Thread: Various Knives

A Professional Hunter with Spalted Hackberry over curve backed buffalo horn on the 1075 blade in a initialled closed to sheath with attached honing steel.

An interesting project finished and ready to go. I had a request for a short slasher with the specs to be a 300mm blade and 450mm handle so I drew up a plan that was aproved and went from there. 6mm 1075 for the blade and a hickory axe handle as the starting place with it being shortened and reshaped for the handle. Made the securing rings from the side out of a 50x25 box section. It was to have a blade cover so it could be carried in a hunting pack for those times when the pig hunter has to get in amongst the tight places the pigs can get to. Weight at 1.25 kg with the blade cover in place so shouldnt be a burden to carry.

Seeing as I will be doing all the cooking for some time to come I decided that I needed a new chef set and having a re designed pattern I wanted to try decided this would be what I would use for the set. All our knives have been one at a time to test design etc so with different furntiure and patterns, there is nothing matching about them. I had been saving a very nice piece of tight grained broken fiddleback Tasmanian Blackwood so matched it with some bronze and black G10 for the NitroV SS blades. With the 8 inch chef, 6 inch petty chef and the 4 inch paring knife, this set will cover all the bases.

A gift for a niece who is very special to us.
She mentioned that she prefers peeling her potatoes with a knife rather than using a commercial peeler so I made this little one for her and decided to add a chef set to go with it. An 8 inch chef knife, a 6 inch petty chef, a 4 inch paring knife and the little 3 inch peeler in NitroV with "spilled milk" acrylic attached with SS pins. Delivered them this past weekend and had a grand family catch up. About 2 hours away down the main road to the southern coast and home via the coastal scenic highway.

I'm curious on your thoughts, I've always taken one knife into the bush but I'm considering taking two. One for cutting off heads and skinning and one for breaking down/boning/sticking. Inevitably at some point when butchering animals the knife begins to dull. Never used to bother me and I just pushed through but these days I appreciate a sharp knife that glides through its duties. I figure I either take a knife and a steel or two knives.

What do you do in the space of a breaking down/boning/sticking knife? Do you think it's worthwhile?

As an aside, I read a lot of history and can appreciate now why french and american settlers in the america's typically carried 3 knives on them at any one time during the 18th century.

I’d be disappointed in my knife if I couldn’t dress and break a deer down.
A good knife will do two or more deer if you do it right. Not cutting into bone, not cutting into hair etc.

I do carry a small sharpening device at times.


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https://sydneytools.co.nz/product/wo...ield-sharpener

Originally Posted by Bavarian_Hunter

I'm curious on your thoughts, I've always taken one knife into the bush but I'm considering taking two. One for cutting off heads and skinning and one for breaking down/boning/sticking. Inevitably at some point when butchering animals the knife begins to dull. Never used to bother me and I just pushed through but these days I appreciate a sharp knife that glides through its duties. I figure I either take a knife and a steel or two knives.

What do you do in the space of a breaking down/boning/sticking knife? Do you think it's worthwhile?

As an aside, I read a lot of history and can appreciate now why french and american settlers in the america's typically carried 3 knives on them at any one time during the 18th century.

I apolagise for the delay in answeing but have had a few other things going on lately and havent been on the forum.
It depends on your hunting style. I have always carried my light hunter design and use that for gutting and heading and carry out to the truck and have a set up at the truck with hanging bar and a breaking down table so have my skinning, breaking down and boning knives there. If I was to look at doing it in the bush I would carry a knife to gut and skin and a 5 inch general purpose knife for breaking down and boning out for a carry out. .
This a Tahr Hunter that would perform the first gutting and skinning tasks .



And the general purpose knife is suited for all else down to boning and breaking down

Try stropping.
A little rouge on the inside of your leather belt stops the knife losing it's edge.

Originally Posted by Bavarian_Hunter

I'm curious on your thoughts, I've always taken one knife into the bush but I'm considering taking two. One for cutting off heads and skinning and one for breaking down/boning/sticking. Inevitably at some point when butchering animals the knife begins to dull. Never used to bother me and I just pushed through but these days I appreciate a sharp knife that glides through its duties. I figure I either take a knife and a steel or two knives.

What do you do in the space of a breaking down/boning/sticking knife? Do you think it's worthwhile?

As an aside, I read a lot of history and can appreciate now why french and american settlers in the america's typically carried 3 knives on them at any one time during the 18th century.

I use either one of my ultralight, or just a havalon for opening and skinning cuts. Imo it not only helps keep the main knife sharp, but also notably increases meat quality keeping the meat clean and free of deer/pig stank.

That said a decent modern steel should be able to handle 2 deer, both opening and boning without undue dulling. A properly heat treated simple carbon should be able to do the same with a quick hone as you go. Strop or little ceramic/diamond hone is my preference over a steel.

A carving set with Koa over brass on the NitroV SS blades in a leather presentation case.

Originally Posted by Von Gruff Knives

I apolagise for the delay in answeing but have had a few other things going on lately and havent been on the forum.
It depends on your hunting style. I have always carried my light hunter design and use that for gutting and heading and carry out to the truck and have a set up at the truck with hanging bar and a breaking down table so have my skinning, breaking down and boning knives there. If I was to look at doing it in the bush I would carry a knife to gut and skin and a 5 inch general purpose knife for breaking down and boning out for a carry out. .
This a Tahr Hunter that would perform the first gutting and skinning tasks .



And the general purpose knife is suited for all else down to boning and breaking down

You make some classy stuff.
My take on edge holding is that the sorts of carbon steel that you use ought to be able to last for taking the head off, arse out, gutting and hocks off for a couple of deer.
And with a quick steel or 3 a whole bone out job on top of that. Ive always liked stopping for a touch up on the steel 'cause it gives me a chance to straighten my back and have a pause. I rub my steels down on a brick to smooth them out a bit. Nowadays they come way too coarse.

Ive got quite a little collection of knives in "modern" steels like 3V, 154CMM, Cru-wear etc. They do the above and more, but with out being touched. And stay very cutty right through. They are "next level" in performance and price. But not necessary.

Overall I reckon a good carbon steel knife along with a little honing steel to straighten the edge is hard to beat. Easy to sharpen, age beautifully and steeped in tradition.

I don't see any need for 2 knives. One should do the trick.

Here’s my favourite carbon steel knife. 1094. Bark River. I would bet money on yours being just as good

Yes indeed a single knife can and will do the whole process of skinning and breaking down animals small and large, and I have had some very pleasing feedback on my knives from those who were habitually carriers of multiple knives for the dealing with multiple large animals from the deer, moose and buffalo (northen territory) and were easily able to process with one of my knives. This is some of the comments that were posted on a large international hunting forum I was a member of for some years https://www.vongruffknives.com/438321421/438704831

A gift for friends who are retiring and going to fish and hunt so thought the "Fisherman" would be a usefull knife for him. Buffalo horn on the cryo queched NitroV stainless blade.

A birthday present from brother from France: