Nepalese Khukuri House : Khukuri Making

Ever wondered how your Khukuri was made?

Nepal is the country of thousands of tribes, among them; a clan is called Bishwakarma or Kami who makes khukuri. The Khukuri making is one of the oldest professions of Kamis. Their source of incoming is only crafting these knives. More than 15000 Kamis have been involving in making Khukuris in Nepal. Among them we have selected expertise to make each blade. A different tribe called Saarki makes the sheath of a blade. Therefore combination of these both tribes’ craftsmanship, a single khukuri is complete. Our skill craftsmen (Master in blade making) forge finest Khukuri in Nepal, probably the best quality knife in the world.

All the Khukuris are specially hand crafted and designed. The making of a single knife keeps four men fully occupied for an entire day; some time even more. All raw materials such as steel, brass rosewood, buffalo horns and hides and other necessary things are first carefully selected and only the best are utilizes. Craftsmen themselves collect the buffalo hides, horns, woods (for handle) and coals from their own villages. The steel (car, buses or trucks spring), brass, white metal, and other essential metals are available at the local markets, and then only the actual process of making the Khukuris started, Most of the craftsmen make the Khukuri in their own home. Help of others family members’ play a vital rule to craft best Khukuri.

The Khukuri begins as a piece of high-grade steel, a chunk of railway track or car spring being the material of choice although trunk springs serve nearly as well. A length is sliced from the rail, and repeatedly heated and hammered on the anvil, which is usually a sledge-hammer or a maul head embedded in the ground alongside the charcoal-fueled forge. Finally the blade is annealed and fine tempered with water poured from a teapot. The forges are little more than holes in the ground and serve as the smiths’ stove, the rice pot or the singeing chicken being whisked off and on as the incandescent billet of steel passes from furnace to anvil and back.

The hilt is carved of rhododendron wood, carefully ribbed to ensure a good grip when things get sticky. Buffalo horn, at least for civilian models, is also employed. The semi-finished blade is secured to the hilt by inserting its spike-like tang into the handle, rather than being a bar-like shank and riveted. The latter method would seem to be the stronger, but it is claimed that a Khukuri assembled in the traditional manner has never broken in combat. There is precious little chance of one being returned by an unsatisfied customer, for the battle knives are rigorously inspected before being accepted and issued to the men whose lives depend on them. The bronze ferrule and other fittings are not machined but individually crafted and fitted to each weapon.

Every thing! Sharpening, tempering, on the edge of the blade and shaping the sheath are done by the hand with carefully and only the machine is used to lathe for shining the Khukuri. Finally it is checked in every aspect very carefully before sending at the show room/warehouse in Kathmandu.

#Note: Do you want to watch how the Khukuri is made? Please contact interested person to get exclusive Video CD at reasonable price.
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Making the red heated steel	Making the piece of steel	Red heated stell ready to give kukri shape	Giving the sape of Khukuri by hammering


Hammering the red heated blade to give kukri shape	Comparing the shape of kukri with draft	Giving the shape of the khukuri by hammering	Making the NOTCH-Kaudi


Pouring the cold water in to blade for tempering the strong blade	Sharpening the kukri	Sharpening the blade as traditional	Polishing the blade and handle of the kukri


Making the Dora	Fixing the handle and kukri by using Laha_Nepalese traditional Gum	Filing the handle to make smooth	Using wood for making sheath


Making the kukri handle	Slashing the buffalo leather for the sheath	Join the kukri in to handle by inserting	Sewing the leather to cover wood inside