Best edge for hunting and butchering game?

resinguy

resinguy

Joined
Feb 19, 2006
Messages
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OK, we haven't discussed (argued?) about this topic in a while.

Some of you love to take the edge on a knife to a mirror polish. Some of you strop on a rock and call it good. I'm in the vast middle, having not nearly enough patience to go for the beautiful polished edge. It just has to be sharp.

But, in your experience, what kind of edge works best for hunting; dressing and butchering meat? Do you prefer a very high grit, or do you like to leave the edge a little toothy? What works for you?

Discuss.
 
resinguy said:
Wow, ultrafine. Do you use waterstones, or some guided rod thing?
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Waterstones. Yes very fine, but great cutters. Choppers stay at convex or 20 dps with slight convex. I assume you are using a small knife so heavy use is not needed?
 
If we're discussing best pure performance -- I believe I have an answer for you. While I haven't processed game --- I have done some Quality kitchen knives for some Chef's. If it is within your realm of ability (due to sharpening equipment, skills, and/or patience), I recommend taking an INFI or SR-101 knife to mirror polish at 15 degrees per side and then putting a 800 grit toothy micro bevel at 17-18 degrees.

This gets you the best of all worlds and makes your knife edge geometry highly specialized for meat cutting/processing. Hope this helps!
 
Polished convex. Just because it's so easy for me to apply with the leather belt and green compound on the power belt sander. Personally, I haven't seen anything a toothy edge could do that a polished edge could do just as well. DPS depends on what size the knife is; smaller blade typically gets lower DPS.
 
Howdy,
What are you cutting up? By way of example, I'd use something different to split a moose pelvis than for caping a pronghorn.
 
resinguy said:
In my case, whitetail. But this is about the edge, not the tool.
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Ah. Well, for meat and hide I tend to agree with Cobalt. I rarely actually measure the degree, but it's somewhere around 30 degrees total and as smooth and shiny as I can get it. I do most of my final sharpening by hand on 8"x2" Arkansas black and translucent stones. For splitting big bones, quartering, etc., a larger, heavier knife with a more obtuse angle, but I still like them to be polished pretty shiny. Seems to make cleanup a little easier.
 
I'm not a hunter but I always find my edges work best when they're a little toothy ie: not highly polished. The edge lasts a hell of a lot longer and seems to cut better. For me anyway. I have recently taken to just sharpening/touching up on a coarse-ish butcher's steel and then a quick pass on a polishing steel. This is all they need and the edge goes and goes and goes.
 
To some degree it depends on just what you mean by butchering, as noted splitting a pelvis or a brisket is a different task to removing a cape properly. I personally have never gotten too wound up about actual edge angles, I truly think we can greatly over think sharpening when it comes to PRACTICAL applications for a knife on the field. There are three important things to the task... sharp...duh you say, but I really just mean basic SHARP, the knife cuts, cuts easily and without forcing it through things it should cut, just about any good edge will do this. It also needs to be resilient as field dressing is very different to butchering on a timber bench or cutting boards, there will be muddy and thick hides to deal with, rocks that appear the moment you push a blade through, a joint you just can't find no matter how much you twist, saw, turn and jam that blade around. And finally it needs to be able to be renewed in the field EASILY as no way in hell do you want any task beyond a quick lap on a small steel or field strop if required.

I have had GREAT success with simple "shaving sharp" V Edges applied with a Lansky at home and renewed on a small steel. As I have grown more refined in my old age, a nice convex edge applied by the means you are most comfortable with (in my case my Worksharp KO) and maintained with a ceramic stick and strop in the field, is my choice.

My personal thinking is that we do tend to greatly overcomplicate practical sharpening. I of course LOVE mirror polished edges that you can use to split an ear hair lengthwise with...I just don't think it is required at all for most field dressing/butchering applications.

I did also spend a period of time in my youth (hated every moment of it) working in an abattoir and saw just how the people who used their knives day in and out to make a living sharpened them...and it was simple and uncomplicated as it was a "job" not a thing they enjoyed. And yes, on a simple two sided no name stone and a quality steel they had screaming sharp edges (none could tell you what angle) that cut meat all day. Or boned or skinned or cut throats, just depending on where they worked on the line.

But I will now go sit on the lounge and strop my BATAC for an hour....just because I can... ;)
 
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Somehow humanity manged not only to survive, but to evolve and thrive without polished edges on the cutting tools until very recently...
 
elof_alv said:
Somehow humanity manged not only to survive, but to evolve and thrive without polished edges on the cutting tools until very recently...
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Yes, but they weren't happy about it. ;)

american-gothic.jpg



(I know, the aren't skinning anything, but that's the image that came to mind. Corollary, why is it that when I google "ancient skinning practices" most of the pictures are of people skinning people?! No need to answer that.)
 
