Hatcher Hayes Kukri

Shawn Hatcher

Shawn Hatcher

Well-Known Member
This is, by far, my most labor-intensive project to date. It's my first kukri and also the first time I've etched and polished a hamon. Thanks for checking out my work! :)

-.325" (measured at ricasso with the blade having a pronounced distal taper) 1075 differentially heat/cryo treated by Peters to 59-60 RC

-16.25" OAL

-12" blade

-24.7 ounces

-Flat ground with convex edge

-Hand-rubbed finish with etched & polished hamon

-Desert ironwood scales, black canvas micarta bolsters, black G10 liners/dividers, and carbon fiber pins

IMG_2295-XL.jpg


IMG_2369-X2.jpg


IMG_2338-X2.jpg


IMG_2344-X2.jpg


IMG_2290-X2.jpg


IMG_2267-XL.jpg
 
Shawn, I just discovered your knives a couple of days ago. A friend who knows my passion for knives steered me to your website. Your work is truly craftsmanship meets art meets function. I searched and managed to get your last two available from Howes Online. I will be standing in line when you open your books again.
 
Blade head said:
Shawn, I just discovered your knives a couple of days ago. A friend who knows my passion for knives steered me to your website. Your work is truly craftsmanship meets art meets function. I searched and managed to get your last two available from Howes Online. I will be standing in line when you open your books again.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for your kind words!
 
Shawn,
Very nice work,
Yes that looks like a lot of grinding and even more hand polishing, about a full acre of steel it looks from here. lol
Is the finger ring usable to swing the blade or more of just a finger rest for control?

I had a real Gurka Kukri made in WWII with a Britsh broadhead proof mark. What a weapon. Legend has it that they used old Railroad ties for stock. What a weapon!
During WWII in the CBI theatre the Gurka's would work their was around into the Japanese fox holes in the night and do their work with the Kukri knives. The Japanese soldiers were terrified of the Kukuri & the Gurka soldiers.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
rhinoknives said:
Very nice work,
Yes that looks like a lot of grinding and even more hand polishing, about a full acre of steel it looks from here. lol
Is the finger ring usable to swing the blade or more of just a finger rest for control?
Click to expand...

Thank you, Laurence!

The ring was a request by the gentleman who originally commissioned it. I was hesitant, but I've made quite a few knives with ringed handles that worked well enough using a saber/hammer type grip, so I gave it a go. I added the forward choil to offer the user the option of a more standard grip, which worked out quite well as the ring acts a bit like a pommel swell when gripped in this manner.

From the get-go this kukri was designed and made to be more of a "fighting" kukri than a "working" kukri. I ground the blade with a radical distal taper that begins just in front of the forward thumbrest. As such, it is fairly fast in the hand (well, for a kukri, anyway! :9:) and feels quite capable when held in the reverse grip like a karambit.

Having said all that, I won't likely ever make another with a ringed handle. I actually just recently profiled out another kukri in .340" O1, this one a bit larger than the one above and with a more traditional handle shape. Here it is with some others that were profiled at the same time:

IMG_5037-XL.jpg




rhinoknives said:
During WWII in the CBI theatre the Gurka's would work their was around into the Japanese fox holes in the night and do their work with the Kukri knives. The Japanese soldiers were terrified of the Kukuri & the Gurka soldiers.
Click to expand...

I love reading about Gurkhas! They are amazing warriors. Are you familiar with Bishnu Shrestha? He's a Gurkha that used his kukri to single-handedly take on a gang of train robbers in 2010:

On September 2, 2010, then 35-year-old Shrestha was on his way to Nepal after retiring from his Gurkha soldier military service whilst 15-40[5][6] armed robbers attacked the train in which he was travelling. The group robbed the passengers of their portable valuables (like money, jewellery, cellular phones and laptops). He intervened using his Khukuri knife when the robbers tried to steal the jewelry of a mother and her 8-year-old daughter[5][7] and prevented them from raping an 18 year-old girl who pleaded for his help.[4][6] Shrestha killed at least three robbers before being subdued[5][7] and may have injured as many as eight in addition to killing the three, causing the thieves to panic and disperse.[4][6] During the battle, he suffered a severe injury to his left arm.

When the intended rape victim's family offered him a large cash reward, he refused it with the following comment: "Fighting the enemy in battle is my duty as a soldier. Taking on the thugs on the train was my duty as a human being."[6]
Click to expand...

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishnu_Shrestha
 
You nailed this one. Beautiful design and materials. Outstanding execution as usual. I am partial to the far right profiled blade.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top