Rare HI knives

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Aug 28, 2010
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Post your rare knives from Himalayan Imports, if you have any.
I don't have any, so I'll show some I found in the archives.

First up... The Bura Folder!

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"This is one of the "make what you want" projects and Bura has demonstrated once again why he holds the title of Royal Kami and is BirGorkha foreman...This folder is ten inches overall, 5.5 when closed. Blade is excellently done, marked with HI and Bura's mark. Handle grips are beautiful deer horn and excellently executed. And they are gray, not blue like my lousy photo equipment shows. The fit and finish are impressive, about 99%, just enough to let you know this is a hand made knife and not something pumped out by a machine."
-- Bill Martino 01-18-2002, from http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/186058-Folder-by-Bura-Pix-amp-sign-up-time

Review by the guy who bought it:
"Guys, THIS BABY IS "BIG"! It's the kind of folder you take ,if you are going in the woods, on a bike, or to do some work! Notice I said to do some work & not to work "as in an office"! It would scare the crap out of the PC correct! Blade alone is almost 4 1/2"! It is SHARP & gonna get sharper after tonight! Deer horn is beautiful, furniture is brass. It's a slipjoint, & when it opens, it ain't going to slip! Slight opening where bolster & liner meet.I have custom folders by some of the best in the world, this one is diff, when you consider what tools they have & how they do it, this folder is priceless! Don't know who was more surprised, Bill when he got it or me when I got it! Those that don't like "BIG, SHARP folders won't like it, "So what, I do & that's all that matters!"

-- jim_l_clifton, 01-23-2002, from http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/186772-Hi-Folder

From the guy who had it next:
"Yup!!!! You read it correctly!!!! Tsimi sent me the Bura Folder!!!! Tsimi likes to mess around with my head, (doesn't he everyone's?) and sent me Bura's folder just as he got it. No sharpening the burr off the blade, nada, nuthin, zilch, it's in absolutely pristine condition. Now I can't deny that I'm kinda surprised at Tsimi's actions in one way, but it does show he knows how to get it sharpened by me without sending it to me asking me to put one of my edges on it... Tsimi told me to keep it a while and I'm gonna do just that. I pick it up, look it over a bit, put it back down, and in an hour or so pick it back up and do it all over again...
I haven't even began to think about putting an edge on it although what ever I do it will probably wind up a Moran or Convex edge before I send it back to Tsimi as it's my favorite edge no matter the grind on the blade. I don't have any chisel ground knives nor do I ever expect to. That would be my only concession to Not using a convex edge.
When/If I ever get any Japanese cooking knives that will be the day I have chisel ground edges in my house...
I will get a review and some pix up, but don't expect anything anywhere near soon. I've been pretty busy lately and a decent review takes time....
I will say at this time that the fit of the blade against the back spring when the knife is open is as accurate as I could've done with a precision grinder well and carefully set up to grind perfectly square!!!!
That in itself is absolutely amazing!!!!
Not all of the fit is quite as good as this, but under the conditions Bura made this folder in I find that equally absolutely amazing!!!!
Under further examination by Tsimi and resulting correspondence by Tsimi with Uncle Bill it has been determined that the handle slabs aren't buffalo horn.
Uncle Bill, I think Tsimi told me, told Tsimi that the handles are deer horn and they do appear to be that on 1st couple of looks and probably may well be, I'm not ready to dispute Bro on that but to me they also have the appearance of bone that's been well sun bleached.
I have some well aged Deer, American Buffalo, Cow Shoulder, Turkey, Eagle and maybe even some Horse bones laying around a circle in our backyard that looks real similar when worked.
Only one side of the slabs makes me think it could be bone from the end and side grain, But then I'm kinda wondering if Pala didn't get some of the Elk Antler that Rusty had given him to make handles from and took it back to Nepal.
The slabs look more like that Elk ANtler than anything else and would explain everything...
What gets me is that I was under the understanding that the Nepali Deer aren't all that large and these slabs are really big, but I've seen documenteries with the little Sambar Deer in India and they have some pretty large racks, perhaps the Nepali Deer do as well? Bro?"

-- Yvsa, 02-02-2002, from previous thread
 
This is another "make what you want to" knife from Bura:

The Bura Bowie

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"14 inches and 15 ounces of perfection. Bura does it again. What more can I say except this is an original 10/10 effort by the old master. What a kami!...It's a work of art besides being a hell of a knife...it's about 5/16 thick right out of the bolster with an even steady taper going forward."

-- Bill Martino, 01-18-02, from http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/186060-The-Bura-Bowie-another-make-what-you-want-Pix-Make-me-an-offer-I-can-t-refuse
 
A few more:


cherokee_rose_joke_pix.jpg

"Prototype cherokee rose, kami take on the models..."



durba_dagger.jpg

"Durba dagger, a little like the kanchi."