I have been very happy with a toothy edge. To tell the truth, I have not improved any of my edges over what you guys get straight from the shop. I have skinned and butchered A LOT of white tail over the past 5 years or so. I have seen other guys using mirror polished, pushing scalpel sharp knives. Most of them end up slicing through hides or rolling edges when they hit something undesirable. Some have spent more time with a strop and steel because they have made the edge to thin. I have used everything from a Basic 11 to the Elmax Max steak knife. The steak knife was awesome but a bit to thin for my liking. The Vex has been my go to with the SCABS a very close second. I tend to go a little fast when processing, so a razor sharp blade will do a lot of damage from a slightly off angle of cut. Just my .02 on the subject.
 
Andy the Aussie said:
To some degree it depends on just what you mean by butchering, as noted splitting a pelvis or a brisket is a different task to removing a cape properly. I personally have never gotten two wound up about actual edge angles, I truly think we can greatly over think sharpening when it comes to PRACTICAL applications for a knife on the field. There are three important things to the task... sharp...duh you say, but I really just mean basic SHARP, the knife cuts, cuts easily and without forcing it through things it should cut, just about any good edge will do this. It also needs to be resilient as field dressing is very different to butchering on a timber bench or cutting boards, there will be muddy and thick hides to deal with, rocks that appear the moment you push a blade through, a joint you just can't find no matter how much you twist, saw, turn and jam that blade around. And finally it needs to be able to be renewed in the field EASILY as no way in hell do you want any task beyond a quick lap on a small steel or field strop if required.

I have had GREAT success with simple "shaving sharp" V Edges applied with a Lansky at home and renewed on a small steel. As I have grown more refined in my old age, a nice convex edge applied by the means you are most comfortable with (in my case my Worksharp KO) and maintained with a ceramic stick and strop in the field, is my choice.

My personal thinking is that we do tend to greatly overcomplicate practical sharpening. I of course LOVE mirror polished edges that you can use to split and ear hair lengthwise with...I just don't think it is required at all for most field dressing/butchering applications.

I did also spend a period of time in my youth (hated every moment of it) working in an abattoir and saw just how the people who used their knives day in and out to make a living sharpened them...and it was as simple and uncomplicated as it was a "job" not a thing they enjoyed. And yes, on a simple two sided no name stone and a quality steel they had screaming sharp edges (none could tell you what angle) that cut meat all day. Or boned or skinned or cut throats, just depending on where they worked on the line.

But I will now go sit on the lounge and strop my BATAC for an hour....just because I can... ;)
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Wow. Andy took the words right out of my mouth, seems our sharpening and use philosophy is nearly identical . Just a simple edge that is sharp enough to shave and I can touch up in the field. A slight toothiness but still shaving sharp. I sharpen with a worksharp at home and touch up with a fine ceramic stone and leather in the field.
 
When I skinned my deer last year I used a MaxWarden for small stuff, a Spyderco Serrata, and a Fiddleback Forge somethingamarather (yeah I forgot the model...I suck). The Warden and Serrata are unchanged from the factory, the Fiddleback is somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 degrees per side, with a polished edge (I strop with 2k grit wet/dry sandpaper). I was particularly impressed with the Serrata, that thing didn't lose any sharpness despite being used for most of the hide. Dat cast 440C!

I didn't really have any knives in INFI that were as good for skinning (I had a BIG NMFSH at that time with factory edge). I've since acquired some more INFI -InfiDu and SAR 3; and also a SR Vex, which I haven't decided if I'll keep or not, though I do enjoy them tool steels. If I keep it I will strip it and thin the edge significantly, it has to be somewhere around 30 degrees per side :/
 
resinguy said:
In my case, whitetail. But this is about the edge, not the tool.
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I would argue that they're intrinsically tied.

Regardless, I prefer a polished edge when processing meat, fish, etc. Can't speak on skin and fur since I'm not really a hunter.
 
Good stuff all.

Before I took the ScrapMax into the field last year, IIRC, I tuned up the edge on the Spyderco Sharpmaker grey stones at 15 dps, and finished with a few strokes at 20 dps to set the microbevel. That worked fine dressing, skinning, and quartering my first deer, with no touchups needed.

Keep it coming, thanks.
 
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