Kukri/khukuri

[spiral]

Hi Timo,

The grey metal is usualy a "pot" metal of any handy meltable scrap with a low melting point that getys thrown i8n the pot!

Usualy a very high zinc content due to the prolific use of old toothpaste tubes & cylinder battery casings.

Spiral

[Timo Nieminen]

A few more:

#13 is very small. Seller estimated 1920s.

#14 is also small. Horn handle. Last 1/2 century or so, and Indian ("Tempered steel, Made in India").

#15 is engraved, has 8 white metal pins as decoration, aluminium I think, around larger brass rivets. Horn grip.

#16 is supposedly from the Royal Nepalese Arsenal in 2003, nicely handling for the size.

#17 is a fancy one, velvet and silver(?) scabbard, horn grip. 2 large chips in the blade (or 1 large, 1 medium, depending on opinion). Seller estimated c. 1900.

#18 is modern. I thought, "Cute! Somebody makes a tulwar-hilted kukri!" It's OK, but I strongly suspect I could do better myself with a $20 ebay tulwar hilt and a bare blade. Task for the future!

[Timo Nieminen]

And one more very long one:

#19 is very long. Modern. Do very long kukri like this have any history, or are they modern fantasy/martial arts items?

This one is a nice fighting sword. As well as being about the length of the (modern) wakizashi I show it with, it's also about the same weight (1oz heavier, 771g vs 742g).

As my longest kukri, I also photographed it with my smallest kukri.

[spiral]

O yes they can have history! Battle or sacrifice! {Some wall hangers too out there. & modern pieces to.}

This link. Shows a few of mine & explains a little about them.

Spiral

linky.

Also a thread on this forum including links to various other kukri slaughter pics. {Caution advised for link for Vegitareans or upset by animal slaughter.}

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=10292

[Timo Nieminen]

Or, more specifically, are very long kukri of this form - very slender - historical? A couple of modern makers do these, but I haven't seen any old ones.

The top one in your link is about the same length and weight (a little longer, and a little lighter). Should be a very good fighting kukri!

Modern "sacrificial" kukri I see (i.e., what's made for the tourist market as sacrificial kukri) seem to be much heavier than yours, 50oz and up.

[spiral]

Not of the same shape as yours ,no I dont think so.

Modern kukris are often more heavily built & sometimes more clumsy than many antiques. {Although you get some clumsy old ones to!} Many corners are cut compared to the old ways.

Certanly the finest craftsmen of 100 years ago are not equaled today. {And thats understating it.}

The only 100% sacrificial kukri of mine is the bottom kora handled one from First quarter/third of 20th century. {Gifted in 20s.}

The others could be sacrificial but are also likely to have originaly been used for war. {But of course in there long lives will have probably been used for sacrafice as well, while still in Nepal.}

Spiral

[Timo Nieminen]

Some with decorated scabbards:

#20 has a full length decorated scabbard. Very roughly engraved lines along the blade, rather petite horn grip, steel butt plate. Butt plate looks old and crusty. 335g.

#21 is a little less decorated. Horn handle, lightweight, engraved. The blade has crept a little way out of the grip. It looks like the wire has been put there to help hold the accessory pouch, which is only attached at the bottom. Supposedly 1930s, and has travelled from Nepal/India to Scotland to Texas to Australia. Even more petite grip than #20, and at 205g, it's lighter than it's scabbard.

#22 is brass decorated, both scabbard and grip. A whole bunch of glued-on brass decorations have fallen off - there's one left on the scabbard and one left on the grip. Most of the decoration on the hilt is on the outside. Seller estimates as 1950s or earlier. Looks touristy to me, but would be functional. 350g.

And one that looks to be ornamental, rather than functional:

#23 is a small kukri, with small horn grip. Those aren't rivets in the grip, just ornamental inlays, as seen by the tang as revealed by glue failure. Fuzzy fabric covered scabbard, but the wood core halves are separated, the cloth is falling off - without the black electrical tape, it would fall apart. Apart from the falling-apart condition of kukri and scabbard, this might be functional, but fake rivets make me think it's intended as ornament.