Is this a stress fracture on my A.K. Bowie?

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Delta_Factor

Joined
Oct 19, 2005
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I bought this 12-15 years ago, used it lightly for a year or so then put it away. Recently I've been using it for some heavy chopping and batoning, and I noticed the line in the pictures. It may have been there since the day I bought it, it may be new, I just don't know.

If it matters at all, I can't feel a ridge on that spot, the metal is perfectly smooth.

Is it a stress fracture? Is the knife dangerous to use? Is it nothing to worry about? It seems impossible that this thing could break, but you never know.
 
Don't know what to say, maybe that spot was hardened by mistake until it became brittle, although the spine should be around RC 25? Or yes - a defect in the material, that went unnoticed.

EIther way, if you are a first owner, the waranty should cover it. I wouldn't risk using it.
 
I'd of course bow to Auntie or one of the several blacksmiths we have around these parts but that sure seems like an unlikely spot to develop that crack. If you don't even feel it, it's obviously a tight crack.

I don't know that I'd retire it but I'd sure keep a close eye on it from time to time.

I want to think it won't end up going anywhere but I got absolutely nothing to back that up with.

Auntie of course being the kind soul that she is will no doubt replace it, I don't know that I could even ask after more than a decade but that is your call to make.

Out of curiosity, any idea who the kami is. Describe the mark on the left side of the blade.
 
Bawanna said:
..that sure seems like an unlikely spot to develop that crack...
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That's what I was thinking, until I recalled that DF was batonning it. That's the only use that I can imagine would make that crack bigger, because of the location and since the steel is so thick at that point. My guess is that all other uses of that knife would not result in catastrophic failure, so I would keep it, especially since it's a Bura.
 
I'd keep. Could very well be a fold line that darkened up on you which is no big deal. I'm not an expert though and would do what Yangdu suggests:)
 
Steve Tall said:
... DF was batonning it. That's the only use that I can imagine would make that crack bigger ...My guess is that all other uses of that knife would not result in catastrophic failure
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Batoning (with a stick) wouldn't cause this would it? But continuing to may cause it to fail in the future? That's unfortunate - batoning is going to be a large part of the work I need it for coming up...
 
Yes, the kami mark is the royal kamis.
If you were to have this replaced, the replacement would not be a Bura. He has retired due to health issues.
This crack could have even happened at the forge and been complicated by the act of batonning.
It likely wont fail during chopping, but batonning could make it worse.

If it were me, I'd keep it and grind the spine down past the crack.
 
I keep thinking that if this were an actual crack I'd be able to feel it with a finger wiped over that spot. All I feel is smooth metal, like any other spot on the blade. I was really hoping I'd come here and be told it was fine and to quit being paranoid!
 
Let me be the first to offer to get you a replacement if I can have that Bura. Man can't have to many Bura's.

They dont call him the Royal Kami for nuthin.
 
I am sure many people would be glad to buy this "defective" bura :D-- it does not look serious to me but I would wait for a professional like bensinger to show up, guy knows what on metals.
 
Bawanna said:
Let me be the first to offer to get you a replacement if I can have that Bura. Man can't have to many Bura's.

They dont call him the Royal Kami for nuthin.
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I'm really hoping not to replace it! Why are the Bura's in demand above other kami's knives? Was he just that good? Are they collectors item now that he's retired? I don't really understand the situation with the kamis and why one might be more desirable than another.
 
Delta_Factor said:
I'm really hoping not to replace it! Why are the Bura's in demand above other kami's knives? Was he just that good? Are they collectors item now that he's retired? I don't really understand the situation with the kamis and why one might be more desirable than another.
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Lal Bahadur Bishwakarma Aka: Bura, the last royal kami of Nepal.
Made khukuri for the king and royals of Nepal. HI shop foreman for many years.
His fit and finish up until his last stroke is some of the best that could be had anywhere.

Yes. the blades he made are highly collectible now. Depending on quality, condition and rarity some pieces can be worth as much a 3-5 times as much as they originally sold for.

Lets not talk of sales/trades here folks. This is the showroom and the OP does not have the required membership.
 
Due to the nature of the dendritic tree branch shape id say its a fracture and since normal chopping would cause compression in that area id say it is not likely the cause. Batoning would cause extension in that area since your striking at the tip area in front of the fracture so Id say without question that it was caused by batoning. There must have been a slight defect or weakness (stress riser) in the area that caused the fracture. It would probably go no where chopping but lateral prying or batoning would likely cause that fracture to propagate. Like Karda said if you grind beyond the crack it may not ever cause you a problem.
 
Delta_Factor:

If this is just a surface blemish you should be able to polish it out with Flitz or fine sandpaper. You might want to try that first.

If it is a fracture, it might go pretty deep. I'm basing that on the way the crack lines show up on the side as well as the top of the spine. In that case -- and since you want a blade that you can baton with -- you might be better off selling this one to a collector and using the money to buy a new HI blade.

Some of the collectors around here have other blades as users and would be happy to have a Bura blade just to enhance their collection. Bura has a great reputation among HI enthusiasts, but other HI kamis make blades that are just as strong.
 
Karda said:
...If it were me, I'd keep it and grind the spine down past the crack.
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Could you (or anyone) describe in more detail how you'd go about this? My main concern is how deep this crack might be - if it's cracked as deep as it is long that would be a lot of metal to remove, and I wouldn't want to mangle this nice blade in that way. On the other hand, if it's more likely the crack is only on the surface, and I could save this blade by grinding a shallow scallop in that spot, I'd do it.
 
Being a blacksmith and seeing the crack, regardless of how it was caused, I would not attempt to grind the crack out. The resultant reshaped blade might not look attractive, you might loose valuable temper which equates to work ability of the blade. The balance will be changed and so the "sweet spot" may move on you. Since Bura crafted that blade, your best bet would be to keep it as a collectible or sell/trade to another aficionado. It's my personal opinion that batoning wood with a smallish knife is not in the best interest of the knife. A fro is the proper tool or a bigger blade.
 
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Bookie said:
Being a blacksmith and seeing the crack, regardless of how it was caused, I would not attempt to grind the crack out. The resultant reshaped blade might not look attractive, you might loose valuable temper which equates to work ability of the blade. The balance will be changed and so the "sweet spot" may move on you. Since Bura crafted that blade, your best bet would be to keep it as a collectible or sell/trade to another aficionado. Paranoia sucks a big one.
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The doc speaks! I would listen intently.
 
Bookie said:
Being a blacksmith and seeing the crack, regardless of how it was caused, I would not attempt to grind the crack out. The resultant reshaped blade might not look attractive, you might loose valuable temper which equates to work ability of the blade. The balance will be changed and so the "sweet spot" may move on you. Since Bura crafted that blade, your best bet would be to keep it as a collectible or sell/trade to another aficionado. It's my personal opinion that batoning wood with a smallish knife is not in the best interest of the knife. A fro is the proper tool or a bigger blade.
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Thanks, that makes sense. I won't try to grind it out. I may explore selling or trading to someone who will appreciate it as a collector for something I can use the hell out of :)
 
If anything, it looks minor at the moment. Keep a close eye on it while batoning; that's the only sort of use i reckon places a tension stress at the crack location. I almost want to experiment on it by drilling a hole through the edge of the crack. That would increase the crack radius and drop the likelihood of the crack propagating. That would be the owner's call to make.
 
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