After my first attempt at skinning (With me only doing about 10% of the work) I have been wondering what type of knives you guys use to do the hides. I thought my knife was fairly sharp but after ten seconds you could have rode to town on it. I have seen some of the knives that have replaceable blades and custom type knives for "coyote only" :wink:
What do you guys that skin a lot use?
i mainly use a chicago cutlery drop point pareing knif and keep it sharp with a very fine grit sand paper. there is a tool for knife sharpening that i'v bought at walley worlf that works great (get them in the sporting good s dept. but i cant think of their name. i do know they are yellow in color and your hand fits inside the handle. you place the knife on a solid serface and pull the sharpner down the blade about 6 times and its sharp. by the way when useing this typr of tool clean the blade good before sharpening or you will clog up the sharpner. when i was trapping with a partner we caught a decent amount of fur and i did the skinning. i liked to have about a dozen knives sharp and ready to go, as they got dull i just dropped them into a pan of soapy water and as i had to sharpen knives i washed them or at the end of the night ran them thru the dish washer.
I dont skin em :nono:
I use a Cutco hunter with Double D edge.
GINSU!
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE ......................... :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:
Sinsu!
It slices, it dices, it cuts before the blade even gets there. :shck:
I do like knives and have a few. But when it comes to skinning fur I just drop it at the fur buyer's door and let him do it. I have a Dozier that I really like for deer, or at least starting them - also have an older Buck zipper that works about as well as the Cold Steel model. When I get the hide off, I have three or four Chicago Cutlery boning knives that I use when cutting up the deer. They are older models that I got on eBay. They don't hold an edge as well as the Dozier but they are cheap enough that you can have several and not break the bank. I have one of the Chicago Cutlery butcher knives that I was not impressed with the way the blade worked, so a little time on the grinder followed by sharpening and it is a thick bladed boning knife. The Chicago Cutlery knives are also real easy to sharpen.
Jerry
I hear the new Browning .50 BMG works very well for skinning ,guttin ,and deboning :readthis: it's also extremely quick :eyebrow:
the brand of sharpner i was talking about is CAM-NU, works great. i also looked in the shed at my skinning knives; there are all kinds. they have one thing in common, blades not over three inches long,flat sides on the handles and blades that are fairly thin.
I skin with a scalpel or I have one of the new utility knifes that the blade changes out on. Take to much time away from skinning to me to haft to stop and sharpen knifes. And replacement blades are cheap.
On the Beaver I do use a beaver knife, I have had it so long though I have no idea what name brand it is, and I have a couple that my grandfather built for me years ago. Also a set of three that a guy here at work built for beaver knives.
Brent
I've used cheapos and some higher dollar ones, but my super Leatherman held the best edge for me.
I've learned I wasn't born to be a knife sharpener, but I do have a Cabelas field sharpener that gets the job done. An impressive tool for the price BTW. Otherwise, I'll be exploiting Brent's methods next year to save myself the time and trouble.
When I'm retired, I'll take on securpro's deboning system.
Hey, isn't Ginsu a dietary supplement?
Brad
Here is the "real" knife ad (for those of you too young to remember).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abLB7aTmnE4
The herb is ginseng.
Jerry
Edited: Sorry for the link that was there, :sad: don't know how it got there, but thanks to V.V. for the head's up.
The knife I was using that day was on trial so to speak. Looked good and felt good in the hand but did not stand up to skinning a coyote either. I do know that it would be a fine knife for deer and other critters though. Why a coyote is so hard on knives is beyond me.
I have a Kershaw skinner that will skin 3 deer in succescion without stopping, yet it won't rug out a yote . It will case skin a pair and it's done. It will tune back up quickly with just a hard arkansas stone and strop. The Kershaws are the best I have used so far . I have somewhere in the neighborhood of forty diferent knives of various makers, design and type. I plan to have a custom knife built for field use, like I really need another knife, right .
