paradox1559 Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 A friend of mine gave me this kukri because he "had a bad vibe with it" The handle was bent horribly, and the horn and scales had found themselves removed. I'm a bit more that irritated about the gut ripper knotched into the top but there isn't much I can do. It was in desperate need for a light sanding(and soon polishing) I'm also going to re-skin the sheath since the old leather was turning into dust. An antique knife collector informed me that this was the Nepalese military blade of choice until they were absorbed by the British in the mid to late 1800s. Which would make sense of the blood staining the inside of the sheath. The best I can tell is this blade was made in the late 1800s early 1900s. I would love some more information if anyone can offer it, especially if this blade is actually stained with human blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 It still is the prefered blade for the Gurkhas. You can find them with the British military Broad Arrow marking from time to time. I saw a spec sheet one time for the issued Kukris that were made for WWII. As to collectability. Many times once you polish it you devalue it, kind of like with firearms. People want to see the patina. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paradox1559 Posted October 16, 2017 Author Share Posted October 16, 2017 After I had to repair the handle I wasn't too worried about the patina. I had to heat the tang to get it back into shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Para, You can tell if the stain is blood by dabbing a tiny spot of it with a chemical called Luminol. Blood plus Luminol gives a blue fluorescence. The chemical reacts with the hemoglobin's iron in blood. The reagent works even better with old blood stains. It is used extensively by crime scene technicians. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 It does not of course tell you if it's human blood as mammals on this planet use hemoglobin.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 T.P., You are correct. Luminol also reacts with copper ions, and objects saturated with cigarette smoke condensates, to give false positives But the Luminol positive blood stain can then be then be further analyzed to identify if it's human blood by a "western blot" analysis. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Red crud in the sheath could be a rust and oil mix too. If I recall correctly that "style" is not one of the earlier ones and may be a tourist piece. There are several good websites around showing a large number of kukris and how they differ over time and location. I assume that one does not have any punch markings on the blade? I agree that the notches on the spine are regrettable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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