Leaf Spring To Gurkha Khukri
Leaf Spring To Gurkha Khukri
Leaf Spring To Gurkha Khukri
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Table of Contents
Leaf Spring to Gurkha Khukri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Step 2: Forging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Step 3: Drilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Step 4: Grinding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Step 5: HT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Step 6: Cut and Glue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Step 7: Preglue Shaping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Step 8: Gluing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Step 9: Handle Shaping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Step 10: Finished . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
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Step 2: Forging
I didn't get very many pictures of this part, but anyways.
I started by hammering the front down to a point. I simply lined up the tip toward the side of the anvil and started smashing away.
The kukri has a much heavy portion toward the front of the blade, so I started hammering the sections prior to that.
With each few hits, I had to flatten the piece again, since the edges would thicken up with each blow. It made for a very long process since I needed to make it about half
as wide as it was initially.
Hammer after hammer.
The blade wasn't pointing down far enough, so I had to grind it down to shape. Halfway through, when I did that, I also ground the profile to a closer shape, before
returning to forging.
I continued stretching out the thin portion of the blade and the handle. With it all sized down I hammered out the belly of the handle and rounded the back of the handle.
To divide the spot between the blade and the handle I forged a choil.
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Step 3: Drilling
Drilling holes can be very challenging. Different types of steel harden in different conditions.
Some steels will harden some just by cooling off in the air. Others may harden from a splash of water.
Another issue is work hardening. By forging the steel, it may build up a hardness even though it wasn't quenched.
When I drilled these holes, I was having trouble. I had to anneal the steel. Annealing is heating up the blade to critical temperature and letting it cool very slowly to relief
hardness and stress from the steel.
I used three cycles of heat and cool. I let it cool in a fireproof insulating environment.
I drilled the holes first with a smaller drill bit. Before I annealed it I broke a drill bit in the handle. I resorted to drilling different holes and having some holes run though the
blade for glue.
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Step 4: Grinding
I have never ground a bevel that had an inward curve. You can't use the flat surface of the grinder like typically (At least as easy). I opted to to use the larger wheel on the
bottom to do all the grinding.
I started with a steeper angle until I reached about the middle of the blade thickness minus the middle 1/16 in. Following that i gradually decreased the angle, by cutting
farther up the blade.
I started by grinding the whole edge, top to bottom. As I got closer to finish I would grind smaller portions, focusing on evening everything out.
Near the base of the grind it was thicker, caused by the curve of the wheel. Ideally, its an issue, but has no major issues.
I cleaned up the grind with a flap wheel on the angle grinder. It makes quick work, and looks good. I also used it to fix the cutting edge/bevels.
I went to the scotch brite belt and cleaned the whole thing.
On to heat treat (HT)
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Step 5: HT
Heat treating is synonymous with quenching and hardening.
It is aligning/locking the carbon atoms in the steel by cooling it at the proper speed. Some steels use oil, others water, air, or soapy combinations.
I generally use oil, as it's a safe guess that people typically have luck with. I have used it on leaf spring, and it seems to do well. I need to do a stress test on a blade at
some point, I'll make a video.
I quenched in a bucket of oil, and used the scotch brite belt to clean it up. Then I applied some beeswax after slight heat.
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Step 8: Gluing
I glue everything together with a two part epoxy from harbor freight. I used the saw dust from the last step to color the glue. I had beeswax on the handle so I sanded this
off. I slathered all surfaces, including the pins. I pressed them together using a vise. A few clamps can be used as well.
Now for my minor innovation
I always have the pins be a bit wider then the scales. These get in the way when I try to clamp it all in the vise. I got around this by drilling holes in a couple boards, and
letting them grip the kukri. This allows the pins to go through and apply pressure instead on the scales. This ensures a solid gluing. I let the glue cure for a few hours.
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