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Hey Everyone,
Just keen on recommendations and experience for a knife for skinning a deer. Current use a fold away Spika Bushmaster and it seems to go pretty well (especially in a beginner’s hand) but keen on people’s feedback.
The second question is best tools to use to sharpen a knife, very green at this and after a couple of attempts I think I made the Wife kitchen knives blunter rather than sharper. So back to You Tube.
Cheers Everyone
Different people like different knives, it's an insanely personal thing. I prefer a slimmer blade, more of a general purpose clipped point shape. I have a good mate that has one very slim razor sharp one, almost a boning knife and another that looks like it would do good on oysters. He switches between them all the time and has a belt with two sheathes on it that he carries everywhere... Neither is a knife I would grab by choice, but it works for him.
The one you mentioned looks a bit heavier than what I like, but you won't know what works for you until you try a few out.
As far as sharpening, a good guided stone package like the scary sharp setup or similar is gold standard, or a lansky or a knock off from china will get you started at a pinch. The guided steels are a must to get a consistent smooth polished edge on the blade in my experience, I can do it freehand but it's a fair bit more work and takes longer.
You need a good steel, a Cambrian butchers steel 450mm - the older profile that tapers smoothly not the one with a fairly abrupt step between the body of the steel which is parallel and the part where it tapers to the point. The difference between one of these good steels and a crappy china one is like quality marble compared with clay mixed with dog turds. The Cambrian steel is that much better it's not funny. I used to struggle with keeping an edge on a knife once I got it on there, now it's one or two licks over the good steel and back to shaving sharp.
https://www.savebarn.co.nz/victorino...n-handle-50148
This and buy a ScarySharp or before the man from CNI screams buy the great Aussie sharpener from Kentmaster in Napier.
The biggest things in hunting are firstly recoil[shooting becomes an unpleasant experience]and secondly not having a sharp knife.[ you hack at the deer while your mate peels out the guts , ripped off the back steaks and back legs ]
the $40 diamond laps work but dont overdo them- I stone and then touch up with a few soft strokes of the diamond lap - knives are a personal choice - many are very hard and that means hard to sharpen - and yes scary sharp made in Hawera are the gold standard of sharpeners - bar none-
Buy a good magnifying glass to check your sharpening....I use a wet sandstone grinding wheel to remove the shoulders of the knife and finish it off with oil stone....I carry a skinning knife and a boning knife in my bag, the knife on my belt is for everything else....those two knives in my bag probably weigh less than the turd in my bowels that I have been carrying around looking for a nice place to drop it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Little Loydd
How much is a scary sharp these days?
Quite the investment for a $40 knife I imagine.
With a $40 knife you can afford to learn how to use a stone :)
As an aside on sharpeners. I just picked up a warthog sharpener. So far im impressed and what I like about it is because it does both sides at once and is guided, My partner can quite happily sharpen kitchen knives etc, without waiting for me to do it.
It's very much a personnel preference so you will try a few before settling on something you like. These are my two I'm pretty happy with. Bigger one is a MJK jack knife made by a forum member and a little Honey Badger. Usually carry both but for a quick light weight trip I'll just take the little one.
Attachment 268606
As for sharpening I use my dad's old oil stone. Took a lot time and practice to figure it out but now I have pretty sorted. A good sharp knife makes the whole process a lot easier and enjoyable so stick at it.
Cheers Everyone for ideas and suggestions, it is quite an interesting (and could be an expensive) rabbit hole to go down and lots to learn.
As far as knife, I use a pukko or an opinel Gardner with its drop point.
Regarding sharpening, this one is probably the easiest you can get to get a razor out of your knife:
Attachment 268609
Available from most hunting and fishing
I tried all sorts of guides and lansky type systems with bits and bobs.
In the end I went to the local second hand shop and brought a selection of old chefs knives etc and a couple of good water stones.
I kept trying till I managed to get the "knack" but it took a lot of perseverance.
As far as knives go that depends on your budget but i would not spend "telephone numbers" on a knife until you
a. can sharpen it
and b. know you are not prone to misplacing them often :D
They are quite a good 80% solution for knife sharpening. I have several daily use knives that come razor sharp with 2 or three passes through the warthog, and some that just will not sharpen well at all. Must be the knife's blade taper dimensions.Quote:
Originally Posted by whanahuia
Something that helps when learning stone sharpening (wetstone or oilstone or even cheap chinese drystone haha) is a selection of coins. Find one that is the right thickeness (or two stacked - I used to use the old 20c fat coin) and leave on the end of the stone. At the start of each pass place the back of the knife on the same part of the coin and set your sharpening angle again. It does help as a rough and ready guide...
I see you’re Tasman based also.Quote:
Originally Posted by Little Loydd
If you get real stuck, touch base and I can run your kitchen knives over a Tormek to revive them and keep the peace with the Mrs.
