Why a Nessmuk?

Virtually identical to a lamb skinner butcher's knife.
I suspect the original Nessmuk knife was just a lamb skinner with a stag handle.

Here's a modern lamb skinner:
.........

How unromantic....but probably true

Where can you get a Green River lamb skinner?

Thanks
 
I hope to carry them at some point in the future, but for now you could probably buy one direct from Dexter Russell.
 
As some others have already alluded to, its worth keeping in mind that we have one, rough drawing of Sears' knife. And that no one has found the actual knife that he used. We have no technical data or precise measurements of length, thickness, etc. So all "Nessmuk" knives are really just guesstimations and interpretations.

Thus, the Nessmuk knife is an idea, not a strict design. As has been noted many times before, Sears likely didn't use this knife for much wood processing - he saw it as part of a well-rounded trio, with other tools to more likely do the bulk of the woodwork, and this knife used for a variety of other camp tasks. With that said, one advantage I see from my totally amateur point of view, is that a blade of this depth and shape has the capability to be a remarkable slicer, and have enough spine for other, burlier work, if given the proper geometry. In other words, it's possible that modern tweaks to the Nessmuk could yield a more versatile, stand-alone knife, without detracting from the historical underpinnings of the original idea.

I know this may sound like sacrilege to some, and there are those that would counter that there is no need to tweak the original design (whatever it might have actually been...). But I'd also put forth that while we have put George Washington Sears on something of a bushcraft "pedestal," we also need to remind ourselves that we actually have a very limited window into what tools Sears used, based on one drawing (and brief mention in his only book), at one point in time of his life. Who's to say that a few years after writing Woodcraft he didn't change this design, or hit upon something else that he liked more, but that he simply never get around to documenting? And so while it may be tempting to latch on to a fixed moment in history, its worth bearing in mind that all things evolve, and that our scant factual data of this one design doesn't mean Sears' knife wasn't something that couldn't still be adapted and improved - either by himself as he continued his life in the outdoors, or by others afterward.

After all, as someone much smarter than me once said, "Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire."
 
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Getting a custom from Jim Rosa, a Kalel design and one of his:
photo-748.jpg


I don't want my knife to look like TOPS range or a Tom Brown Tracker but this one packs a lot for what i asked for.
 
Hi all,

Ummmm....I wish I had found this thread before starting my own "NESSMUK" thead. Ooh well. I've enjoyed reading/researching Nessmuk's this weekend until I'm Blue in the face. A wee bit of Bushmills Black Bush will help that BLUE condition. Ahhhh, very tasty. OK, between these two theads, I've learned much information. In the future, I hope to have funds available to have a "custom" Nessmuk made. If memory serves, "Nessmuk" (the Indian boy) was a "Narragansett (Rhode Island) Indian". Me (being a Native Rhode Islander) born in "Pawtucket" (which is Indian for "fall of the waters") makes me a Native of Pawtucket! No, I (to the best of my knowledge) am not Native American but.....close enough. What's more, my Father lives in Narragansett and that is all the excuse I need to buy a "Nessmuk" knife. Hey! I think I made a good case for buying a "Nessmuk".

Regards,
HARDBALL
 
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What a great thread. I am close to ordering a custom made Nessmuk myself in Europe. It will be in Elmax steel and with a stabilized blue maple handle. I am not sure on the blade design yet. The designer proposed this blade shape. It is rather modern than traditional but seems to make sense. I am not sure though if it is great for skinning since it has not that big belly compared to the once you posted here.
cM9Ysui.png
 
What a great thread. I am close to ordering a custom made Nessmuk myself in Europe. It will be in Elmax steel and with a stabilized blue maple handle. I am not sure on the blade design yet. The designer proposed this blade shape. It is rather modern than traditional but seems to make sense. I am not sure though if it is great for skinning since it has not that big belly compared to the once you posted here.
cM9Ysui.png

Not too Nessmuky with that reverse curve. I'm sure if you provided your intended maker with some photos of traditional Nessmuks he could give you just what you hope.

Ray
 
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He is creating a new design. What dimensions would you recommend? I know it shouldn't be too large or too thick but I really would like it to be camp knife, skinning knife, butcher knife :)
 
Nobody replied yet on recommended dimensions for a Nessmuk. I am currently favoring
Handle max 120mm
Full knife about 250mm
Thickness 4mm
 
OK - I'll try :rolleyes:

• Blade length - no less than 100mm no longer than 200mm to 145mm to 165mm could be the sweet spot - too much longer and it loses its practicality as a skinning knife.

• Handle length - 100mm to 120mm - 110 is pretty comfortable (even a bit long ) for most people.

• Thickness - 3.2 mm to no more than 4.8 mm with a nice taper. Thicker than that and you are creating a chopper IMHO rather than a tool that could have some finesse.

Pretty much on track with what you intend. I would shop the google for some classic nessmucks on which to style your knife.
"Creating a new design" is all well and good but if you want a nessmuck - have him make a nessmuck. Why reinvent a classic?

Ray
 
The Nessmuk knife, as it's pictured in that illustration, and as many modern makers interpret it, has a distinctive hump back that I've never seen anywhere else. I have a strong suspicion the illustrator didn't quite nail the subtle curves, and it really should look more like the lamb skinner posted above, or any other common skinning pattern butcher knife. Either that, or it was made/modified from an existing knife (such as the cut down skinner shown earlier), which could make sense since Nessmuk was so small physically he may have wanted a shorter knife. The stag handle could have been a replacement for the same reason. Or, maybe it was just a one-off oddball. But if anyone has a period example or illustration of another blade shaped just like Nessmuk's, I'd be interested in seeing it. 'Cause I don't think this knife ever existed as a standard pattern back then.
 
The Nessmuk knife, as it's pictured in that illustration, and as many modern makers interpret it, has a distinctive hump back that I've never seen anywhere else. I have a strong suspicion the illustrator didn't quite nail the subtle curves, and it really should look more like the lamb skinner posted above, or any other common skinning pattern butcher knife. Either that, or it was made/modified from an existing knife (such as the cut down skinner shown earlier), which could make sense since Nessmuk was so small physically he may have wanted a shorter knife. The stag handle could have been a replacement for the same reason. Or, maybe it was just a one-off oddball. But if anyone has a period example or illustration of another blade shaped just like Nessmuk's, I'd be interested in seeing it. 'Cause I don't think this knife ever existed as a standard pattern back then.

As far as I can tell, the sheep skinner is a 20th century knife pattern. I have yet to see a 19th century catalog, Russell, Lamson, I Wilson etc. that offered one.
 
Here's mine. A custom I designed and had built (input from the maker as well, of course). I like it.

IMG_5978.jpg IMG_5979.jpg IMG_5980.jpg IMG_5981.jpg
 
My McPhee-style Nessmuk, made from a Russell Harrington 8" butcher knife. This one sports a 4 1/2" blade and a walnut handle.
 
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