finish of the stock when he got it from CMP. We took the stock off and soaked it in a bath of the orange cleaner stuff. Killed it all and didn't damage anything else that wasn't already an issue from the prior neglect. Still had to refinish it, but at least we didn't just seal in the mold.

Sleeper0311, I really like your idea too. I hadn't thought of that, but it really makes a lot of sense. I will give it a try on one of the work blades next time. Thanks.
 
As the Laha is basically a sap based adhesive, I would be very careful of using anything that will dissolve sap to clean your blades. At the very least don't let the get near the bolster or handle.

I've used my khukuri on many types of wood including pine and I've never needed to use anything more than dishsoap and scotchbrite to get everything off.
The added bonus of the scotchbrite pad is that it will also remove or even out most marks left in the steel.
 
The foaming bore cleaner I use is the Gunslick Pro brand.

I should have mentioned to always wipe the bore cleaner with the paper towel from the cho area toward the tip of the blade to keep the foam away from the bolster and handle. I have not experimented its effect on laha (and don't plan to), but do know it can damage some finishes. After having spent several weeks in getting the finish I wanted with Tru Oil, it's not something I want to start over on.

Furthermore, this stuff is designed to remove copper from steel firearm bores, and will affect brass if left on it.

That's the good thing about it being a foam, it doesn't run like a liquid cleaner would while it's sitting on the blade.

Then again,even though it's worked so far, I'm new to this, and may end up investing in a pallet of scotch bright!
 
Hehe, No worry Sleeper0311. Definately a good batch of "disclaimer" there I won't hold you responsible should I mess up my KLVUK with the gunslick. It doesnt have the brass inlays in the blade and I already planned to keep it far from the bolster/handle because of the laha. It should do an excellent job on the cutting area though. Still plan to give it a try, I doubt with a moderate amount of care it will cause any issues. On my lighter-work blades, the current process of rubbing alcohol and mineral oil just works too well to change it. Just dip the toothbrush into the rubbing alcohol and a light pressure seems to get everything nice and clean. then oil and into the cabinet until next use.
 
Oops! Brass inlays on the blade are not something I even considered before posting my cleaning suggestion as neither of my khuks have these. I don't know what the bore cleaner would do to these, if anything. It could just make them brighter, or make them fall out completely.

I'm starting to think I should wait awhile before I make another suggestion. I would really feel terrible if someone damaged one (or more) of their khukuries following my (newbie) advice.
 
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No reason to wait to suggest ideas, many good ideas come from someone not knowing enough to know their idea "shouldn't work" and turns out great. Just make sure when you propose them that you keep people aware of how it is working for you, and what the caveats are (such as you did in your initial response to this post, you gave all the information needed I feel) As long as people know that your experience is limited they can decide for themselves if the idea has merit and how much risk they are willing to take on. I personally like your suggestion and will try it, with the limits described for a couple of my blades. But because you were forthright in mentioning the limits of your experience I know not to try it on a blade I am seriously concerned with the finish of first.
 
Thank you, Shavru.

Responsibility for the damage of another person's property is one of the things I really don't like, almost at a phobia level.

Not to sound "cheesy," but you have, in fact, eased my fear on this one. So, once again, thanks.
 
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