View Full Version : Stainless Skinning knife
Buckshot
13-10-2004, 09:29
I'm looking for a knife specifically for gutting and skinning. It needs to be able to go into the washing up bowl for a good scrub afterwards so I don't want any additional handle material, just a full tang to hold.
I've got one from Attleborough (see link below) but that's made of monkey metal and although The General :biggthump managed to get an edge on it at MM it lost it again as soon as I looked at it (just as he said it would).
http://www.attacc.com/acatalog/Attleborough_Accessories_Knive s.html (http://) The 'Trophy Master' right near the bottom of the page is mine.
I'm looking for something similar, perhaps with a smaller blade, that will hold an edge. DG had a nice little skinner for those that went on the Hunter course last weekend.
Any sugestions please...
Cheers
Mark
outdoorgirl
13-10-2004, 09:36
Hi Buckshot!
I've had the black skinning knife that Andy and I were using at the weekend for years, and never had a problem putting it in the washing up bowl - I'm pretty sure it's even gone into the dishwasher at times!
It's the 'Skinner' model made by 'Buck' in the USA.
Tantalus
13-10-2004, 09:39
you looking for one with the finger hole?
if not, a stiff kiss may be a solution :roll:
http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/crk/kiss2.html
i think joe ODS had a few
Tant
tenbears10
13-10-2004, 09:40
Have you thought about getting a custom maker to do you one or is that a bit expensive? I can suggest a couple of American makers who I think would be up for it and if it's not too big then the cost shouldn't be loads. The exchange rate is the main reason I suggest American makers.
Bill
I just use the Mauser blade on my SAK.
Give the blade a wipe, give the knife a shake in the soapy water then hold it under the tap to get rid of any soap. After that just open it out and leave it to dry. Served me well, like that for 16 years (1st luxury bought with uni grant cheque!).
I've tried several blades for skinning smaller stuff and still come back to this one - even skinned deer with it.
TheViking
13-10-2004, 10:50
I have seen 2 blades by Brusletto that would be good for hunting. The 'Falken' and 'Jegern'. They are in 12c27 stainless which is very good steel, IMO. Both knives are hollowgrind. :wink:
What about the BRKT Mini-canadian or Mikro canadian? I have the mini and it although it is a skinner, it is also well up for many other tasks
Buckshot
13-10-2004, 13:34
Thanks Ladies and Gents,
Pip, I remember seeing you're black handled knife at the weekend, it looked quite big and a little heavy, although very nice I'm sure.
I'll be carrying my Woodlore as well but wanted something fairly lightwieght and small purely for the job.
Tant, I wondered about KISS knives, especially as my local army surplus sells them but am not sure of the steel used. Have you any idea?
TB10, I think a custom knife is OTT for what I want. It would be very nice to have one but I'd be sleeping outside the divorce courts if I was too tempted :yikes: .
Folders are Ok, I'm just concerned about bits getting into the mech. This not only causes operational problems but also food hygiene ones. There are rules being introduced at the moment about the proper hygienic handling of shot deer - from the moment it touches the ground.
I'll have to look up Brusletto, I recognise the name but don't remember any of thier designs.
Keep them coming
Cheers
Mark
how about a fixed blade victorinox
I small butchers boning knife wouldn't be bad for skinning, they come with either a rosewood or plastic handle should be around £15. Shouldn't be too hard to find on the net. If you have difficulty finding one let me know and I'll sort it.
This is the mini-canadian, im sure it would be perfect.
http://66.147.225.206/images/ODS/knives/bark_river/mini_canadian/mini_black_canvas.jpg
This is the Mikro, it's smaller, but i haven't tried it.
http://66.147.225.206/images//ODS/knives/bark_river/Mikro_Canadian/Antique_Ivory_Micarta.jpg
Both can be found at ODS (http://66.147.225.206/index.php?cPath=3_152_5_140&osCsid=3d127a5c56f8756108b5199 0005e6fba) Bark River section.
Cheers.
are they stainless Jake?
what about a frosts clipper? or is that to big for this application?
