The hidden beauty of HI handles...

J

jfox95307

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Jan 30, 2008
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Some beautiful wood discovered hiding underneath the polishing compound of Himalayan Imports Khukris.

Fifteen inch Ang Khola by Purna
Nice figure and birds-eyes.
15-inch-eyes.jpg


15 Inch Ang Khola by Purna
This one is very red with dark straight grain.
Reminded me very much of padauk. Orange sanding dust and turns darker upon oiling and oxidation.
Red15-2.jpg

Red15-3.jpg


17 Inch CAK by Krishna Kami
This one, I swear is walnut.
Shouldn't be. Smells like walnut. Stains fingers like walnut. Works like walnut. Tighter grain than Indian rosewood. I totally re-shaped this handle. Fits me like it was made for me, because it was.
AK1.jpg

AK2.jpg


I have eight Khuks now, and they all have wonderful wood. Well all but one...
 
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Forgot about the Twins...
16 inch Villager utility knives from Purna.
Excellent blades by any measure. Field tested.
Twins.jpg
 
Dan K. said:
Good wood.

How did you get the compound off? Steel wool?
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Standard wood working measures.
Start with somewhere around 120 to 180 unless you want to take off material.
Then stage it, 220-320-400- very fine steel wool and oil of choice.
 
Wood is uniquely designed works of art never duplicated by other pieces of art! Great photos
 
George Azar said:
Wood is uniquely designed works of art never duplicated by other pieces of art! Great photos
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Thanks, the camera is quite harsh. they look better in person and some of them are in progress still.
I love finding the light in the wood and letting it out.
 
That 15'' AK partially stripped looks very much like Blood Wood, I just worked with some. I'm not sure what that equates to over in Nepal, they may have something similar and call it something else.
Like Walnut. There's a ton of varieties of Rosewood, I'm sure they have similar stuff over there.
 
Bawanna said:
That 15'' AK partially stripped looks very much like Blood Wood, I just worked with some. I'm not sure what that equates to over in Nepal, they may have something similar and call it something else.
Like Walnut. There's a ton of varieties of Rosewood, I'm sure they have similar stuff over there.
Click to expand...

That's the one that looks like padauk to me. Just like the fretboard one of the guitars that I built.
But padauk is an African wood. Pterocarpus (wingfruit). Is very orange when working. Stains the oil, and turns darker reddish brown.
But as you say, there is probably an equivalent to it in Nepal. Just not Pterocarpus...
 
Just the inspiration I needed to get to work on my Neem wood handled AKB, I think it has a lot of potential.

Great looking wood! :thumbsup:
 
Kiteman72 said:
Just the inspiration I needed to get to work on my Neem wood handled AKB, I think it has a lot of potential.

Great looking wood! :thumbsup:
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Thank you.
Of course it has potential, they all do.
As Van Morrison said, "taste it first, then add some flavor"
I think of it as a collaboration, with someone i've never met.
 
I will talk to Purna Kami in few days about the wood handle.
 
jfox95307 said:
Thank you.
Of course it has potential, they all do.
As Van Morrison said, "taste it first, then add some flavor"
I think of it as a collaboration, with someone i've never met.
Click to expand...
100% improvement of my Neem wood handle!

I'm busy putting on extra coats of Formby's High Gloss Tung Oil Finish and it is really lookin' nice.

Thank you very much for the inspiration! :thumbsup:
 
Kiteman72 said:
100% improvement of my Neem wood handle!

I'm busy putting on extra coats of Formby's High Gloss Tung Oil Finish and it is really lookin' nice.

Thank you very much for the inspiration! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

You're welcome!
I love wood.
I'm working on a fifty year old tourist bowl right now.
It's old growth redwood burl.
The burl just drips down the edge.

I hope you'll be inspired to "discover" what's hiding in other un-noticed pieces of wood. That beauty is every where around us. You should see what a pepperwood stave looks like when finished. Like pearl.
 
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