The vast majority of our output is custom made to order- you can pick your model, materials and options and we build it to you from scratch. With that said though we have even deeper customisation capabilities if you need them.
SEMI-CUSTOMS:
If a regular website order is a Level 1 custom then Semi customs are level 2. This is a term we use to describe any order that uses a standard website model as a base but needs customisations made to them that are not configurable on the product page. Examples include:
-Custom spine thicknesses, fullers, modified weights, back edges and other grind alterations
– Specific handle lengths and thicknesses on traditional handles, width changes on all handles, removal of handle rings, buttcap removal or style swap, tang construction/socket handle swaps
-Adding guards from other blade syles, adding D guards, custom stacked leather combinations, custom micarta colours/combinations
-Laser/electrochemical/punched/ hand-carved. Images, shapes or text on hardware, blades or even sheaths or handle materials
-Simple sheath customisations especially those that involve removing elements or swapping to a style that is seen on another blade in our lineup. For example a salyani dap with no frog or frog ridge. A hotspur western leather sheath with the same loop configuration as our larger blades. a mutiny kydex sheath with an open spine with retention strap like a bush cleaver and one sheath half orange and one in black for stealth/visibility and custom loop height for a specific belt. If it needs a drawing to explain it’s probably not a semi custom.
These capabilities are open to anyone at any time. They require minimal admin load and face minimal additional fees. Depending on the order size and complexity of the change there may not even be additional costs. It’s best to reach out to us about these before placing your order for confirmation of feasibility and pricing- just hit us up under the โSemi Customโ topic on our email contact form.
Custom Patterns: The 3rd level is customisation of existing patterns. This term refers to when we take an existing pattern and draw up minor changes to it that necessitate a new sheet metal pattern to be created for the smiths to follow when forging. Due to the way we make knives in Nepal this includes a wider range of projects than you might think including:
-Custom blade lengths/widths/tip styles on existing models. Despite the simplicity of such a change this requires a new drawing and new sheet metal pattern.
-Modern handles are far more pattern dependent than traditional handles. Any length, height changes to such handles or situations where we take one blade and put it onto a different modern handle will likely need a new drawing and sheet metal pattern.
-Depending on how the modification interacts with the blade its possible that some guard additions will need a new drawing and sheet metal pattern also.
The kinds of changes that are covered by this section are quite limited in scope- the final blade needs to be considered a variant of the existing pattern. Any further than that and it falls under a higher level of customisation.
These customs require drawing time from Andrew (charged hourly) as well as new sheet metal patterns to be created. There’s a larger amount of comms involved with getting these designs figured out with the customer as well as communicated properly and checked with the team. Additional fees are higher as a result- expect a minimum of 50 usd without factoring in any extra length or actual blade complexity. These capabilities are open at all times to anyone, however we reserve the right to classify your project as a higher level of custom if we so deem it. Reach out through the “Past Custom/Custom Pattern/Full Custom/OEM Enquiry” topic on our contact form before ordering to confirm feasibility and pricing.
Full Customs: OPEN
Our 4th and final level here is a Full Custom design. This term refers to a blade that needs a new design created or an existing design heavily modified.ย Andrew will lend his years of expertise in both design and the nuances of Nepali manufacturing to work towards a final design so we can bring your idea to life at the highest level possible.ย The capabilities we have here are very broad ranging from highly detailed historical replicas through to extreme videogame swords-ย this kind of work is in extremely high demand from us.
We love talking to customers and discussing khukuris but in the past we have found that a high percentage of Full Custom enquiries in particular will run a dozen emails long, eat up full work days of Andrew’s time and come to a halt when it is time to pay the invoice. In order to minimise these occurrences, ensure that such Full Custom recipients have a good understanding of our output and to reward our existing supporters we are only taking Full Custom Enquiries from people who:
-Have cumulatively bought over $200 in blades from us previously
-Have been a customer of ours for at least 365 days.
Before these qualifications have been fulfilled we will not enter into any full customs discussions. Depending on the efficacy of these measures these qualifications may change in future.
It should be noted that even if you fulfill these qualifications we may not be able to take on your project
We do not make copies of pre-existing designs (unless historical) but are happy to take inspiration from a photo and then modify it from there.
We are happy to stretch our skillset if possible but some projects are outside of our capabilities. For example:
-We cannot currently quench an edge longer than 28″
-Takedown handles, Tsuka-style constructions and european multi-piece/disassemblable handles are a no go. We can do full tangs with bolts instead of pins otherwise it’s gotta be monolothic.
