Habaki Bolsters and Random thoughts

Joined
Jun 16, 2002
Messages
1,102
Looks like we still haven't been able to move away from the semi habaki bolster. Some veterans may remember this topic.

By the way, are the bolsters made of white metal? Seems like I saw some that look like they are made of steel.

I see that the kothimodas are made of white metal now. Wish I never sold mine.

My favourite kami, Bura, seems like he doesn't directly produce khukuri's anymore.
 
yeah I wish you had sold your kothimoda to me :D!!!

bura may have retired, but two new kami are showing skills that rival the old master( thamar and purna), and lets not forget sher and kumar are still turning out top notch blades, along with many old favorites and new talent

I am reasonably sure many of the bolsters are steel, but I am not certain, most are brass
 
Looks like we still haven't been able to move away from the semi habaki bolster. Some veterans may remember this topic. By the way, are the bolsters made of white metal? Seems like I saw some that look like they are made of steel....

I've never quite understood the pros and cons of the different bolster types, and I haven't seen a discussion of the subject in recent years.

I think a majority of the fittings, including bolsters, are white metal, but many are yellow brass. Steel fittings are a small minority and I've noticed from personal experience (the magnet test) that they tend to occur most often on certain models, but at the moment I can't recall which models. Even for those models, steel fittings are infrequent. I notice that sort of thing because I really like the steel fittings.
 
The Thamar Dui Chirra that just sold looks to have a shorter style bolster. The bolster is shorter on my example as well.
 
Thamar's stuff does have a more traditional bolster. I don't know why the habaki bolsters bug some people so much-it's not like they're easier to make. (I've made both and both are a right bugger to do correctly.) i appreciate both (especially when I don't hafta make 'em)0
 
I've found the habiki allows them a tighter fit in the scabbard. I prefer the look of non habiki but I have plenty of both.
 
Well for what its worth here is a Gurkha Army Khukri.

51fe2ae5a7f6a614c97efef5291ae41b


My random thoughts: It has little to no habaki and the ferrule part is very short as well. I think that most of its function is to spread the load from the blade into the wood to prevent splitting along the grain. My idea is minimalistic. If you use a tried and true wood that can naturally spread the shock load through the wood then no need to have a wide habaki and long ferrule. If you use many different types of wood and sell Khukris to the public then it is better to use a habaki and longer ferrule to minimize fractures and failures and still be able to utilize many different types of wood. Kind of like this habaki covers all and Kamis dont have to worry and adjust for different types of wood. Thats what makes sense to me. FWIW?
 
yeah I wish you had sold your kothimoda to me :D!!!

bura may have retired, but two new kami are showing skills that rival the old master( thamar and purna), and lets not forget sher and kumar are still turning out top notch blades, along with many old favorites and new talent

I am reasonably sure many of the bolsters are steel, but I am not certain, most are brass

Hey, sorry my message system is not working? Something about dot defender not working. I do not have any sorry. Despite my time on the forum I believe he was before my time!

My collection today is far smaller and mainly consist of unique Bura made pieces which I can't see parting with.
 
well I am always interested in buying HI collections if you ever decide to let them go :D just shoot me an email.


I think if you stick around though, like was mentioned, you will be verily impressed by the new kami
 
I've not known for any of the bolsters, habaki or no to fail with any consistency. It to me is a matter of taste and the traditional khukuri seem to follow a pattern of non bolster. I believe the story goes as Bill tells it, that the Kami's got their hands on a katana and said, hey! let's extend the bolster to get a better fit for the scabbard. It took a long long long time to get them to just shorten the habaki part. It used to be much longer!
 
As I recall, years ago, there was one person who hunted after my osage orange collection. Sadly I gave them all up, wish I had kept one. Beautiful wood that Osage.

