A pre WWII (?) khukuri

spiral · 28th March 2009, 10:09 AM

Warren ,Full tangs increase vibration on impact & effect balance unless they are tapered to become thinner towards buttplate.

mk.1,2 & 3 British Indian pattern issue kukri never had buttplate screwed on.

Private purchase & company or regimental made or purchased kukri could have.

spiral

sirupate · 28th March 2009, 12:28 PM

Full tangs have to have exactly the right contours to get the correct action for when using the kukri. This is a problem the W/S kukri had, along with many MKIII's, also when the slab of horn or wood looses its shape, it can lead to rust on the tang, and because the slabs are no longer flush to the tang, it can make the handle uncomfortable, plus that extra shock of the cut comming back into the hand.
It makes no difference to the shock in the hand felt whether the tang is tapered towards the butt or not (W/S kukri had full length and width tangs), what that does do though is give it a different weight ratio and feel in the hand.
Below is an example of Indian Army Gurkha Issue kukri, butt plate with screws WWI

I hope that is of help, cheers Simon

Pukka Bundook · 29th March 2009, 03:31 PM

Thank you again for answering my Q's, and for attaching the picture Simon.

what you say about full-tangs and stick tangs makes sense.
Thinking about this, it came to me how my old 1915 billhook, and our old turnip snaggers we brought with us from England, all have a long tapered tang that passes through the wooden handle, and they have never been any problem, yet have seen tons of work. I think if they were full tang, they would lose a lot of momentum.

Steve,
I will not clog up your thread with any more stuff!

Best,
Richard.

Ferguson · 29th March 2009, 07:09 PM

Richard, Thread veer is welcome! Glad to see a discussion change and grow.
Steve

sirupate · 30th March 2009, 07:51 PM

A pleasure to help Richard, personely I think full tang, especially on kukri is rather overated, and stick tang gives a much better balance.

Steve many thanks

Billman · 11th December 2010, 02:07 PM

Hi

Recently joined the forum, and trawling through some old blogs... My area of expertise is the billhook, and as a working tool, as well as a weapon, I class a khukri as a form of billhook (note many other types of curved billhooks and sickles also exist in Nepal as well as the more commonly known 'military' khukri).

The terms full and partial tang occur above as well as tapered tang... For billhooks the most common method of fitting is the full length, tapered tang, with the end bent over at the butt of the handle, or better still rivetted over a washer. Socketed handles, for a wooden insert, and scale tang handles are also found - as are socket handles where no wooden insert is used - and materials other than wood, e.g. antler, horn, bone, leather, are used.

In Japan the common method is a partial tang, about half the length of the handle with one or two lateral rivets, and an iron ferrule... Cheap imported billhooks, from India and China, often have a short tang with a lateral rivet passing through the ferrule.

In most countries the use of a metal ferrule to prevent the handle splitting is common when a tang is used - handles without are less common, and khukris (with a knife type of bolster on the shoulder of the blade) would appear to be an exception. In other countries when a ferrule is not fitted, the handle often thickens at the entry point to strengthen it..

If there is no tang passing through the handle, there must me some method of preventing the handle coming off in use - sometimes they are glued on with resin, occasionally barbed to dig into the wood - but a lateral rivet is most common.

The fitting of a ferrule and a rivet is thus a common method of fitting a handle, and although uncommon on a khukri, would seem an original feature, rather than a later repair. I guess as in most other countries, regional variations in blade profile, thickness, type of handle etc of nepalese khukris, especially pre standardisation of manufacture would not be as uncommon as it seems...

Note in the UK, France and Italy hundreds of regional variations in shape of billhook blades are found, often available in range of sizes - in a 1930's
catalogue, one French maker, Talabot, boasted they held patterns for over 3000 shapes, and would make any other upon receipt of a paper template...

spiral · 11th December 2010, 05:27 PM

Thanks for your wisdom on Billhooks Billman.

I agree some kukris have a single rivet through the ferrule generaly termed a bolster, but I am sure that If the ferrule on the featured kukri was originaly part of the kukri it would match the size of the bolster for a start.

Also In India & Nepal if they wished to support the handle further they would just make a longer bolster {Which is just a capped ferrule after all.} with that where the strength would lie after all not an illmatched double ferrule construction.

As an aside but perhaps slighty related. I should also point out to anyone thinking of repairing a kukri that a single rivet can also break a rosewood or similar handle on a partial tang handle if placed outside of a ferrule, after all it creates a pressure point where the force is concentrated as the rivit operates as a pivot point.