-Complex hardware and finishing in particular is a stumbling block- many tools and materials are not available here. Many skills that are so beautiful on historical blades took a lifetime within a non-nepalese bladesmithing culture to execute. That DLC coated schiavona guard chitlange with a push button locking sheath might have to stay a dream. Are you wanting us to try something new and challening with skills and equipment we already have? Or get us to do something completely new? If the latter we may not be able to take on the order.
-We currently can’t make folders or axes but would be open to trying some basic higonokami style blades or simpler axes if you’re open to being a guinea pig.
These projects are highly labour intensive and challenging not just for the smiths but in terms of customer comms and project management so expect to be charged accordingly. On smaller blades it is very realistic that the design costs will be higher than the blade itself.ย These projects are so resource intensive that sometimes we are closed for Full Customs so we can focus on other tasks- if this is the case there will be a popup on this page saying so and the title of this section will say so also. If you’d like to reach out about a full custom send us an email through the “Past Custom/Custom Pattern/Full Custom/OEM Enquiry” topic on our contact form and we can take it from there ๐
Past Customs:ย
We have been making customs for nearly a decade now and as a result have hundreds of existing designs that cover a much broader range than our standard website items. Now our standard designs are standard for a reason- they’re polished and refined designs that our team are highly practiced in making. However if you’ve got a particular itch that they can’t scratch you may find something in this google drive here that fits the bill. These patterns are available to customise further through the Custom Patterns processes discussed previously ๐
Andrew has many more designs that are still on paper and haven’t been digitised yet- if you send him an email with a rough outline of what you’re after he’ll see if there’s anything he can upload for you. It’s very possible that there are some customer designed blades in this drive- if you designed one of these knives and would rather that other people didn’t get their own made then let us know and we will take them down.
These designs do not face drawing fees or sheet metal patternmaking fees. As they are non standard blades there is additional difficulty in the smiths making blades they are less familiar with and additional admin load in guiding these projects- as a result prices are often $30-60 higher than a comparative standard website model. If you’d like to reach out about a past custom send us an email through the “Past Custom/Custom Pattern/Full Custom/OEM Enquiry” topic on our contact form and we can take it from there ๐
OEM:ย
An underappreciated aspect of our capabilities is OEM work. This is where we manufacture a knife for another company to sell either under their own brand or as a collaboration leveraging our branding to indicate quality. Nepalese manufacturing can deliver some exceptionally high value blades, particularly if they’re large and use a lot of steel. To keep manufacturing prices down further we have bulk discounting available as well as the potential to produce such bulk batch orders (~10 or more pieces) in traditional 5160 leaf spring steel.
You can provide us with a design and we can consult on how best to optimise it for our processes or we can work on a design together from scratch- OEM customers do not face the same qualification criteria on Full Custom proccesses.
The MOQ for such OEM orders depends on the total cost of the blades in the order and how much admin load it will place on staff but it is generally quite low. For example a run of simple, identical 6″ bowies could be as low as 5 blades. A larger blade is not necessarily more complex. A simple 16″ cleavery chopper may have an MOQ as low as 3 blades. If your design is easy for our team and you have a pre-existing workshop drawing for us to work off (no Andrew needed, minimal comms) then the MOQ may even be a single blade.
It’s very possible for OEM processes to be accessed by the general public if they have a cool custom idea they have a few friends locked in for. Small runs for christmas gifts are not unheard of. Wedding party fitouts are common! For guidance on workshop drawings check the past customs in the google drive- we’re wanting clean, to-scale line drawings with minimal, focused specs. We may reject a design if the drawing is too rough to work from or for any of the reasons previously mentioned in the full customs section.
If you’d like to reach out about OEM work send us an email through the “Past Custom/Custom Pattern/Full Custom/OEM Enquiry” topic on our contact form and we can take it from there ๐
SEMI-CUSTOMS:
If a regular website order is a Level 1 custom then Semi customs are level 2. This is a term we use to describe any order that uses a standard website model as a base but needs customisations made to them that are not configurable on the product page. Examples include:
-Custom spine thicknesses, fullers, modified weights, back edges and other grind alterations
– Specific handle lengths and thicknesses on traditional handles, width changes on all handles, removal of handle rings, buttcap removal or style swap, tang construction/socket handle swaps
-Adding guards from other blade syles, adding D guards, custom stacked leather combinations, custom micarta colours/combinations
-Laser/electrochemical/punched/ hand-carved. Images, shapes or text on hardware, blades or even sheaths or handle materials
-Simple sheath customisations especially those that involve removing elements or swapping to a style that is seen on another blade in our lineup. For example a salyani dap with no frog or frog ridge. A hotspur western leather sheath with the same loop configuration as our larger blades. a mutiny kydex sheath with an open spine with retention strap like a bush cleaver and one sheath half orange and one in black for stealth/visibility and custom loop height for a specific belt. If it needs a drawing to explain it’s probably not a semi custom.
