- Joined
- Feb 15, 2001
- Messages
- 340
Yeesh- get swamped with work for a week and the whole world turns over on ya. Kumar gone, the Konvention . . . I missed a lot.
Well, I got my first one, fellers!
She's an 18" Sirupati. Looks like she was made by Kumar- I guess maybe one of the last we'll see by him.
Never had a blade that was ANYTHING like this before. It really makes you appreciate how tools evolve over time; I don't think a blade like this could have popped off anyone's drawing board; it takes lots of time and lots of people thinking about what makes something work and then trying it, over and over.
First off, the forging of the blade itself is just flawless. If there is any asymmetry it is beyond the ability of my eyes or fingers to find it. If I look REALLY closely down the blade under a bright light I can see a few waves that are probably hammer mark remnants. It's unsharpened, but the primary edge is so smooth and thin it'd probably land some wicked chops anyway.
The Sword of Shiva looks like it was engraved with small cold-chisels, some curved and some straight. The lines are a little irregular and some don't meet. I don't particularly care about that, I bought the thing to do work. The mirror finish is really beautiful- as good as any high-end production knife I've seen. There are two scrub marks on the starboard side of the blade- maybe from the scabbard, kinda looks like the sort of thing that would happen if somebody steel-wooled off some surface rust.
The thing that I wasn't expecting so much was the handle- Its shape is perfect. I have little girlie hands and half-expected a fat grip that would squirt out of my fist. Instead, it seats perfectly, and the rings index exactly between my fourth and small fingers. Feels like there's an egg-shape to the handle, with the narrow part towards the blade. It's very, very comfortable and just slips right into your hand like it was made for it. The fishtail-shaped butt beats any retaining hook I've seen- doesn't dig into your palm or little finger and your grip has to completely come apart for you not to catch it. The only thing I think I'd change is that the bone handle is very smooth- when I get some oil on my hands I feel a little worried. I think Yvsa mentioned a way to roughen them up a little; I might look that up. Probably apply it to the part of the grip above the rings and leave the butt end all shiny and purty
.
Seeing as it doesn't have an edge and I couldn't do too much damage I did some chopping and thrusting dry-runs. First off, the concern that you can't put the point where you want it with this shape blade is not a problem. As a matter of fact, I think it's better than most. I notice many knives with dropped handles, letting your wrist stay in a natural position with the blade forward when you thrust. The khukuri's bend does the same thing. I don't know about how deeply it will stick or how tough a material you can chisel out, but the point goes where you want it to. The only drawback is the blade-forward balance and its heft do tend to drag the point down.
On the chops, one thing I found out is that swinging up close from the elbow without a target as a brake can wear you out. If you swing from the shoulder with extended arm on diagonals(a bit like a saber cut, I think) the blade just sails. If you do strike a target (in this case, a junk styrofoam cooler) the strain of stopping the blade is removed and it becomes very well-behaved when chopping at close quarters from the elbow. Lesson learned: don't stand in front of a moving khukuri, they like to hit hard.
The burnishing tool and small knife aren't as well done as the big knife. The small knife has a very asymmetric "grind" and looks scalloped. One thing I wondered about was how those little fish-tail handles would work, and the answer is they're very easy to use. The knife handle is naturally cradled by the index through fourth fingers and the thumb rests right on the back of the blade. Feels like a perfect fine-work/skinning grip.
Overall, she's a beauty. This knife was obviously built to do something; once you have it in your hand you've just got to swing it. I am glad of Mr. Holt's advice to downsize- the Sirupati feels like a very good size and weight for what I want to do with it, and it carries easily. My next one may be a Kobra, but I think I'll wheedle Uncle Bill for one with a mirror finish when the time comes.
Now, I just gotta get out my rods and strop and make a knife out of her. Then, I have to find something to CHOP!!
I'd much appreciate it if anybody could give me pointers on their tricks for polishing out rubs and scrapes. It'll give me an excuse to fondle it a little more!
BTW, in case anybody was interested, it looks like my plans for seeking MA training are just going to have to wait. The insanity of the last two weeks has convinced me that I just don't have time to take on that kind of scheduled obligation. I hate that; feel like I'm just going to keep finding something more important and never do it.
Still it looks like the pickins is slim around here-can only find two FMA schools so far and they're a right smart drive away. I have to say, I'm also a little suspicious when the school claims to train you in 4 or more arts! Mebbe that's unjustified, but it gives me concern.