I also gave up a purple heart YCS.
 
well hopefully soon there will be many many knives with fancy woods for all! I do not regret the blades I have sold as they all ended up with friends on the forum anyway, and thats almost like me still owning them!
 
well hopefully soon there will be many many knives with fancy woods for all! I do not regret the blades I have sold as they all ended up with friends on the forum anyway, and thats almost like me still owning them!

I feel the same way. I don't mind losing DOTD to anyone here on the forum because I know they will cherish the khuk just as much as me. HI's kukris are a different animal than most things I have collected. Each and everyone of them has a story, and each and everyone is an individual.

Thamar and Purna are making some of the coolest, curviest, and most jaw dropping worth pieces of functional artwork I have ever had the chance to handle.

My Thamar Dui Chirra just sits oh so perfect in the hand thanks to Thamars understanding of hand geometry and how kukris should feel in the hand. It only weighs 22oz for its 17.5 length but feels as fast as my 18 Reti. It's the best feeling kukri I own and would of been my favorite forever until I purchased my Purna Yek Chirra.

Thamar 17.5in 22 oz Dui Chirra white metal with short bolster.
IMG_0731_zps749617d5.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

IMG_0732_zps3671fb38.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

IMG_0734_zps907b54f7.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

My Purna Yek Chirra is in a whole different class when it comes to functional artwork. It isn't as quick as my Thamar Dui Chirra but it's lines and handle shape are out of this world. It looks like it was born instead of forged. It truely has a soul and isn't far from my hand anytime I have the chance to "play" with my collection. It's got a chiruwa handle that has the coolest shape I have seen to date. It's 18in 30oz and pretty fast, but where it really shines is in the looks department. I think Steely named it the light saber when it was posted. I thank god everyday that moparsbob didn't decide to jump on it cause he would of been first. Here are some pictures for anyone how isn't familiar with Purna Kami's work. Check out his style, check out the form, it was "born" not made...

image_zpsb6b3b288.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

image_zps9966b9e7.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

image_zpsbd7dd4aa.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
I say this without any silliness, I do believer purna was telling the whole truth when he came to HI and said he was the best kami in the forge town of dharan; this man makes blades so fine you can barely see the hammer beats, the lines are so smooth and pleasing that I compare him to bura with zero hesitation, thamar is close, but I still think purna is the new master of HI craft.

also his kami mark is boss, I only wish they chiseled them all but I understand you can save time there with the pen tap.
 
Definitely... A chiseled bull's head would be uber cool. I wonder if a commissioned piece could be requested with a chiseled kami's signature? It's just a thought but it would be cool to see. My Thamar has a carved (I think) fly knot. It might be something else but it appears to be chiseled. Here are pictures of Thamar and Purna Kami's marks...

Thama fly knot...
IMG_0728_zpsaa516d31.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

Here is Purna...
image_zps86808d9b.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
I've not known for any of the bolsters, habaki or no to fail with any consistency. It to me is a matter of taste and the traditional khukuri seem to follow a pattern of non bolster. I believe the story goes as Bill tells it, that the Kami's got their hands on a katana and said, hey! let's extend the bolster to get a better fit for the scabbard. It took a long long long time to get them to just shorten the habaki part. It used to be much longer!
I should stand corrected. I have not had a bolster fail however i have had the wood beneath and around it to break apart at no fault of the bolster. The wood beneath it failed. Aunti made offer to replace it and give me a discount on the next purchase no questions asked but I glued and clamped it all back together and has been holding and taking a serious beating for over a year now. What im saying in general is there may be more failures like this if a shorter ferrule like the old GAK's were used today. This was an isolated incident and not a design issue in my case. I personally think the present setup is best for large non-chiruwa choppers.
 
Well, I'm at least very pleasantly surprised that the cho has not "creeped" any further. Ahh cho creep. Another preference that took a long time to get to.

As for me, the ideal khukuri in terms of aesthetics, a narrow steel bolster, a cho placed very close to the bolster, a wood handle, and of course, a large sweet spot.
 
Back
Top