Two completed Skinners

Mark Barone

Well-Known Member
I feel like I am getting a little more confidence and bleeding less, even with the Little Tikes tools I have. Mostly thanks to this forum and your patience with my beginner questions. These are fraternal twins. They are both 6 1/4 inch in length, one has an exotic wood handle that I paid $$ for but can't find the name of it. (So if anybody recognizes the species) . 1000 grit with Tungsten Oil finish, 1095 Steel, hardened at 1500 in a kiln and quenched in Canola Oiland then tempered at 400. The other has a whiskey stave handle, and torched for a little more umph. I used my angle grinder for the cross hatch handle pattern . I really liked the radiation symbol pin to go with the distressed blade, but thought it was two big for the handle. So I placed it in the blade. They still need to be sharpened and I think my first attempt at a leather sheath will be with these knifes.




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while I am not a fan of the style the execution of them is very good indeed. I had a chuckle at you using tungsten oil - is that to get a very hard finish -lol. I use a pure tung oil in my handle finishing mix in equal part with refined BLO, vegetable turps and spar varnish.
That whiskey barrel stave handle goes very nicely with the blade treatment.
 
Nice job! Bottom one looks like desert ironwood to me. I have a pattern that is very similar. Very comfortable in the hand and makes skinning a pleasure. I have a couple in the hands of some local deer hunters and they rave about them. You're coming along very nicely as a knife maker. How many knives have you completed so far?
 
It is cocobolo...one of the few woods that the sap/punk wood(yellow) is as hard as the heart wood(red and black)

Nice job on the knives...grinds are good...plunge lines clean..over all real nice.
 
Here is a couple of similar knives that I have made. Also, a couple of sheaths if you are interested.

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while I am not a fan of the style the execution of them is very good indeed. I had a chuckle at you using tungsten oil - is that to get a very hard finish -lol. I use a pure tung oil in my handle finishing mix in equal part with refined BLO, vegetable turps and spar varnish.
That whiskey barrel stave handle goes very nicely with the blade treatment.
Ha Tungsten . What was I thinking? I should try that mix. What is BLO.
 
Those look good Retro, and I'd agree it looks like Cocobolo, I can't use the stuff it kills my sinus's and throat.
I like the radio active gismo, where'd that come from?
 
Love those sheaths. What grade/weight leather is that.

7 oz. If I remember correctly. Just pm me if you need any help with a sheath.
 
Those look good Retro, and I'd agree it looks like Cocobolo, I can't use the stuff it kills my sinus's and throat.
I like the radio active gismo, where'd that come from?

THanks, Yes , I hated working with it. The dust was microscopic. The pin I just got off of some random website.
 
Looks good Retro. I'm working on my first skinner, hope to have pics to share soon.

How thick is the starting stock size on those knives? It looks thick (3/16"?) in the close up of the handles.

-andy
 
Looks good Retro. I'm working on my first skinner, hope to have pics to share soon.

How thick is the starting stock size on those knives? It looks thick (3/16"?) in the close up of the handles.

-andy
Hi Andy Yes 3/16. I don't really know what the preferred thickness is. Yes would love to pictures. I don't hunt so I am just making different knifes for the fun of it. My wife is a vegan. I told her it was a carrot knife.
 
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