Traditional Hmong Knife
Feb 7, 2011 2:10:55 GMT
Post by Sam H on Feb 7, 2011 2:10:55 GMT
Traditional Hmong All Purpose Knife
by: Sam H.
Well everyone here's my first review ever on this new forum. Normally I'm a sword and would review a sword. However every sword in my possession (only 3 at the moment) has already been reviewed by someone else. Truth be told I was not planning on doing any reviews but as such this little gem fell into my lap - literally. Here's the background of this knife as was told to my by the knife's creator. This blade was given to me and subsequently is not for sale. Blades like this can be purchased however - on a build to order basis.
This knife's design is a very old design that dates back hundreds of years. Many generations ago when the Hmong people were forced south from the highlands of southern China they had knives that were similar to what the the Chinese used in that area and that era. However one style of knife differed from the local styles and that was the Hmong All Purpose Knife. This knife was used in a variety of roles ranging from brush clearing, carving and farm work to hunting, killing and dressing game to combat. The blades, while looking fairly delicate in design, were quite robust and the forging process was akin to the process used to create khukris. The Hmong were very utilitarian in their weapons and tools designs so there isn't anything fancy in the knife but in the eyes of the Hmong this knife is gorgeous.
When the Hmong reached southeast Asia and settled in the mountains of Laos they continued to forge and create their own edged weapons and tools in their traditional styles. Of these included the hook axe (used both for bringing down larger trees and also for combat) as well as the Hmong shovel/hole digger (is difficult to describe but if I can come by one I will try to update with a photo). They also continued to forge their knives that were so near and dear to their hearts. To the Hmong this knife was the symbol of their people. Hmong people rarely ever used swords and when they did it was a sword that was adopted from nearby cultures. The Hmong never had a sword design of their own and while in SE Asia they adopted the Thai Dab as their sword of choice in combat they still religiously carried their knives. Every Hmong man carried one of these knives and it was also not unheard of for women to carry them either (although women were more often found with the hook axes than these knives).
Now on to the knife:
Everything on this knife is hand made. The sheathe is hand carved from pine. Only secured by wood glue and stained a rosewood color its primary purpose was only to protect the wearer from the dangerously sharp edge and tip of the knife. The sheathe was completely disposable and in its normal life would fall apart after a while of being exposed to rain, humidity, heat and use. A new sheathe would then be created and used.
The blade is made from an unknown type of steel (used leaf spring from a pick-up purchased from a local junk yard). The metal was heated to a bright glowing red hotness then allowed to cool normally to room temperature thrice for normalization. Since the knife's creator did not have an anvil at his disposal he resorted to the material removal method to shape the blade. This process took nearly 2 months with a bench grinder and a slack belt grinder.
After rough shaping was finished he proceeded to grind in the edge of the blade. It was given an elongated appleseed shape - so that the blade could be both very sharp and very strong. This appleseed shape is difficult to see in the photographs but I assure you its there. The blade was then given its heat treatment - heated till it was orange-red in color then quenced in room temperature water. As a result of how the blade was placed into the water the blade's maker assured me that the edge of the blade (about a half inch up the blade) was harder than the rest of the blade. He basically differentially hardened the blade but without claying it. After this the blade was baked in a kitchen oven at 450 degrees for 4 hours then allowed to cool naturally - twice.
Once that was all complete the blade was given its final polish and sharpening by hand on wetstones of varying coarsenesses. Because of the utilitarian nature of the blade it was given a "working" polish as was traditional of these knives and was then given its hilt.
The hilt is hand made (of pine as well) and is re-inforced with copper bands at the top and base of the hilt. The knife is not rivited in place rather it is expoxied in place (traditionally it was a natural glue made from animal hooves and the sap of a tree found in SE Asia however modern epoxy is much stronger and easier to get). This is done so that if the hilt is damaged it is simply knocked off the knife and replaced. The hilt is round - not oval - in shape and as such to one who is not familiar with the use of the knife it is difficult to maintain edge alignment. The Hmong use these knives with ease to chop down small trees, chop through bones of large game and farm animals and also to fight with - with no loss of edge alignment despite the completely round shape of the hilts. There is also no handguard although the knives are regularly used as thrusting instruments - both in combat and in the delivery of a final killing blow to large animals. In this use I have heard of nobody losing their grip and cutting their hands on the blade. I have personally seen and performed such a kill on cattle - the tip is thrust into the neck of the animal and the person performing the kill reaches through the incision into the chest cavity of the animal - piercing the animal's heart and allowing it to bleed out quickly. Please note that this sort of kill was usually delivered after a heavy hammer blow to the head of the animal so it is already unconscious and the animal feels no pain whatsoever.