When starting out hand sharpening, a skinny carbon steel knife with as straighter edge as possible and no bolster is going to be the most user friendly to ‘hone’ your craft.
Most people use too fine a stone and fail to raise a bur when first starting out. It’s not rocket science a but plenty frustrating til you get the hang of it.
The last thing is stropping to refine the edge.
The scary sharp and similar are good for that - set what angle you need and go forth. Once sharpened, the Cambrian type steel is the go to - one or two passes each side and shaving. The lansky setup is good at angles, I just found them painfully slow with the smaller size of stone especially on a bigger knife.Quote:
Originally Posted by XR500
I think the Warthog setup is ok as well, but what I have found is certain types of stainless blades just will not come up on those type sharpeners. My experience is you really need a guided stone for those, or some form of guided mechanical sharpener. I've got a stainless filleting knife here that was quite expensive, imported German I think and it is a good example. It won't play with hand stoning, diamond hones get laughed at and even the flash diamond stones don't achieve a lot. I don't know what it is, I've only had success with it with the guided stone sharpeners. Steels even the Cambrian type aren't much use either.
Little Lloyd,
You don’t need a to spend
500 plus on a fancy knife sharpening jig. Most of us just use a good wet or oil stone, possibly two to get a selection of grit, and you will do just fine. U tube or a mentor are helpful. An old leather strap to strop your blades also.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
actually a half competent engineer or home hobbyist could make a stone sharpening jig just need a way of maintaining correct angle
Have a look at this. Not scary expensive.
https://engineerscollective.co.nz/pr...nife-sharpener
I use an oilstone but then have been sharpening chisels and plane irons for 30+ years.
Where in Tasman are you based?
For a start don’t buy a flash knife. I’ve got two svords a straight one for arseholes, throats and legging and a curved one for skinning, and they suit me well. However they are pigs to sharpen if I don’t keep them right and let the edge come to far off. When people are learning to put an edge on steel and keep it there it’s far easier to learn on steel a bit softer and more forgiving like a victorinox, wenger, swibo or something like that. They are cheap, easy to sharpen and can be fixed up way more easily than a really hard stainless or a high carbon tool steel blade if you make a mess of them. The shape is really personal preference, though one I’ve seen a lot of people really like is based on a lamb skinning shape. A we bit curved with a funny sort of blunt drop point. Sharpening wise you don’t need to spend lots of money, get on youtube and there lots of tutorials on sharpening knives lots of different ways. On method you can use involves emery paper and a block of wood to put said emery paper on. It’s damn cheap and you get whatever grit you like depending on the finish you want. It’s about $1 a sheet and works really well.
oilstones are good and cheap, I like diamond stones but they cost a bit, main thing is patience and practice with whatever you use :) and a good strop on some leather to finish will always help
Got a old oil stone, rough side & fine was the Grandfathers, been straighten on glass, I use turps instead of oil its cuts better, brings out the oil in the stone. All free hand, I'm another chippy, touching up tools often.
Cheers everyone for the info and yes, I like the idea of going cheaper and learning. Will practice on the Mrs knives then move on from there, nothing like a bit of danger in the life
Happy Jack, we live in Mahana
Someone mentioned the Warthog sharpening system. I like mine. Quite a few threads on them. As mentioned, don't work so well with very thick or hard metal blades. I've just done my filleting knives.
I use dish washing liquid instead of oil.Quote:
Originally Posted by BK10
Water cleans the stone instantly. And knives don't need degreasing.
Regarding knives for skinning. If I'm in the field usually a Mercator or lately a little rubber handled Geber folder with a three inch blade. (Interesting story about it. I found it and know who lost it. But the c....t owes me about eighty grand so he's not getting it back).
If I'm skining back at the shed/chiller I use a victorinox bone or shepherd.
Or more accurately there may be one way he can potentially get it back :)Quote:
Originally Posted by 7mmwsm
Nah I'd still keep it as a momento.Quote:
Originally Posted by inglishill
It’s worth persisting and mastering using water stones. It’s very satisfying getting a good edge. My water stone is due for replacement.
Attachment 268699
I recently bought one of the cheap($50 or less) sharpeners off trademe.the stones are twice the size of the lanski ones and it maintains angle like a scarey sharp except I have to hold knife in place...it works bloody brilliant. To the OP..buy a bacho. Too easy to keep sharp and easy to use.
Learn to use a water stone. It's not hard once you understand the fundamentals of raising a burr and removing it. You will always have a sharp knife. Start on a courser stone 400 -600 grit.
For honing a decent strop, ceramic or fine diamond honey are more versatile in the long run than a steel. Steel is only really effective on lower hardness knives. Won't work for shit on any decent modern stainless/tool steel