Sharpening is a skill that must be learned th hard way. Get good instruction and practice regularly. And with all the equipment I have for th job nothing beats good stones out of all the methods and systems I have tried. You would be surprised at the number of professionals in th field of game handling or taxidermy that cannot sharpen knives. Jimmie
QuoteSharpening is a skill
Your right! And Im not real good at it. By the time I stop, and sharpen a knife. I can have another coon just about skinned! And if I am useing the puller, I can have it done. Its all about time for me. Fast means more money!
Beaver on the other hand, I do take the time to keep my knifes sharp. I get in no hurry and make sure I get a good clean skin. The time saved here brings back four times over on fleashing. I get three to four knifes ready before each Beaver I skin. And the only time I use a razor on them is to make the first cut down the center and ring the legs.
Brent
Kee, you tried those jap water stones yet? I am thinking on breaking down and buying a pair. I watched a woodworking show the other night and he used them after th arkansas stones to put one heck of an edge on some chisles.
You should also look up th Van Dykes taxidermy catologue for their sharpening system. Sounds like you could use it with those beaver. A taxidermist I knew used it and had the best edge on her knives I ever saw done by machine. And it was fast !!! Jimmie
I have done alote of skinning for taxidermy work.If you want a good skinning knife,just make sure you pick one with a slim slender blade.I normally carry a 3 blade Buck stockman.It works pretty well for an all around skinner.The next thing you need to look at is the steel.440 stainless is a decent steel that sharpens easily and comes in alote of lower priced knives.My favorite is 420 stainless.It holds an edge extreamly well but is a little harder to sharpen.I have also used scalpels and they work very well and when it dulls out you just replace the blade.There is really no right or wrong answer other than dont use a Bowie knife.As for the rest it is all just prefrence.
Fuzz
Some good tidbits here that seem to line up well with what I have experienced. I agree with Jimmie on there being something about them yotes that takes an edge off a knife quicker than other critters...... and while I do a fair amount of skinning, I don't really have a good level of knowledge on metal types or the best way to sharpen..... Maybe some of the guys here could do us all a big favor and start a tutorial thread on this. I for one could learn a lot ;yes;
I have used/tried a lot of [inexpensive] knifes. Mostly these days I am using a short and thin blade Victorinox with a hooked tip and a scalpel with replaceable blades. And I always have one of those inexpensive sharpeners mentioned as well.... by the way they sharpen the replaceable scalpel blades too. A couple swipes on the sharpener before I start and another couple of swipes before I start on the detail work around the head and I'm generally good to go.
What'ya mean don't use a bowie Fuzz :shrug: Your bad mouthin my favorite deer hunting knife. Made way back when even the el cheapo's had some half way decent steel in them. It's a sabre bowie that came out after either the crockette series of movies or the John Wayne flick of the alamo. Instead of the plastic handle too small for the hand itr now boast's a set of walnut slabs that fit. I promise it will stay sharper longer than a Gerber :biggrin:
Stu, get yourself apiece of latigo leather. Glue it to a board about th same width and about a foot long. Go to the hardware store and ask for white rouge or jewelers comound.If youcan't find that go to your nearest Lowes and get the metal polishing compound. Rub the compound into the leather really well. You want the rough side up so it will take a load of compound real well. Now you have a strop that will keep those scalpels sharper much longer. Just rub the blade on it with light pressure somewhere close to teh same angle as the bevel of the blade. Stroke it backwards which is the oposite of stroking them on a stone.
The strop isn't a bad idea for the rest of you either. It is used for the final polish of the edge and removes the burr. It works better than the butchers steel for truing the edge and is handy to have around as you work.Any time the knife seems to be working harder just take a few strokes on the strop. Makes the edge last a lot longer between sharpenings.
I have very little knowledge of the types of steel used today. But I am thinking along the same lines as Fuzz and Stu for blade type. I am thinking a blade about 4 1/2 inches long semi drop point style. About a half inch deep and a 1/16 to an 1/8 inch thick. Slightly smaller than the average sheath knife and similar to some of the trapper style blades you see on some folders. At least I think that is where its' going. I am still tinkering with the design. Doing it in wood so the maker will have a pattern that I want to try and actually fits my hand. This fellow makes trapper and long hunter style knives for reinactments. Jimmie
QuoteKee, you tried those jap water stones yet?