30_inch_ycs_for_harry.jpg

"30" inch YCS..."



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"Special order pukko's"



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"HI Kenpo khukuri, if there is any posibility of selling these again i will pay any amount, i don't care. 17 inches and double edged."

-- all quotes and photos from a thread by 'Bruce of 1', 07-19-2004
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/306889-I-felt-the-need-to-post-some-pics
 
will be nice when another kami starts to get creative and strange things come out of the shops, the padam sugas were great. looking forward to more , would be cool if stuff like this could still happen!
 
The beautiful bowie and the "30" inch YCS... are just fabulous.
 
Ahh the Bura folder! Auntie mentioned a folding knife when I was giving her details on the custom blade I want made (my description made it sound like a folder). Very cool! Would love an HI pocket knife. I'd never need any other blade to EDC
 
Another "make what you want", this time from Sanu:

12-inch WWII model

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"Sanu is usually the most creative kami at BirGorkha. This khukuri he sent surprised me. He is of the opinion that the WWII should be offered in a 12 inch model like the Sirupati and Ang Khola and sent this to demonstrate. He thinks it will sell well. I don't.
Anyway, here's Sanu's first ever 12 inch 14 ounce WWII model. It's a 10/10 effort by Sanu."


-- Bill Martino, 01-18-2002, from http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/186063-Another-make-what-you-want-Sanu-s-suprise-Pix
 

"Here's a 12 inch Kothimoda. Pala and Bura came up with this idea. They know that $450 is a high price to pay so they made five pieces of this 12 inch version (one piece disappeared along the way -- UPS or customs is the richer). This is the Bura made 12 inch, 11 ounce Dhankuta made like nobody else can and handled with the spotted deer horn, mounted in silver. Can't find anything to say about it except excellent.

The scabbard is made of the basic wood wrapped in the best, most expensive lamb hide we can find. Adorned in pure silver by the "silver men..."


-- Bill Martino, 02-04-2002, from http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/188682-If-you-want-an-HI-Kothimoda-here-s-one-for-200-Pix-and-deal

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More information about this knife:

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The backstory:
Yvsa dreamt up the Cherokee Rose knife, and meticulously created a wooden model of it for the kamis to reference, so that every detail would be the way he wanted it. It was sent to Nepal and he was eagerly awaiting the first one. The pictured knife was posted by Uncle Bill with this title:

"The new and improved Sher version of the Cherokee Rose. Where's Bro?
Well, there it is, Bro. Sher thought your model needed some improvements. I can't give you specs because this model hasn't been shipped yet. Sher wanted your approval of his new and improved version before he started production so took this pix and sent it with Pala.
I emailed Gelbu and told him that I was not quite sure if you would like the improvements or not so hold off on production run."

-- Bill Martino, 02-18-02


Yvsa was not amused, to say the least. The rest of the story is here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/190844-The-new-and-improved-Sher-version-of-the-Cherokee-Rose-Where-s-Bro
 
I'm not sure how rare it is, but I've never seen a Kumar Karda like this one, with a brass guard and a chainpuri-type handle in gorgeous horn. Overall length 15.5", weight 20 oz. Made by Sher kami.

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I also can't resist showing this pair of Roman daggers that I got at an auction site last year. They're not HI, but I'm pretty sure they're one-of-a-kind that some craftsman did in his workshop. They're each 17" OAL, 21 oz, with striped wood handles, brass pins and thick forward-pointing guards. Double-edged and sharp. They're hand-made, not identical; one is a little pointier and narrower, but a good matching pair.

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All I've got are two customs:

The 15" Silver Mounted AK with double dragons by Rajkumar









The 18" inch Carved UBE by Tirtha:





 
Man, I love the folder, the Durba Dagger, Cherokee Rose proto by Sher, and the 12 inch Kothimoda. Just beautiful!
 
cul, those 2 are over the top! The best of the best!

TY Conan. They are UP there as my favorites. The UBE I really like as my "grab n go", i find it a capable chopper/fighter, and the spine is 1/2" thick which I would assume is substantial enough not to fail.

I love the AK too, but it's more a showpiece than anything else, I've used it once or twice when it was the only HI blade I had, polished it back to original, and haven't used it since, now that I have a few users...:)
 
Got intrigued by this one.
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KUMAR SUPER CHIRUWA ANG KHOLA
Overall length --18''
Weight --42 oz
Spine thickness --1/2''
Satisal wood white metal combo handle
White metal guard, Brass bolster, Brass and white metal buttcap, Standard leather scabbard,

Added to my ever-growing collection at $235. Looks better on picture...
Let me correct, it looks far better on picture. :eek:
 
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