TheViking
13-10-2004, 14:08
Buckshot: here's (http://www.brusletto.no/photoalbum/view/?size=org&id=18396) a pic of the Brusletto 'Falken'. :wink: 12c27 holds a good edge, is stainless and easy to sharpen.
Here (http://www.vikingekniven.dk/klinger/jegern.JPG) is a pic of a 'Jegern' blade. :wink: :biggthump
Tantalus
13-10-2004, 14:18
stiff kiss is AUS- 6M to the best of my knowledge
stainless, not super hard, but an easy steel to sharpen
nothing stamped on the blade to confirm this tho
the upside to the kiss is even if it does tarnish you can simply sand it with a little fine emery paper
as far as food prep goes, most old butchers knives are made from much milder rust prone stuff, but washing and drying after use keeps em safe enough
(i dunno if this tallies with latest regs but mild steel knives have been used by butchers for a looooooooooong time)
Tant
What about a Kellam Otter (http://www.tregor.co.uk/kellam/otter.html)?
It's small, stainless and not going to break the bank.
Kellam have a good reputation and I'm sure Stuart can give a more detailed review of it for you.
are they stainless Jake?
what about a frosts clipper? or is that to big for this application?
A2 with a convex grind is what the Mikro and Mini canadians are made out of TomTom same as the North Star :)
What about the CRKT Serengeti Skinner? Designed specifically for the job and can be taken apart for cleaning.
http://img56.exs.cx/img56/4579/SERENGET.jpg
I've seen them on e-bay for around £20.
why not get a butchers/ abottoir skinning knife - cheap and meat all of the hygine reg.
for example:
http://www.baconsdozen.co.uk/knives.htm
plenty of other places do them for £6 -10. Certainly hold a good enough edge for the job. After all the are a common tool of the meat industry.
Come on guys, it HAS to be the Bark River knives! You knowsit! ;)
Tantalus
13-10-2004, 16:23
It needs to be able to go into the washing up bowl for a good scrub afterwards so I don't want any additional handle material, just a full tang to hold.
yeah i would like to recommend the bark river too but that isnt what Buckshot was asking for
Tant
what about a crkt fixed flacon. plastic handle so should be OK
I'd still go for a butchers knife though. (Wooden handles were banned for a while in the UK but nt long ago it changed back)
I have a couple of kellam otters and find them good little working knives..... they have wooden handlles though so may not be up to spending long amounts of time dunked in water.
:-)
Ed
Buckshot
14-10-2004, 09:14
I bought on Otter from Stuart at the Gathering.
Very nice little knife, I use it for carving normally.
I think it's a little big for what I'm after and as Ed says, the wood handle is an issue.
Bark River looks lovely but I think a little overenginerred for me.
I bet they're a decent price too.
Cheers
Mark
How about a Cold Steel Bird & Trout? (http://www.coldsteel.com/20btj.html)
Can't get much simpler than that.
Buckshot, I know what you said about custom makers, but the Allan Blade pack pal scandi will be about $50 (I think that is about £27), if not try talking to Allan to see if he would modify an already existing design or put in your own design to him, he seems to be quite receptive to things and of course it does mean that he has another design in his collection for a later date :-).
How about a Cold Steel Bird & Trout? (http://www.coldsteel.com/20btj.html)
Can't get much simpler than that.
Stew you beat me to it - Buckshot I had one of these for ages til I lost it! Works great - like a sharp extension to your finger. Some people might think the blade is too small but once you get used to it it works like youre unzipping whatever it is you're skinning or gutting. Held with your index finger along the back of the blade it's like you're using an extra long razor sharp fingernail to do the work.
great little design IMO.
George
Buckshot
14-10-2004, 10:40
Thanks guys,
I think the Cold Steel Bird and Trout looks good.
Anyone know of a retailer in Oxfordshire or anywhere I can get mail order from in the UK? For some reason my credit card doesn't want to work in the US.
I do like the look of the packpal but I think that's a 'next year' purchase.