Not yet. I got a set of stones from the machine shop that they use on the carbide bits that work real well. I bought one of them fancy high speed grinders to sharpen my lathe tools and drill bits. It does a good job on them.
I got a split drum for my standard grinder to sharpen knives. I think I got a roll of 220 grit cloth back that I use on it, not sure will haft to look and see. The other side has a cotton wheel and gets bar polish to break the burs off. Does a heck of a job, but man you got to be careful. It will jerk it right out of your hand and stick the knife were ever it lands before you can blink!
Brent
The Van Dykes system is a pair of paper wheels you have to glue two types of emery too before use. They are much finer grits than 220 and not to prone to grabbing th blade. tried to buy that one when health problems caused her to quit the bussiness, she just looked at me funny.
There are also several newer systems developed by wood carvers for thier tools and knives. They are expensive but would be worht it for someone long lining and in a hurry all th time. Wood craft and woodcarver supply have most of them listed in thier catologues. no one complaining about them grabbing the tools either.
I would guess that the stones you got from the shop at work are india stones. They work really well on hard steels and will sharpen mild steels while you blink. Really good rocks. I would like to find a slipstone model myself.
A little trick to clean and resurface all your stones is to lay a piece of 80 grit paper on a flat surface. Rub the bad side of your stone face down on it . How long it will take depends on how bad they are worn. Jimmie
Stu,I dont know a whole lot about steel tipes other than 440 stainless is softer than 420.I would assume it would follow this trend.The lower the number the harder the steel.440 stainless is a cheap steel but works very well for the price.Frost Cutlery uses alot of 440 and is a very inexpensive knife.Buck and Case are both 420 i believe.420 is my favorite steel but i have a bunch of 440 knives as well.I like the good old fashoned 3 blade pocket knives.I usually carry a 3 blade stockman in my backpack and a 2 blade frost copperhead in my pocket.Hope this helps.
PS Jimmie i would love to see you try to skin a muskrat with a Bowie :biggrin:
Fuzz
Heres a pic of the type of knives i use.
(http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff160/WYbyCat/IMG_0564.jpg)
they come from the meat packing plants after they get done with them. theyre a couple bucks a piece and are easy to sharpen and keep the edge for a decent amount of time. The ones i got came through Paul Dobbins.
They go through rats skin like butter. :wink:
Cathryn, I used a number of these last fall at a processing station I was working at. None were sharp when I went to work for him. I got a number of them back up into shape and we used those. He had the same style form 3 diferent manufacturers. One company used white plastic handles , one used black, and the third used wood. I learned that they all were not created equal . Some were good enough to hold an edge for several hours of hard use with a steel handy. Some othrs were'nt worth a crap, edge was gone within an hour of use. I wish I could remember the name brand of the good ones. All I can remember is that they had wood handles on them. We were boning 25 to 30 head a night. I can tell you this much, run hard from the ones that have white handles.
But I beleive all of them would have held up quite a while under light use such as skinning and at least one pair did . I sharpened a pair for ht guy doing all the skinning and kept them that way while I was there. I only had to hit each of them a few licks each day to bring them back. He used a steel to keep them up during the day while he was skinning the animals we would work up each night. These two had the wood handles as well. Before all of you get too exited , he had a pull system set up to do most of the work.
I found this style boner to be very useful. Not too big to do most work we did. Blades were almost as flexible as a filet knife and worked well around the tight areas. I would like to get a couple of these myself. Jimmie
the type i have are Victorinox Fibrox, they werent too sharp when i got them but a little sharpening and they were great. thats all i have used. I have 4 different ones, all a little different and they skinned over 200 coon over 200 muskrats ,and some mink, possum, coyote fox and bobcat. A little quick touch up every now and then and they stayed razor sharp. I like them alot.
I have never saw the wooden handled ones.
