Derek Nugent slices through knives and what makes for a good skinner
Without doubt the knife must rate as one of mankind’s most versatile implements. In its most basic form, the knife is a low tech, utilitarian tool. At its most sophisticated a precision instrument reflecting a form and function akin to a piece of art. Be it in the home or the workplace, the field or the factory, from the farm to the suburbs and both commercially and recreationally, there are few spheres of human endeavour which do not embrace the knife as a tool of the trade.
More pertinently, the knife is an essential part of every hunter’s kit. Regardless of whether it’s a ‘universal’ camp knife capable of performing a range of tasks in a variety of circumstances, a more specialized blade designed for a specific usage, or one of a stable of knives taken in hand as required; every outdoors person can appreciate the need for and the value of a well designed and keen-edged blade.
Anatomy of a blade
As with all things manmade, there exists an established and widely accepted technical lexicon to describe the components/characteristics of a particular tool, with the knife no exception. The blade of a knife is comprised of several clearly recognizable features which provide the basis for the identified form, dedicated purpose and practical performance of a knife. These features are commonly, if not universally, described as follows:
Blade – The metal template of the knife.
Tang – The part of a blade that extends into the handle of the knife to which the scales (handle pieces) are secured. A full tang runs the entire length of the handle and is superior to a half tang in terms of balance and durability.
Spine – The top part of the blade that extends beyond the handle. Opposite the edge, it is the unsharpened backbone of the blade. It may include design features for aesthetic or practical purposes, such as serrations or a sharpened false edge.
Edge – The sharpened, cutting part of the blade extending from the point to the heel. The thinner the edge the sharper the blade. Once again manufacturers can incorporate a range of design variations in the edge for both the purposes of ‘look’ and/or function.
Point – The part of the blade where the spine and edge meet. Various profiles are possible, often depending on how large and specialized the blade is.
Tip – (Approximately) the first quarter of the forward portion of the blade, including the point. Depending on design, it can also include the ‘belly’ of the knife. The belly is the curving part of the edge. Knives like a dagger do not have a belly, whereas a dedicated skinner has a generously curved blade thus a significant belly. Most general-purpose hunting edges lie somewhere in between these two extremes as a compromise.
Heel – The last quarter of the blade, usually the thickest part as it’s usually dedicated to those tasks requiring the application of considerable force.
Knife manufacturers manifest these features in their finished products as they see fit. The final look of a knife will often reflect considerations such as price point, target market and intended purpose. This is particularly so in terms of its nominated specialty or suitability to a dedicated task and the inclusion of a range of design features intended to either enhance the aesthetics and/or performance of the knife. Regardless, however, most blades fall into one of the following categories:
- Straight back
- Tanto or reverse tanto
- Dagger
- Gut hook
- Hawkbill
- Sheepsfoot
- Kukri
- Drop point
- Trailing point
- Clip point.
However, when all is said and done the net result is an almost limitless array of knife designs and blade presentations. A visit in person to any gun show/shop, outdoors retailer or an online browse will provide an insight into the volume of what’s available.
Whether it be the cheap almost disposable ‘Made in China’ bargain, the expensive but timeless designs like the PUMA White Hunter or the bespoke pieces produced by artisan knifesmiths, there are enticing choices for the hunter in the field.
Besides a good quality all-purpose sheath knife for my hunting belt, a 30-year-old Boker, I have always had a fondness for collecting and using knives that simply appeal to me. Usually they tend to have something ‘different’ about them. In general, they are not terribly expensive and, in some cases, not even that visually appealing. But there was something I found attractive enough about each of them to shell out the cash to make them mine.
In particular, I like to collect amateur, homemade unique knives with antler handles, just because I can. In practical terms though, because I’m a meat hunter, I have a specialized type of knife for use in the field when dressing and butchering a carcass, namely the skinner. The three I regularly use are good examples of how visually different blades of varying design can be used to a common purpose.
Drop point skinner
The drop point is arguably among the most popular of blades. It’s versatile and suited to a wide range of uses. They tend to be visually appealing and highly functional. A drop point is so named because the spine of the blade slopes or drops down from the handle of the knife to the point of the blade. It can be a slow gradual drop over a longer blade or a dramatic rapid drop over a shorter one. The spine is typically convex or straight and usually forms a ‘V’ shape at the point where it meets the edge. The profile of the tip can vary depending on the prominence of the point and the depth of the belly, which in this skinner it is quite pronounced.
My drop point skinner is used once game meat has been packed out and each leg needs to be processed, so I don’t necessarily use it ‘in the field’. It’s a nondescript Chinese knife which carries a Colt brand. I have seen the identical knife with the same pattern branded as a Browning, albeit in a slightly larger size, marketed by Frost Cutlery as a ‘Whitetail Fixed Blade Skinner’.
