Ever heard this name?

[alaskanativeson]

I got a Kukri some time ago, I came across it again in a box as I was packing some stuff up recently. The spine is almost 3/8 inch thick, the edge is a smoothly done convex, and it feels very solid. On one side of the blade it says "McCURDY NEPAL 064" and on the other side are some characters in an alphabet I don't recognize (I presume they're Devanagari, but that's just a guess.)

One of the things I like about this kukri is that not only is it constructed with a full tang, the tang is tapered which means it's even heavier out on the front end. I haven't taken this thing out chopping yet, but I imagine it'll do a great job.

My question is, has anyone here ever heard of McCurdy? I haven't found much online, I was just wondering if any of you know anything about this person and his/her products.

 

[Wolfebyte]

I think that would be John McCurdy.. He's here in the US..

 

[ArfinGreebly]

McCurdy

There is some data here in the descriptive material of his McKnife design.

Also some discussion over on Knife Forums (from a few years back) of his work.

 

[screwtape2713]

I've bought a couple kukris from McCurdy on eBay in the last few years. He sells on there under the seller ID 'superman3355'.

As far as I can tell, he imports specially selected kukris from a Nepalese kukri business called Khukuri House. It's owned and operated by some retired Gurkha soldiers who source their kukris from a number of small traditional village smithies. If you buy from it directly, Khukuri House not only sells service pattern kukris as issued by various Nepalese and Gurkha police and military units and several traditional regional tribal kukri patterns, it will also let you 'design your own kukri'.

Mr. McCurdy has arranged for them to produce a couple patterns of kukris for him that have traditional Nepali kukri blades but handles more like those on a machete or similar Western chopping knife to make them more comfortably familiar for North American users.

Your knife looks like one of his Westernized kukri patterns. Based on mine, the quality of materials and workmanship should be excellent, and it will probably be a superb - and almost indestructible - brush knife.

 

[alaskanativeson]

Thanks, good to know. I'm a little disappointed with the handle, the horn seems to be just a little smaller than the blade, so there's a very small but very sharp ridge that sticks out all long the bottom. With as heavy as this thing is and the overall feel it has, I'm thinking this is a keeper. I just need some new handles.

I've really liked the feel of the kraton handles some of my Cold Steel Knives have, and I have grips on my GP100 and my Super Redhawk that are either kraton or it's chemically twin cousin. Does anyone know of a company or person who could put a molded kraton handle on this? Barring that, how about a recommendation for someone to put micarta on it?

 

[mdauben]

I've really liked the feel of the kraton handles some of my Cold Steel Knives have, and I have grips on my GP100 and my Super Redhawk that are either kraton or it's chemically twin cousin. Does anyone know of a company or person who could put a molded kraton handle on this? Barring that, how about a recommendation for someone to put micarta on it?

I'm by no means a kukris expert, but from my own limited experience to get the proper chopping motion, you need to let the handle "rock" in your hand. IMO kraton is too "sticky" to do this properly, and you would be better off crafting a new pair of handle scales from micarta, G10, CF, or some similar "hard" handle material.

YMMV.

 

[alaskanativeson]

When I was in Alaska I had a Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri, the big thick one they made in Carbon V (and sold it on eBay about a year after they stopped making them for a little over $400 to some crazy guy) with the kraton handle. I used it to carve down the logs that would float down the Kuskokwim in the Spring and I really liked it. Of course, I probably didn't have the best form, but for how I used it it was nice. Thanks for the advice, though.