I use and have used many different knives for skinning over the years. However, for rough skinning I prefer a pelting knife, really just a boning or paring knife, like the one that cathryn shows in her picture. There are many different brands carried my the trapping supply houses, I think the ones I currently have were made by Chicago Cutlery but the Victorinox are excellent knifes just more expensive.
All knifes get dull, some faster than others, but the trick is to be able to restore the edge to a usable condition quickly. Butchers have had this problem since time began, they solved it by first honing their knives to establish a good edge but then maintaining the edge with a steel as they work. This is the approach I use. Just a few swipes on the steel restores the edge as it dulls. The added bonus of using a steel is the type of edge it imparts, it looks like a miniature saw under the microscope which causes the edge to cut fibrous flesh more easily because the microscopic teeth garb hold and cut rather than sliding off.
For fine skinning I use scalpels, pocket knives, and woodcarving knives. These I sharpen using an LS Lansky Sharpening System or Bench Hones to establish the edge, bevel etc. Then I use a strop to finish the edge and to maintain the edge.
For a better writeup on this procedure see: http://www.woodcarvers.com/sharpening.htm
Jimmie this is where I get my strops and yellowstone that I told you about last year at LBL. http://www.woodcarvers.com/
Thanks Silvertip. That is one I don't have listed in my addies. And guy's , if you wantg the best in stones and hones check out the woodcarving supply sites. And come to think of it, some of htose swiss carving knives would likely make good skinners and much cheaper than most of what you find. Jimmie
theyre a great knife no doubt about it and at a couple bucks a piece for throwaways from meat processing plants, you cant beat them thats for sure.
They have paid for themselves over and over again.
I was always a Buck Knife man then my S-I-L bought me a folding Kershaw. Now I'm a Kershaw man. :laf: Someday though I hope to get a Spydeco. I've heard nothing but raves about them. :eyebrow:
For my sharpening I use ceramic stones. I have the Spydeco "V" sticks w/ two different grits & can slap an edge on a knife right quick! I also have a piece of leather, suede side up, that I put white compound on. We're talking about shaving when I'm done w/ a good knife. :wink:
As for the waterstones, to me it seems, are for people who are romantic about the work they do. There is a lot of maintainance to keep 'em in shape & you can't let 'em freeze. They put on a great edge no doubt, but it's to much messing around for me.
Another plus w/ the ceramic stones is you don't need any oil or water - no mess! The maintainance they need is when they load up w/ swarf (the metal & stone pieces) you take Comet & a Scotchbrite pad & wash the swarf out. Sometime in the future you will need to true 'em up & you just rub 'em against another ceramic stone.
Here is Spydeco's link http://spyderco.com/
V. V.
I think this is the knife you should get for skinning. :innocentwhistle:
http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=304
Jerry
a handed down Buck Stockman, a cheapo buck deer skinner and a Knives of Alaska muskrat (hey, that butterknife lookin tipe really helps in the tircky spots) match themwith a good wet stone and im set for hours
I use a surgical scalpel with replaceable blades for everything up to a wolf. I get the the blades from a taxidemist friend. Usually takes three to four blades for a wolf and wolverine, two to three for arctic fox, reds and lynx.
John
I use a custom knife made from german stainless. Sweedish is my favorite steel for holding an edge german can be almost too hard. I have skinned a lot of animals and nothing bugs me more than to have to re-sharpen in the middle of the job.
Sweedish stainless of good quality is hard to sharpen but holds an edge for a long time.
You can buy just a blade and customize it to your needs with a little research.
I use a Forschner 40017 boning knife and larger for cutting meat. Thease can be bought at LEM products in Ohio.
I have never used a scalpel But I am kind of old school It sounds like a good idea for ears and such. :wink:
Started out using them to split lips and turn ears, noses and eyes, eventually it just became the blade of choice. I try to case all my hides as if they were going to be mounts, force of habit I guess. I am not a taxidermist but have a couple of friends that go through wolves and wolverines for possible mounts and are particular about how they are skinned.
John