It’s a stainless steel fixed blade, full tang, drop point skinner with a wood handle and satin finish that holds a very keen edge, which is easily touched up as required. I like the knife for three reasons. Firstly, its size – being only 16cm long with a 9cm blade, making it light and easy to carry. Secondly, it’s ergonomically perfect for skinning work. It has a compact edge, a good belly and fits my hand nicely. The laser-cut finger hole and flat spine allow for thumb and forefinger to work together to make precise, firm and targeted cuts. Thirdly, the laser-cut deer tracks on the blade make it just that bit different. It cost me about $20 from a market stall and is a terrific little knife in all respects.
Trailing point skinner
A trailing point blade gets its name from the ultimate positioning of the point above the level of the spine. On this type of blade, the spine is concave and curves away from the handle, upwards. This results in a blade where the point is up and out of the way, with a lengthy belly or curved cutting edge produced. This optimizes the cutting surface, making the blade ideal for long sweeping cuts: skinning, slicing and filleting.
The tips on such blades are not the strongest but it’s the cutting edge which is intended to do the work. I use mine extensively in the field to flay large sections of hide to expose backstraps and ribs for field retrieval.
This knife was one of my most satisfying finds. I picked it up for $15 at Cash Converters. I was just browsing when it caught my attention. Obviously used and a little dated by modern standards, it triggered some dormant memory in the back of my mind. It reminded me of a knife I had owned and subsequently lost in a house move in the mid-1990s. ‘I know you’ I thought, so I bought it.
Once home I did a little research and discovered that it was in fact a vintage Tak Fukuta Seki Deer Slayer hunting knife manufactured for Montana Cutlery Corporation in 1980. Tak Fukuta was a second-generation Japanese knifemaker with TAKBLADE, which was established in 1941. The factory went on to make knives for Parker, Valor, Gutmann, Explorer, Frost, Smith & Wesson and Browning to name but a few. Tak took his products to the US in 1970 and in 1978 became the first Japanese member of the prestigious American Knife Makers Guild. He was renowned as a craftsman and his handmade blades are both desirable and sought after, being described as ‘handy, strong and elegant’. My knife is obviously a factory job and not handmade as it lacks his custom tang stamp, but it’s the heritage I find interesting.
The knife itself is a model 4211 and is once again a fixed blade with a full tang. It’s made of 440A stainless steel with a polished finish and a wooden handle. It’s nicely weighted and balanced, 26.5cm long in total with a 15cm blade. This is a comfortable fit for my hand and again the blade design allows forefinger and thumb to be used to control delicate cuts or a more traditional grip for long sweeping ones. It performs admirably as a skinner but is obviously vastly different in form to the Colt skinner.
Clip point skinner
The final skinning knife features a clip point blade. The most recognizable iteration of this type of blade is the well-known and beloved Bowie knife. In this style of blade, the spine is reasonably straight but ‘clipped’ or removed over approximately the last third/quarter of its length. The cutout or clip can be straight but is more traditionally concave, curving away from the handle down to a slightly elevated, fine and sharp point. The design allows the blade to access hard to get places and produce precision cuts but the thinner the tip the weaker, so they are not ideal for prying work.
If desired, the false edge of the clip can itself be sharpened to produce a second cutting surface. In short, a clip point design offers an enhanced edge with adequate belly, as well as a fine point and thin tip for the purpose of precise carving and piercing.
My clip point was an unlooked-for acquisition, offered as a peace offering by an online retailer who had given me the run-around on another item. It cost me just $12 postage.
Usually, you can find it marketed at around $80, less any discount you are able to elicit from a range of retailers. It is a Sawmill branded product out of Pakistan. The company, however, is of US origin. It was first established in 1970 by John Parker and Kevin Pipes, who initially sold pocketknives at flea markets.
What inspired me to accept the knife was that once again it was interestingly different. The blade is made of a recycled, tempered, stainless steel metal file. Its heritage is plain to see in that the original gritty texture of the file remains both prominent and visible. However, the edge itself and the false edge of the clipped point have been highly finished to facilitate efficiency when used. The knife is 22cm in length with a 10cm blade and is ergonomically suited to skinning. It has good belly and like the two other blades, also allows for both thumb and forefinger to assist in making dexterous and accurate cuts – a prerequisite for any good skinner.
Again, a full tang design with a colorwood handle. Colorwood is a wood and plastic composite material. I would happily describe the knife as a useful multitasker. It’s rugged, reliable and eminently fit for the purpose to which I apply it. Obviously though, it’s again a hugely different type of blade to both the trailing point and the drop point. Even though all pass muster when it comes to skinning tasks.
To each their own
I find the diversity of the world of knives both enticing and addictive. The sheer variety of models available ensures that everyone can get exactly what they want in a knife, whether it be a general-purpose all-rounder for camp and field or a specialist blade for a particular purpose. A bespoke example of the knifesmith’s craft or simply a little something to augment a treasured collection. There is no doubt that if you take the time to look you will inevitably find something you like or desperately need. It is indeed personal preference and at times enthusiastic glee which sees hunters everywhere reaching for their wallet, with a broad grin on their face while uttering those immortal words of Mick ‘Crocodile’ Dundee: “That’s a knife.”