What do you want in a skinning knife?

Matt Shade

Matt Shade

Joined
Nov 24, 1999
Messages
4,981
I'm thinking of making a couple of skinners for my friends. They mainly hunt rabbits, and no large game as far as I know. So what do you think would be the optimum blade length, size, thickness, etc. ? Also I was planning on either a long clip point or a drop point, any other ideas or anything to add?
What kind of steel do you like? I'm thinking about D2, I've heard alot of good things about it and would like to try working with it. I want it to be a low maintnance knife that they can put away and not worry about though.I know talonite would be good, but its more expensive than I want to go for right now, and I need to get some different tools first.What do you think ? Thanks a lot.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Matt, skinning rabbits is pretty easy. You can almost pull the hide off them. I'd suggest a 2-1/2' - 3" drop point utility in 1/8" steel. D2 is great steel but it will rust. I know ATS-34 gets bad marks on this forum, but my customers skin as many a 4-5 deer each year without sharpening my knives. That's a whole big bunch of rabbits. ATS-34 is stainless, though it will rust if allows to stay wet, but not as badly as D2.

Good luck with your project. Your friends are going to love those knives, whatever you decide to make. It's a piece of you they can own forever.

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Jerry Hossom
knifemaker
www.hossom.com


 
Matt,
In that case, please consider me a friend! I will take mine in D2
biggrin.gif

If you have time, check out the Small Game knife on my website. I have used it on all types of small game with good results. I used to make caping knives and the Small Game seams to have replaced them!
Neil

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Talonite! Pictures are now up on my website!!
http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Meeting/5520/index.html
 
Thanks guys. I have some ATS 34 now that I've been trying my hand at lock backs with. If the one I'm doing now turns out, maybe I'll just make 2 more lockbacks but change the design to make them better for skinning.Fixed blades would be a lot stronger though. I think they will take good care of them.They live on a farm and keep everything in absolute perfect condition.I guess if I go with folders, I'll use ATS34 since folders are hard to keep clean. And I'll use D2 if I go with fixed blades since I think they will take care of them, and even as good as ATS34 performs, D2 will outdo it.
Dr. Lathe, I remember looking at that knife on your website before. I liked it a lot, and I will be sure and check back again before I do any serious pattern drawing. Don't worry, I won't make a complete copy of it, but I've found I can come up with a design a lot more easily if I have something to get ideas from. I have absolutely no artistic ability, so even if I tied to make a copy of your knife, no one would ever know.And if I told them they wouldn't beleive me
smile.gif


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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Almost any size and shape knife can be used to skin a rabbit. A little Buck 303 stockman works fine, but I would say that a nice little fixed blade with a comfortable handle, and anything over a two inch blade with a bit of a point to "open" with would be nicer.

Now I will bore you with how I skin a rabbit.

First I make a horizontal slit at about midbody big enough to get my three fingers in, in the back of the rabbit. That is where the point was handy.

Then I insert three fingers of each hand in the slit, and simply pull the skin appart,pulling both way at the same time. When you get to the back feet on one end, and the head and front feet on the other, take and disjoint the legs and neck with the knife.

Now the skin will pull the rest of the way off, leaving no hair on the meat.

Then it's just a matter of opening the body cavity to remove the entrails.

All this takes a lot longer to explain, than to do.

 
Matt,
I sort of combined two designs to get the final version of the Small Game. I have a damascus blank that I bought from Damascus USA about 10+ years ago. I also have a Small utility knife that was made by Ken Largin. I sort of combined what I liked from the two designs, threw in some of my own ideas and the end result was the Small Game!
If you would like to work from my Small Game patern, I have NO problem with it! I would be glad to send you a tracing of it.
Neil


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Talonite! Pictures are now up on my website!!
http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Meeting/5520/index.html
 
for skinning i like the schrade oldtimer sharp finger, sharp point nice curve, blade and handle, easy ot keep razor sharp. Sometimes old designsare still good designs, nuff said later.

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Sanity is overrated, simply a moonbeam spilling pearls on a dark and treacherous sea.
j . p hissom
 
Amen on the sharpfinger!

(nothing against the beautiful custom efforts by DR.Lathe and all the others--so many knifes, so little money!)
 
Thanks guys,
Thats exactly the stuff I wanted to know. Now I pretty much have a design in mind. I just have to take a couple more looks at some other knives and put it on paper.
Thanks for explaining the process of skinning the rabbit too.That gives me more o an idea how the knife will be used. That will be andy to know when I start hunting too. I haven't really got a place to hunt right now,public hunting land is more like a battle zone. I wouldn't go there without a kevlar vest.
Neil, thanks alot for the offer on the tracing. I think I can get by without it though. Between looking at your knife onthe internet and the other replys here I think I can manage it. I mayt just print a picture off your webpage too.
Thanks again everybody.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Skinning the rabbit is easy, other parts of the cleaning process make more specialized demands on your knife design. I would go for a narrow-tipped blade, clipped point--rather than dropped point. I like the narrow point for inserting into and splitting the pelvis during cleaning. Folding knives the size of a stockman are appropriate in shape, but I like a sheath knife for cleaning purposes. You will also need to remove the rabbits head. This may require a second knife.
 
Jeff,
That makes sense. How about a fixed blade 3.5" long clip point out of 1/8" D2 ? I don't think I'll put a false edge on, but I can taper the swedge to make it even more pointy.I'll try and give it alot of belly, like spyderco's wegner. And I'll make it a pretty narrow flat grind so it slices well.I figure for the handle maybe just a little choil but other than just a little bit of a curve to it like the sharp finger.Sound good to you guys? Thanks for all the help.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
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