Now if you're still with me after all that I'll move on to the knife's specs:
Overall Length: 14 inches
Blade length: 9.5 inches
Blade thickness: 1/8 inch at the hilt and starts to taper at the last 3 inches of the blade down to a sharp point.
Hilt length: 4.5 inches
Weight: Unknown - I didn't have a good scale
Ok so about how the knife feels in the hand. The knife in my hand was light and lively but it still carried a sense of cutting power. The edge is hand honed to paper cutting sharpness but at the same time it is capable of cutting heavy targets that most sword owners wouldn't consider putting their swords to. I've used knives of similar design by this maker to cut clear an area (20' x 20') for a garden - chopping down 6" diameter trees with it. After that chore was done the blade only needed some honing with a fine grit stone to return to paper cutting sharpness. The blade in hand wants to be used - to be swung, thrust, cut with. Its effectiveness in cutting is evident in the following picture:
This jug was left empty on a stand inside my house and I cut it with the knife. Using only the upper 4" of the knife though I could not entirely through the bottle. I don't have video since I have no video recorder right now but the bottle barely moved after being cut - empty. These cuts are clean and even - no ripping or breakage. This is not a testament to my cutting skill but to the sharpness of the blade.
In closing I believe this blade is a fantastic tool and weapon that in the hands of an experienced user would be effective in a myriad of roles. From brush clearing to taking care of invading zombies at close quarters this knife can do it and will do so without complaint. The craftsmanship is of a higher quality than what one might find in knives of this type that is purchased in bazaars and fairs in Laos or even in America (Hmong New Year festivals). I've seen them and I've been quite displeased with the fact that the knives are rough hewn with poor polishes and quite rusty. They have also not been heat treated the same and as a result they are soft in the blade and the edge dulls easily. I've seen such knives being sold for $45 to $100 US. The maker of this knife sells others like it for between $45 and $100 as well depending on size.
Oh yes - who is the knife maker? Its a simple answer - he is my father. He was a blacksmith and bladesmith in Laos as was my grandfather before him - and his grandfather before him etc. We have been a family of smiths since our clan can remember and evidence of that tradition is present in this knife today.
Sam
by: Sam H.
Well everyone here's my first review ever on this new forum. Normally I'm a sword and would review a sword. However every sword in my possession (only 3 at the moment) has already been reviewed by someone else. Truth be told I was not planning on doing any reviews but as such this little gem fell into my lap - literally. Here's the background of this knife as was told to my by the knife's creator. This blade was given to me and subsequently is not for sale. Blades like this can be purchased however - on a build to order basis.
This knife's design is a very old design that dates back hundreds of years. Many generations ago when the Hmong people were forced south from the highlands of southern China they had knives that were similar to what the the Chinese used in that area and that era. However one style of knife differed from the local styles and that was the Hmong All Purpose Knife. This knife was used in a variety of roles ranging from brush clearing, carving and farm work to hunting, killing and dressing game to combat. The blades, while looking fairly delicate in design, were quite robust and the forging process was akin to the process used to create khukris. The Hmong were very utilitarian in their weapons and tools designs so there isn't anything fancy in the knife but in the eyes of the Hmong this knife is gorgeous.
When the Hmong reached southeast Asia and settled in the mountains of Laos they continued to forge and create their own edged weapons and tools in their traditional styles. Of these included the hook axe (used both for bringing down larger trees and also for combat) as well as the Hmong shovel/hole digger (is difficult to describe but if I can come by one I will try to update with a photo). They also continued to forge their knives that were so near and dear to their hearts. To the Hmong this knife was the symbol of their people. Hmong people rarely ever used swords and when they did it was a sword that was adopted from nearby cultures. The Hmong never had a sword design of their own and while in SE Asia they adopted the Thai Dab as their sword of choice in combat they still religiously carried their knives. Every Hmong man carried one of these knives and it was also not unheard of for women to carry them either (although women were more often found with the hook axes than these knives).
Now on to the knife:
Everything on this knife is hand made. The sheathe is hand carved from pine. Only secured by wood glue and stained a rosewood color its primary purpose was only to protect the wearer from the dangerously sharp edge and tip of the knife. The sheathe was completely disposable and in its normal life would fall apart after a while of being exposed to rain, humidity, heat and use. A new sheathe would then be created and used.