These capabilities are open to anyone at any time. They require minimal admin load and face minimal additional fees. Depending on the order size and complexity of the change there may not even be additional costs. It’s best to reach out to us about these before placing your order for confirmation of feasibility and pricing- just hit us up under the โSemi Customโ topic on our email contact form.
Custom Patterns: The 3rd level is customisation of existing patterns. This term refers to when we take an existing pattern and draw up minor changes to it that necessitate a new sheet metal pattern to be created for the smiths to follow when forging. Due to the way we make knives in Nepal this includes a wider range of projects than you might think including:
-Custom blade lengths/widths/tip styles on existing models. Despite the simplicity of such a change this requires a new drawing and new sheet metal pattern.
-Modern handles are far more pattern dependent than traditional handles. Any length, height changes to such handles or situations where we take one blade and put it onto a different modern handle will likely need a new drawing and sheet metal pattern.
-Depending on how the modification interacts with the blade its possible that some guard additions will need a new drawing and sheet metal pattern also.
The kinds of changes that are covered by this section are quite limited in scope- the final blade needs to be considered a variant of the existing pattern. Any further than that and it falls under a higher level of customisation.
These customs require drawing time from Andrew (charged hourly) as well as new sheet metal patterns to be created. There’s a larger amount of comms involved with getting these designs figured out with the customer as well as communicated properly and checked with the team. Additional fees are higher as a result- expect a minimum of 50 usd without factoring in any extra length or actual blade complexity. These capabilities are open at all times to anyone, however we reserve the right to classify your project as a higher level of custom if we so deem it. Reach out through the “Past Custom/Custom Pattern/Full Custom/OEM Enquiry” topic on our contact form before ordering to confirm feasibility and pricing.
Full Customs: OPEN
Our 4th and final level here is a Full Custom design. This term refers to a blade that needs a new design created or an existing design heavily modified.ย Andrew will lend his years of expertise in both design and the nuances of Nepali manufacturing to work towards a final design so we can bring your idea to life at the highest level possible.ย The capabilities we have here are very broad ranging from highly detailed historical replicas through to extreme videogame swords-ย this kind of work is in extremely high demand from us.
We love talking to customers and discussing khukuris but in the past we have found that a high percentage of Full Custom enquiries in particular will run a dozen emails long, eat up full work days of Andrew’s time and come to a halt when it is time to pay the invoice. In order to minimise these occurrences, ensure that such Full Custom recipients have a good understanding of our output and to reward our existing supporters we are only taking Full Custom Enquiries from people who:
-Have cumulatively bought over $200 in blades from us previously
-Have been a customer of ours for at least 365 days.
Before these qualifications have been fulfilled we will not enter into any full customs discussions. Depending on the efficacy of these measures these qualifications may change in future.
It should be noted that even if you fulfill these qualifications we may not be able to take on your project
We do not make copies of pre-existing designs (unless historical) but are happy to take inspiration from a photo and then modify it from there.
We are happy to stretch our skillset if possible but some projects are outside of our capabilities. For example:
-We cannot currently quench an edge longer than 28″
-Takedown handles, Tsuka-style constructions and european multi-piece/disassemblable handles are a no go. We can do full tangs with bolts instead of pins otherwise it’s gotta be monolothic.
-Complex hardware and finishing in particular is a stumbling block- many tools and materials are not available here. Many skills that are so beautiful on historical blades took a lifetime within a non-nepalese bladesmithing culture to execute. That DLC coated schiavona guard chitlange with a push button locking sheath might have to stay a dream. Are you wanting us to try something new and challening with skills and equipment we already have? Or get us to do something completely new? If the latter we may not be able to take on the order.
-We currently can’t make folders or axes but would be open to trying some basic higonokami style blades or simpler axes if you’re open to being a guinea pig.