Much appreciated people - thanks
Mark
you used to be able to get it from The British Kinfe Collectors Guild (http://www.bkcg.co.uk/products/manu/coldsteel/index.html) they dont seem to have it at the moment but they say that they can get anything you want.. so why not ask them!
http://www.heinnie.com :biggthump
Ed
Joe at Outdoorsupplies (http://66.147.225.206/product_info.php?cPath=3_152_1 5&products_id=1006&osCsid=db314689054b61312a89f3f ebc7f15b9) sells them but he's out of stock at the moment. Send him a mesage and I'm sure he'll sort you out.
Joe at Outdoorsupplies (http://66.147.225.206/product_info.php?cPath=3_152_1 5&products_id=1006&osCsid=db314689054b61312a89f3f ebc7f15b9) sells them but he's out of stock at the moment. Send him a mesage and I'm sure he'll sort you out.
Joe is excellent, I have bought a few things from him and his service has been very good, I didn't realise he had this model, so that's a good hit Stew :biggthump
One of the best places to find a good skinner is at a trapper's supply store.
Check out this link.
RAM (http://www.ramconnection.com/graphic-version/catalog.html)
Look for skinning knives. The ones by Post and Zepf are excellent. I think Post uses stainless. This is Ron Post's small pelter:
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/images5/ronpostsmallpelter1b.jpg
Burnt Ash
14-10-2004, 14:14
I'm looking for a knife specifically for gutting and skinning. It needs to be able to go into the washing up bowl for a good scrub afterwards so I don't want any additional handle material, just a full tang to hold.
Knives "specifically" designed for skinning and gutting are rather different from one another.
A skinning knife has an accentuated belly that can be swept through the connective tissue as the hide is drawn away from the body of the animal. Skinning knives reach their apogee with the Inuit 'ulu', where the blade is pretty well a part circle in shape.
A gutting knife usually means one for making an incision along the ventral line of an animal's abdomen (to allow the guts to be removed) and designed so as to avoid perforating the viscera. A swept point skinning knife would not be a great design for gutting, though there are ways of using such a knife design to gut successfully.
I suspect what you are after is a knife that will skin and gut (small game and fish?) effectively, without being a specialist in either area. You've said you want it to be easy to clean when its covered in slime and gore, etc. You could do far worse than the stainless version of the basic Mora, or the Mora Clipper (as someone else has mentioned).
Fallkniven makes a Fisherman's knife and the excellent H1 Hunter (a skinning blade shape, but with a clever relief to the point that improves its gutting ability).
Incidentally, a good friend of mine swears by his fully serrated Spyderco Endura, which he uses almost exclusively to gut and prepare literally hundreds of trout and salmon every year. There's no doubt that the Spyderco type scalloped edge gets through the vertebral column and bones very effectively. On that tack, I'd probably go with a half serrated version myself.
You pays your money, you takes your pick, but you do not need anything custom or expensive for these jobs.
Burnt Ash
Got agree wit hburnt ash,vyou don't NEED a custom knife for skinning etc - I'm very happy with my SAK never failed me yet. If I was to get something else it would be from a butcher/meat industry supplier.
For the cost you could get a specific skinning knife (useful for deer etc) and a gutting knife and still have plenty of change. You can afford to loose several of these knives per year while out on the hill.
And as I said they are designed for industrial use so hygine regs & cleaning.are not an issue.
Custom knives look good, feel good but at the end of the day its just another tool.
J Adams make one I've just noticed. Not sure if he will post though.
Buckshot
25-10-2004, 21:21
I agree with you guys.
I know the design of a gutting knife is different from a skinner. What I should have said is that I'm looking for a knife to use for preparing game only (gutting and skinning).
I could aways use the Woodlore I normally carry, it's just that all the equipment gets a bit, how shall I say it, gooey when you're preparing a deer. It's just nice to have a specific tool for the job, that's all.
Cheers :biggthump
Mark
Have I mentioned butchers boning knives? Easy to find a stainless one with a plastic handle. It's what My dad skinned stuff with when he worked at a butchers. they used wood handles without any problems come to think of it