Knife Questions?

[Jeremy S]

I never skinned or gutted an animal until a few weeks ago when I helped a buddy get some rabbits ready for the roasting pot. I brought along the 7" Buck knife that I carry when I go hunting. I thought it was fairly sharp but I was wrong. It took a long time to gut and skin the rabbits.

This last weekend I had the pleasure watching a guy from the butcher shop dress and quarter a cow at a friends farm. The knife he used cut the skin, bone joints, and cartilage like butter. I noticed he carried a sharpener on his belt and re-sharpened the edge every couple of minutes. I have two questions.

1) I want to purchase a good knife that can be used for field dressing, skinning, and deboning. Are there any that I can purchase for $100 or less?

2) I would like also like to buy one of the round sharpeners so I can keep my new knife working well. Is there a special technique to sharpening with one of these?

Thanks. Any help will be appreciated!

[markts]

Get ahold of Rainshadow on here, he makes a mean knife. Mark

[gasman]

    

[rasbo]

farm killer was most likely using a green river ..Russel..Gerber makes some affordable knives that I like,for hunting...Get something that is easy to hold,not slippery..

[Smokepole]

Hey there Frogger.  Those slaughtermen really know how to sharpen knives, but they don't sharpen them with the round steel.  They use the steel to maintain the edge, and keep the knife working properly.

When you get a knife really sharp, the edge is so thin that it can be easily damaged while using it.  Bone or other hard surfaces can roll the edge over, making it blunt.  The steel is used to keep the edge true while you're using the knife.  A good butcher will use it every few minutes, making sure the cutting edge stays straight and true during use.  You can feel a rolled edge with your thumbnail.

Your Buck is a great knife, with good steel.  The Buck knives I have are a little on the hard side, so they take a while to sharpen.  But they hold and edge well, and I can make mine shave, no problem.  The secret is starting with coarse stones and progressively working toward finer abrasives, while keeping the angle consistent during the sharpening process.  Angle is very important.  If you change angles in the middle of a sharpening by just a degree or two, it won't get the job done.  It takes a little practice, time, and patience.  Once the knife is sharp, the edge is delicate, but you can get a lot of work done with it.

We recommend the use of a kitchen steel to our customers, because they can properly maintain their edges at home.  Eventually a knife will become dull from use, and the bevel will need to need to be reestablished.  

I've seen some of the knives Rainshadow builds, and he has some cool stuff to check out.  His knives are unique pieces of art, worth having-- and I think the prices are pretty good for what you get.  If I could afford it, I'd have a few.  But your Buck is a good solid knife that will skin and bone just fine if you learn how to get it sharp.  

[ELKHOG]

I've attached a photo of my knives that I use for skinning elk and deer.  I worked in a slaughter house for 3 years and these are the kind of knives that we used.  The brand name is FORSCHNER and the skinning knife number is 99H-5 and the legging knife number is 199H-5.  My boning knife number is 40515, which I didn't show.

I purchased my knives from Western Meats in Olympia or Shop-n-carry in Olympia also carries knives. 

Some people use buck knives but I don't like them because they are too thick and hard to sharpen. 

You were also talking about the sharpener that your butcher uses - he was probably using a steel to sharpen his knives but in my backpack I pack a good quality phillips screw driver about a food long and use that as my steel.

Hope this information helps.   

[carpsniperg2]

Get ahold of Rainshadow on here, he makes a mean knife. Mark

x1000 very cool high quality knifes

[ecnclan]

What smokepole said is good advice.  I have a few bucks and once you get them sharp they are easy to keep that way using the steel.   

[wabow]

Ive got to be the worlds worst when it comes to sharpening. Last year I couldnt get an edge on my old Buck so went down and bought the cheap Swingblade combo with saw. I also bought the Outdoor edge idiot proof sharpener. Last year I used it to do most of the work on a buck, doe and and elk. For the price Id say its a great set for little money along with my little Kershaw 1440 it worked out pretty good.