Spiral

28th March 2009, 12:28 PM	#2
sirupate Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: England Posts: 373	Full tangs have to have exactly the right contours to get the correct action for when using the kukri. This is a problem the W/S kukri had, along with many MKIII's, also when the slab of horn or wood looses its shape, it can lead to rust on the tang, and because the slabs are no longer flush to the tang, it can make the handle uncomfortable, plus that extra shock of the cut comming back into the hand. It makes no difference to the shock in the hand felt whether the tang is tapered towards the butt or not (W/S kukri had full length and width tangs), what that does do though is give it a different weight ratio and feel in the hand. Below is an example of Indian Army Gurkha Issue kukri, butt plate with screws WWI I hope that is of help, cheers Simon Last edited by sirupate; 28th March 2009 at 12:49 PM.

28th March 2009, 10:09 AM	#1
spiral Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,712	Warren ,Full tangs increase vibration on impact & effect balance unless they are tapered to become thinner towards buttplate. mk.1,2 & 3 British Indian pattern issue kukri never had buttplate screwed on. Private purchase & company or regimental made or purchased kukri could have. spiral

29th March 2009, 03:31 PM	#3
Pukka Bundook Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 803	Thank you again for answering my Q's, and for attaching the picture Simon. what you say about full-tangs and stick tangs makes sense. Thinking about this, it came to me how my old 1915 billhook, and our old turnip snaggers we brought with us from England, all have a long tapered tang that passes through the wooden handle, and they have never been any problem, yet have seen tons of work. I think if they were full tang, they would lose a lot of momentum. Steve, I will not clog up your thread with any more stuff! Best, Richard.

29th March 2009, 07:09 PM	#4
Ferguson Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kernersville, NC, USA Posts: 793	Richard, Thread veer is welcome! Glad to see a discussion change and grow. Steve

30th March 2009, 07:51 PM	#5
sirupate Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: England Posts: 373	A pleasure to help Richard, personely I think full tang, especially on kukri is rather overated, and stick tang gives a much better balance. Steve many thanks

11th December 2010, 02:07 PM	#6
Billman Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 129	Hi Recently joined the forum, and trawling through some old blogs... My area of expertise is the billhook, and as a working tool, as well as a weapon, I class a khukri as a form of billhook (note many other types of curved billhooks and sickles also exist in Nepal as well as the more commonly known 'military' khukri). The terms full and partial tang occur above as well as tapered tang... For billhooks the most common method of fitting is the full length, tapered tang, with the end bent over at the butt of the handle, or better still rivetted over a washer. Socketed handles, for a wooden insert, and scale tang handles are also found - as are socket handles where no wooden insert is used - and materials other than wood, e.g. antler, horn, bone, leather, are used. In Japan the common method is a partial tang, about half the length of the handle with one or two lateral rivets, and an iron ferrule... Cheap imported billhooks, from India and China, often have a short tang with a lateral rivet passing through the ferrule. In most countries the use of a metal ferrule to prevent the handle splitting is common when a tang is used - handles without are less common, and khukris (with a knife type of bolster on the shoulder of the blade) would appear to be an exception. In other countries when a ferrule is not fitted, the handle often thickens at the entry point to strengthen it.. If there is no tang passing through the handle, there must me some method of preventing the handle coming off in use - sometimes they are glued on with resin, occasionally barbed to dig into the wood - but a lateral rivet is most common. The fitting of a ferrule and a rivet is thus a common method of fitting a handle, and although uncommon on a khukri, would seem an original feature, rather than a later repair. I guess as in most other countries, regional variations in blade profile, thickness, type of handle etc of nepalese khukris, especially pre standardisation of manufacture would not be as uncommon as it seems... Note in the UK, France and Italy hundreds of regional variations in shape of billhook blades are found, often available in range of sizes - in a 1930's catalogue, one French maker, Talabot, boasted they held patterns for over 3000 shapes, and would make any other upon receipt of a paper template...

11th December 2010, 05:27 PM	#7
spiral Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,712	Thanks for your wisdom on Billhooks Billman. I agree some kukris have a single rivet through the ferrule generaly termed a bolster, but I am sure that If the ferrule on the featured kukri was originaly part of the kukri it would match the size of the bolster for a start. Also In India & Nepal if they wished to support the handle further they would just make a longer bolster {Which is just a capped ferrule after all.} with that where the strength would lie after all not an illmatched double ferrule construction. As an aside but perhaps slighty related. I should also point out to anyone thinking of repairing a kukri that a single rivet can also break a rosewood or similar handle on a partial tang handle if placed outside of a ferrule, after all it creates a pressure point where the force is concentrated as the rivit operates as a pivot point. Spiral