These projects are highly labour intensive and challenging not just for the smiths but in terms of customer comms and project management so expect to be charged accordingly. On smaller blades it is very realistic that the design costs will be higher than the blade itself.ย These projects are so resource intensive that sometimes we are closed for Full Customs so we can focus on other tasks- if this is the case there will be a popup on this page saying so and the title of this section will say so also. If you’d like to reach out about a full custom send us an email through the “Past Custom/Custom Pattern/Full Custom/OEM Enquiry” topic on our contact form and we can take it from there ๐
Past Customs:ย
We have been making customs for nearly a decade now and as a result have hundreds of existing designs that cover a much broader range than our standard website items. Now our standard designs are standard for a reason- they’re polished and refined designs that our team are highly practiced in making. However if you’ve got a particular itch that they can’t scratch you may find something in this google drive here that fits the bill. These patterns are available to customise further through the Custom Patterns processes discussed previously ๐
Andrew has many more designs that are still on paper and haven’t been digitised yet- if you send him an email with a rough outline of what you’re after he’ll see if there’s anything he can upload for you. It’s very possible that there are some customer designed blades in this drive- if you designed one of these knives and would rather that other people didn’t get their own made then let us know and we will take them down.
These designs do not face drawing fees or sheet metal patternmaking fees. As they are non standard blades there is additional difficulty in the smiths making blades they are less familiar with and additional admin load in guiding these projects- as a result prices are often $30-60 higher than a comparative standard website model. If you’d like to reach out about a past custom send us an email through the “Past Custom/Custom Pattern/Full Custom/OEM Enquiry” topic on our contact form and we can take it from there ๐
OEM:ย
An underappreciated aspect of our capabilities is OEM work. This is where we manufacture a knife for another company to sell either under their own brand or as a collaboration leveraging our branding to indicate quality. Nepalese manufacturing can deliver some exceptionally high value blades, particularly if they’re large and use a lot of steel. To keep manufacturing prices down further we have bulk discounting available as well as the potential to produce such bulk batch orders (~10 or more pieces) in traditional 5160 leaf spring steel.
You can provide us with a design and we can consult on how best to optimise it for our processes or we can work on a design together from scratch- OEM customers do not face the same qualification criteria on Full Custom proccesses.
The MOQ for such OEM orders depends on the total cost of the blades in the order and how much admin load it will place on staff but it is generally quite low. For example a run of simple, identical 6″ bowies could be as low as 5 blades. A larger blade is not necessarily more complex. A simple 16″ cleavery chopper may have an MOQ as low as 3 blades. If your design is easy for our team and you have a pre-existing workshop drawing for us to work off (no Andrew needed, minimal comms) then the MOQ may even be a single blade.
It’s very possible for OEM processes to be accessed by the general public if they have a cool custom idea they have a few friends locked in for. Small runs for christmas gifts are not unheard of. Wedding party fitouts are common! For guidance on workshop drawings check the past customs in the google drive- we’re wanting clean, to-scale line drawings with minimal, focused specs. We may reject a design if the drawing is too rough to work from or for any of the reasons previously mentioned in the full customs section.
If you’d like to reach out about OEM work send us an email through the “Past Custom/Custom Pattern/Full Custom/OEM Enquiry” topic on our contact form and we can take it from there ๐
Full Custom Design Process
Every custom starts with a discussion about your needs. The kind of things the knife is going to be used for, if it’ll be a workhorse, or for martial arts or just a display piece. That helps inform the decisions we make regarding balance, materials, aesthetics, ergonomics and grind geometry. After that we can punch out a ball park cost quote and if it’s all good then we start on sketching. These sketches start rough and get refined and corrected based on customer feedback until we land at the perfect design.
Once the pricing is settled and the invoice is paid, the knife waits in queue to be forged for about two weeks. When it’s finally your turn it goes through two stages of forging, first it’s hot cut and rough forged to shape with a team of sledgehammer wielding blacksmiths, then its forged my finely individually using a smaller knife to refine the thicknesses and form. From here it hits the grinder to clean up the outline and remove any excess then it’s quenched, tempered, cleaned, handles are fitted and shaped then it’s given its final finishing and sent off to you. This whole process takes about 4.5-5 weeks with 5-10 days shipping time. The whole time you’re kept up to date with weekly photos of current progress as you see your design becoming a reality.
Finally, it rocks up at your doorstep and you get to see if it was worth the wait. We can pretty safely assure you that it will be.
The way that we approach custom designs isn’t just something that sets us aside from any other Nepalese manufacturer, but is also something which helps us stand out compared to the rest of the world.ย Our unique processes allow us to deliver a fully custom blade, forged by hand at incredibly high value in quite a short timeframe, all the while letting you see the blade being born and alowing you to form a deeper connection with your knife at the end of the day.
That’s something which just plain can’t be achieved in either a mass production
factory or in a western one man blacksmithing operation.
So if you’re looking to get something a little bit different made, please get in touch. We love blades and the opportunity to make a blade that’s out of the ordinary is the kind of thing we’ll jump at.