Bobwill, you ever looked around for a school? (and btw, thanks for the legal tip a long while back).
Sorry, to ramble folks, but she is pretty, and it has been a long time.
Well, I got my first one, fellers!
She's an 18" Sirupati. Looks like she was made by Kumar- I guess maybe one of the last we'll see by him.
Never had a blade that was ANYTHING like this before. It really makes you appreciate how tools evolve over time; I don't think a blade like this could have popped off anyone's drawing board; it takes lots of time and lots of people thinking about what makes something work and then trying it, over and over.
First off, the forging of the blade itself is just flawless. If there is any asymmetry it is beyond the ability of my eyes or fingers to find it. If I look REALLY closely down the blade under a bright light I can see a few waves that are probably hammer mark remnants. It's unsharpened, but the primary edge is so smooth and thin it'd probably land some wicked chops anyway.
The Sword of Shiva looks like it was engraved with small cold-chisels, some curved and some straight. The lines are a little irregular and some don't meet. I don't particularly care about that, I bought the thing to do work. The mirror finish is really beautiful- as good as any high-end production knife I've seen. There are two scrub marks on the starboard side of the blade- maybe from the scabbard, kinda looks like the sort of thing that would happen if somebody steel-wooled off some surface rust.
The thing that I wasn't expecting so much was the handle- Its shape is perfect. I have little girlie hands and half-expected a fat grip that would squirt out of my fist. Instead, it seats perfectly, and the rings index exactly between my fourth and small fingers. Feels like there's an egg-shape to the handle, with the narrow part towards the blade. It's very, very comfortable and just slips right into your hand like it was made for it. The fishtail-shaped butt beats any retaining hook I've seen- doesn't dig into your palm or little finger and your grip has to completely come apart for you not to catch it. The only thing I think I'd change is that the bone handle is very smooth- when I get some oil on my hands I feel a little worried. I think Yvsa mentioned a way to roughen them up a little; I might look that up. Probably apply it to the part of the grip above the rings and leave the butt end all shiny and purty
Seeing as it doesn't have an edge and I couldn't do too much damage I did some chopping and thrusting dry-runs. First off, the concern that you can't put the point where you want it with this shape blade is not a problem. As a matter of fact, I think it's better than most. I notice many knives with dropped handles, letting your wrist stay in a natural position with the blade forward when you thrust. The khukuri's bend does the same thing. I don't know about how deeply it will stick or how tough a material you can chisel out, but the point goes where you want it to. The only drawback is the blade-forward balance and its heft do tend to drag the point down.
On the chops, one thing I found out is that swinging up close from the elbow without a target as a brake can wear you out. If you swing from the shoulder with extended arm on diagonals(a bit like a saber cut, I think) the blade just sails. If you do strike a target (in this case, a junk styrofoam cooler) the strain of stopping the blade is removed and it becomes very well-behaved when chopping at close quarters from the elbow. Lesson learned: don't stand in front of a moving khukuri, they like to hit hard.
The burnishing tool and small knife aren't as well done as the big knife. The small knife has a very asymmetric "grind" and looks scalloped. One thing I wondered about was how those little fish-tail handles would work, and the answer is they're very easy to use. The knife handle is naturally cradled by the index through fourth fingers and the thumb rests right on the back of the blade. Feels like a perfect fine-work/skinning grip.
Overall, she's a beauty. This knife was obviously built to do something; once you have it in your hand you've just got to swing it. I am glad of Mr. Holt's advice to downsize- the Sirupati feels like a very good size and weight for what I want to do with it, and it carries easily. My next one may be a Kobra, but I think I'll wheedle Uncle Bill for one with a mirror finish when the time comes.
Now, I just gotta get out my rods and strop and make a knife out of her. Then, I have to find something to CHOP!!
I'd much appreciate it if anybody could give me pointers on their tricks for polishing out rubs and scrapes. It'll give me an excuse to fondle it a little more!
BTW, in case anybody was interested, it looks like my plans for seeking MA training are just going to have to wait. The insanity of the last two weeks has convinced me that I just don't have time to take on that kind of scheduled obligation. I hate that; feel like I'm just going to keep finding something more important and never do it.
Bobwill, you ever looked around for a school? (and btw, thanks for the legal tip a long while back).
Sorry, to ramble folks, but she is pretty, and it has been a long time.
