Thread: Butcher by trade

Hey all I am looking to gain experience hunting deer mostly. I've been cutting them up for 11 years contract boning I've never shot one (with a bolt gun in the yards I have) I'm keen to share my knowledge and knife skills I was also a tutor at the works for new boners plus knife sharpening skills for even skilled boners.

I'm keen to learn born in Mackenzie country shot millions of rabbits and possums obviously know my way around firearms etc. Never shot any big game animals.

Available anytime pretty much. No I'm not a bum I'm a widowed father of one and have family to care for my child. Just keen to get out of the city! Let me know if you're interested.

Hey mate, welcome!

I have been talking about a trip out of Chch for a while with a mate who needs a bit of time out on the hills too, so will let you know when I get on to planning it! Prob up behind Rangitata, near where I grew up. Can't offer a great deal in the way of hunting wisdom (I'm sure others will be along very soon with plenty of that), but can hopefully help with the getting out of the city bit!

I would imagine Shanon's Butchery and Sharpenry School classes will be well attended by many on here!

Hey mate thanks heaps for keeping me in mind! I forgot to add have my own kit sorted already been out with my compound bow to a few places now. I have a 4x4 etc to.

Definitely keen to help anyone out with knife sharpening skills knife skills and technique for breaking animals down. Cheers

Great intro.funny I sharpened a "really blunt" knife for mate yesterday.took all of 2 minutes till hair shave sharp.some folks just don't have a clue. If haven't got out in next few weeks give me a shout mid June and we will suss out a bush walk.

Haha yeah it's definitely something that takes a bit of knowledge and technique knife sharpening. I always used one boning knife single pouch most the guys used 3 some had 4 boning knives and all were useless. Everyday they were on the stones every break to sometimes. No one understood how I used one blade and was only on the stone once a week or sometimes go couple of weeks. It's alot to do with what steel ya use and how you use it to. My first boss in a butcher shop was a hunter fisherman to he taught me how to sharpen and steel a blade before he taught me how to use it for butchering. He also taught me that you only steel it 3 times after that your damaging the edge. Something I struggled to teach other guys because they steel the crap out of them haha. Cheers mate definitely keen for anything.

i are a butcher also. . if you can get down mighty temuka ways, il take you out for look have got a few spots .will send you a msg

Bloody hell @hackmeat, only 10 years since your last post and you return. Hope you and the family are all good.

Originally Posted by Shanon

He also taught me that you only steel it 3 times after that your damaging the edge. Something I struggled to teach other guys because they steel the crap out of them haha.

Ha ha, I am "other guys"! Just learned something, thanks Shanon! I think I just like the sound it makes...

Originally Posted by yeah_na_missed

Ha ha, I am "other guys"! Just learned something, thanks Shanon! I think I just like the sound it makes...

The boys used to say yeah nah gives time to yarn and makes it look like ya know what you're doing haha. Definitely agree I like the sound! I can hear a nice edge on the steel. Can hear that edge folding each time to haha. The edge actually pushes to one side then the other each time then you end up with a feathered edge and need to take it off on the stone. Hence why the 3 times only method is pretty elite for saving that nice edge longer. Sharper blade for longer the less ya steel. If you get the shoulders right on a cold stone (water wheel) then manually on a stone. I can put a shoulder on a blade and steel to that angle what is comfortable and flows for me doesn't necessarily work for another. Best to teach people to put a shoulder that is natural to them because they will steel to that, generally. If I sharpen a knife for a new boner that's struggling to keep it Sharp I would have to steel it for them to. Something I only did when I see them about to blow out wrists with blunt knives haha. Back when I started was no google nowdays can find a fair bit about shoulders and feathered edges online etc. Still can't beat being taught by someone with experience though!

I taught a body builder once at the freezing works, he was tank probably bench press me 50 times with ease. After one night he was sore by the second night he was on light dutys for 2 weeks. One more night on the knife and stepped down as a boner. He thought it was all about strength it's totally technique. Use the tip of the blade mostly and you don't even grip the handle hard at all. Floats around in your grip really.

Rumpty . like a good cupa things take time . flicked you a msg. should catch up

I can't sharpen knives that well but was taught by a good boner at mamaku meat works many years ago that over steeling is the fastest way to blunten your knife.

in fisheries I learnt to steel backwards if knife really bad...stick tip of steel on table and look down it like a shotgun barrel and slice down with knife...really really easy to watch your angle if you do it this way.

They have just installed about 650k with of machine in my local works. Nudging 800+ installed
Robotic arm. Can sharpen 200 knives in a couple of hours.
They won't be giving everyone personal knives anymore going forward.
They have to keep them good during the day while using them but the main edge work is done automatically.
As a guide the machine will produce an edge that will go to a rating of 9 and change on the tester everything going OK. Some knives need a couple of passes if especially abused.
A sample taken of knives showed the best done by a human was 8 and change.
Worst was 3 and change which meant the back was almost sharper than the edge lol

And as an aside to back up what you mentioned earlier, I know a younger supervisor there who reckoned the new sharpener would be a good thing. He said he was shit house at keeping his knife sharp on the boning line back in the day and has a permanent bend in one of his little fingers from holding onto the knife so hard and trying to pull a blunt one through the meat all the time