Don

[quadrafire]

Before I bought a new knife I would brush up on my sharpening skills (you will need it with a new one anyhow). Get a set of good stones. I have used a set of diamond stones that work really well, but can't remember where I got them. Then I keep a steel handy for keeping the edge when doing alot of work.
There have been many many animals gutted and skinned with just a pocket knife. The key is the sharpness and being familiar with how they handle.

[Wanttohuntmore]

Not trying to hijack Frogger's thread, but would like to add to his questions.  What kind of steel is best for a hunting knife?  Is the SV30 good?  I've used a buck 110 folder for years, always works fine, maybe not perfect, which is making me look for something that holds it's edge better.  I bought a cheap chinese made Kershaw Ken Onion Scallion (I think it might be a knockoff), and whatever the steel that they used, is amazing!  I boned my deer with it last year, and it still is sharp enough that I can literally shave with it.  I show people it, how sharp it is, and they are really impressed.  I do not like the handle for a hunting knife, but I took it along just to see how well it'd bone a deer, and couldn't be more impressed with the steel (know the ergo's of it).  I would love to know what kind of steel that is.

[wabow]

Not trying to hijack Frogger's thread, but would like to add to his questions.  What kind of steel is best for a hunting knife?  Is the SV30 good?  I've used a buck 110 folder for years, always works fine, maybe not perfect, which is making me look for something that holds it's edge better.  I bought a cheap chinese made Kershaw Ken Onion Scallion (I think it might be a knockoff), and whatever the steel that they used, is amazing!  I boned my deer with it last year, and it still is sharp enough that I can literally shave with it.  I show people it, how sharp it is, and they are really impressed.  I do not like the handle for a hunting knife, but I took it along just to see how well it'd bone a deer, and couldn't be more impressed with the steel (know the ergo's of it).  I would love to know what kind of steel that is.

A Kershaw Scallion should be stamped made in the USA if its a real Kershaw. They use 420 stainless if its a US version AUS6 if made in Japan. If made in china then its anyones guess.

Don

[thinkingman]

Hey there Frogger.  Those slaughtermen really know how to sharpen knives, but they don't sharpen them with the round steel.  They use the steel to maintain the edge, and keep the knife working properly.

When you get a knife really sharp, the edge is so thin that it can be easily damaged while using it.  Bone or other hard surfaces can roll the edge over, making it blunt.  The steel is used to keep the edge true while you're using the knife.  A good butcher will use it every few minutes, making sure the cutting edge stays straight and true during use.  You can feel a rolled edge with your thumbnail.

Your Buck is a great knife, with good steel.  The Buck knives I have are a little on the hard side, so they take a while to sharpen.  But they hold and edge well, and I can make mine shave, no problem.  The secret is starting with coarse stones and progressively working toward finer abrasives, while keeping the angle consistent during the sharpening process.  Angle is very important.  If you change angles in the middle of a sharpening by just a degree or two, it won't get the job done.  It takes a little practice, time, and patience.  Once the knife is sharp, the edge is delicate, but you can get a lot of work done with it.

We recommend the use of a kitchen steel to our customers, because they can properly maintain their edges at home.  Eventually a knife will become dull from use, and the bevel will need to need to be reestablished.  

I've seen some of the knives Rainshadow builds, and he has some cool stuff to check out.  His knives are unique pieces of art, worth having-- and I think the prices are pretty good for what you get.  If I could afford it, I'd have a few.  But your Buck is a good solid knife that will skin and bone just fine if you learn how to get it sharp.  

Agree with everything here...First you sharpen, then the edge gets maintained with a few passes over the steel.
I am not good free-hand with a stone.
I bought a  Lansky sharpening system that uses a jig to maintain the edge angle as you pass the stone over the blade and this is what I use to get the edge on the blade. 
Then, steel as needed.
You can really feel the edge come back as you use the steel.
I also use Forschner blades for utility work and like them.
Russel is another.