Tibetan style bladed kukri.

spiral · 18th July 2007, 08:12 PM

Yes thats right Lew, it seemed unusual to me as well & leaves me wondering the reasons why?

Perhaps they only had thin bar stock so had to laminate to get full depth of belly?

Or perhaps it was done to be purely decorative? I dont know.

I have been told old bright steel Knitting pins were often used as one of the laminate materials in such work? But how accurate that is I dont know but it would be a source of thin rods of good high carbon steel, I would think.

Spiral

Bill M · 18th July 2007, 09:06 PM

Neat! It went to the right guy!

Mark · 19th July 2007, 03:05 PM

I see just a hint of darker color at the base of the blade (unless its just a stain on the lighter steel. Perhaps the pattern comes from the middle layer being thicker than the others (the thickness of the base, in other words)?

josh stout · 19th July 2007, 04:12 PM

What a fascinating knife. I have been looking at allot of Tibetan pattern welding, but I have never seen a kukri with hairpin folding before. There are a couple of unusual things that the smith did to adapt a technique for long straight blades to this knife. Either the hairpin rods were placed backwards pointing away from the tip, or it is a rare double-ended pattern. To me it looks it bit more like the former. At the tip it looks like the rods thin out and come together without really joining. It would take a very close look at the tip to know for sure. Then around the hairpin rods is the typical frame of high carbon steel. What I see at the base of the blade is the last rod of darker iron extending down into the base of the blade and probably forming the tang. This would give the tang good shock absorbing properties. Then the high carbon frame that extends around the entire blade also surrounds the darker rod that extends to the handle. To add thickness to the blade at the base, the bright steel frame partially covers the central darker portion.

You did a great job with a very quick etch, but the color looks a bit unusual. Is it really as green/yellow as it appears in the photo? Would nitric acid make a more traditional dark and light pattern? It is not an area I am experienced in.
Josh

spiral · 19th July 2007, 04:49 PM

Thanks Bill! Your a Gentleman.

I agree Mark/Josh well spotted I think your correct, theres is another portion of well mixed laminates in the waist.

I think It is double hairpin Josh but the unfortuanatly the 2 central laminations are broken & blunt near the point, the rest more outer ones although thin do meet although they also seem more amalgamated into the bright steel as well, perhaps due to the extra forging to get the final distal taper?

I guess the more central laminations are at a much more accute angle so are harder to join proerly?

The hairpins did come up very brassy in colour, I will do a more carefull etch another time perhaps, I think the sole reason the 30 second shallow etch showed up was due to whater iron or steel was used for the hairpins. I would love to know what it was. Only time Ive seen the intial degreasing look like a full etch!

I have got another much larger hairpin laminated kukri that I found a few years ago so there must be a few of them out there.

Iam not particularily expierieced at etching, Ive never used nitric acid, usualy just fruit juices & vinigar as i belive that what the Nepalis/Tibetans would most likely of used?

Spiral

josh stout · 19th July 2007, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiral

...Iam not particularily expierieced at etching, Ive never used nitric acid, usualy just fruit juices & vinigar as i belive that what the Nepalis/Tibetans would most likely of used?

Spiral

That is something I would also like to know. I have used vinegar, and the colors came out right, but the pattern was much more subdued than on antiques.
Josh

spiral · 19th July 2007, 07:17 PM

Josh your obviously a serious affcentionado of this "Tibetan" type blade work do you have any book or online sources to reccomend ? {i have read the Lee Jones informative pages.} And do you/have you find any/many references to kukri in Tibet?

As well as age I am wondering if Tibetan smiths made kukris or if some apparently Tibetan work might in fact also be eastern Nepali? {Perhaps Limbu.} It appears the Naga in Assam possibly used the same techniques unless they stole/traded the steel.

Spiral

18th July 2007, 08:12 PM	#1
spiral Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,712	Yes thats right Lew, it seemed unusual to me as well & leaves me wondering the reasons why? Perhaps they only had thin bar stock so had to laminate to get full depth of belly? Or perhaps it was done to be purely decorative? I dont know. I have been told old bright steel Knitting pins were often used as one of the laminate materials in such work? But how accurate that is I dont know but it would be a source of thin rods of good high carbon steel, I would think. Spiral Last edited by spiral; 18th July 2007 at 08:44 PM.

18th July 2007, 09:06 PM	#2
Bill M Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Georgia Posts: 1,599	Neat! It went to the right guy!

19th July 2007, 03:05 PM	#3
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	I see just a hint of darker color at the base of the blade (unless its just a stain on the lighter steel. Perhaps the pattern comes from the middle layer being thicker than the others (the thickness of the base, in other words)?

19th July 2007, 04:12 PM	#4
josh stout Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 407	What a fascinating knife. I have been looking at allot of Tibetan pattern welding, but I have never seen a kukri with hairpin folding before. There are a couple of unusual things that the smith did to adapt a technique for long straight blades to this knife. Either the hairpin rods were placed backwards pointing away from the tip, or it is a rare double-ended pattern. To me it looks it bit more like the former. At the tip it looks like the rods thin out and come together without really joining. It would take a very close look at the tip to know for sure. Then around the hairpin rods is the typical frame of high carbon steel. What I see at the base of the blade is the last rod of darker iron extending down into the base of the blade and probably forming the tang. This would give the tang good shock absorbing properties. Then the high carbon frame that extends around the entire blade also surrounds the darker rod that extends to the handle. To add thickness to the blade at the base, the bright steel frame partially covers the central darker portion. You did a great job with a very quick etch, but the color looks a bit unusual. Is it really as green/yellow as it appears in the photo? Would nitric acid make a more traditional dark and light pattern? It is not an area I am experienced in. Josh

19th July 2007, 04:49 PM	#5
spiral Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,712	Thanks Bill! Your a Gentleman. I agree Mark/Josh well spotted I think your correct, theres is another portion of well mixed laminates in the waist. I think It is double hairpin Josh but the unfortuanatly the 2 central laminations are broken & blunt near the point, the rest more outer ones although thin do meet although they also seem more amalgamated into the bright steel as well, perhaps due to the extra forging to get the final distal taper? I guess the more central laminations are at a much more accute angle so are harder to join proerly? The hairpins did come up very brassy in colour, I will do a more carefull etch another time perhaps, I think the sole reason the 30 second shallow etch showed up was due to whater iron or steel was used for the hairpins. I would love to know what it was. Only time Ive seen the intial degreasing look like a full etch! I have got another much larger hairpin laminated kukri that I found a few years ago so there must be a few of them out there. Iam not particularily expierieced at etching, Ive never used nitric acid, usualy just fruit juices & vinigar as i belive that what the Nepalis/Tibetans would most likely of used? Spiral

19th July 2007, 07:17 PM	#7
spiral Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,712	Josh your obviously a serious affcentionado of this "Tibetan" type blade work do you have any book or online sources to reccomend ? {i have read the Lee Jones informative pages.} And do you/have you find any/many references to kukri in Tibet? As well as age I am wondering if Tibetan smiths made kukris or if some apparently Tibetan work might in fact also be eastern Nepali? {Perhaps Limbu.} It appears the Naga in Assam possibly used the same techniques unless they stole/traded the steel. Spiral