The blade is made from an unknown type of steel (used leaf spring from a pick-up purchased from a local junk yard). The metal was heated to a bright glowing red hotness then allowed to cool normally to room temperature thrice for normalization. Since the knife's creator did not have an anvil at his disposal he resorted to the material removal method to shape the blade. This process took nearly 2 months with a bench grinder and a slack belt grinder.
After rough shaping was finished he proceeded to grind in the edge of the blade. It was given an elongated appleseed shape - so that the blade could be both very sharp and very strong. This appleseed shape is difficult to see in the photographs but I assure you its there. The blade was then given its heat treatment - heated till it was orange-red in color then quenced in room temperature water. As a result of how the blade was placed into the water the blade's maker assured me that the edge of the blade (about a half inch up the blade) was harder than the rest of the blade. He basically differentially hardened the blade but without claying it. After this the blade was baked in a kitchen oven at 450 degrees for 4 hours then allowed to cool naturally - twice.
Once that was all complete the blade was given its final polish and sharpening by hand on wetstones of varying coarsenesses. Because of the utilitarian nature of the blade it was given a "working" polish as was traditional of these knives and was then given its hilt.
The hilt is hand made (of pine as well) and is re-inforced with copper bands at the top and base of the hilt. The knife is not rivited in place rather it is expoxied in place (traditionally it was a natural glue made from animal hooves and the sap of a tree found in SE Asia however modern epoxy is much stronger and easier to get). This is done so that if the hilt is damaged it is simply knocked off the knife and replaced. The hilt is round - not oval - in shape and as such to one who is not familiar with the use of the knife it is difficult to maintain edge alignment. The Hmong use these knives with ease to chop down small trees, chop through bones of large game and farm animals and also to fight with - with no loss of edge alignment despite the completely round shape of the hilts. There is also no handguard although the knives are regularly used as thrusting instruments - both in combat and in the delivery of a final killing blow to large animals. In this use I have heard of nobody losing their grip and cutting their hands on the blade. I have personally seen and performed such a kill on cattle - the tip is thrust into the neck of the animal and the person performing the kill reaches through the incision into the chest cavity of the animal - piercing the animal's heart and allowing it to bleed out quickly. Please note that this sort of kill was usually delivered after a heavy hammer blow to the head of the animal so it is already unconscious and the animal feels no pain whatsoever.
Now if you're still with me after all that I'll move on to the knife's specs:
Overall Length: 14 inches
Blade length: 9.5 inches
Blade thickness: 1/8 inch at the hilt and starts to taper at the last 3 inches of the blade down to a sharp point.
Hilt length: 4.5 inches
Weight: Unknown - I didn't have a good scale
Ok so about how the knife feels in the hand. The knife in my hand was light and lively but it still carried a sense of cutting power. The edge is hand honed to paper cutting sharpness but at the same time it is capable of cutting heavy targets that most sword owners wouldn't consider putting their swords to. I've used knives of similar design by this maker to cut clear an area (20' x 20') for a garden - chopping down 6" diameter trees with it. After that chore was done the blade only needed some honing with a fine grit stone to return to paper cutting sharpness. The blade in hand wants to be used - to be swung, thrust, cut with. Its effectiveness in cutting is evident in the following picture:
This jug was left empty on a stand inside my house and I cut it with the knife. Using only the upper 4" of the knife though I could not entirely through the bottle. I don't have video since I have no video recorder right now but the bottle barely moved after being cut - empty. These cuts are clean and even - no ripping or breakage. This is not a testament to my cutting skill but to the sharpness of the blade.
In closing I believe this blade is a fantastic tool and weapon that in the hands of an experienced user would be effective in a myriad of roles. From brush clearing to taking care of invading zombies at close quarters this knife can do it and will do so without complaint. The craftsmanship is of a higher quality than what one might find in knives of this type that is purchased in bazaars and fairs in Laos or even in America (Hmong New Year festivals). I've seen them and I've been quite displeased with the fact that the knives are rough hewn with poor polishes and quite rusty. They have also not been heat treated the same and as a result they are soft in the blade and the edge dulls easily. I've seen such knives being sold for $45 to $100 US. The maker of this knife sells others like it for between $45 and $100 as well depending on size.
Oh yes - who is the knife maker? Its a simple answer - he is my father. He was a blacksmith and bladesmith in Laos as was my grandfather before him - and his grandfather before him etc. We have been a family of smiths since our clan can remember and evidence of that tradition is present in this knife today.
Sam
