A buddy of mine was having trouble with some deer on his property, and needed to get rid of them. So I showed up with another friend and we got to work. We do this every year; it was just a little later this year. Final score was two for me, one for my friend. Next chore was cleaning the bodies and getting the meat. All three of us (myself, the homeowner, and my hunting friend) took a deer. Mine was a 5-by-6 buck. I used my Kershaw Nerve, as I had brought it for this purpose. It did a great job, even when caping (making more precise cuts around the lips, nose, and eyes). I brought it in sharp enough to cleanly slice paper, and when it came out it was still good enough to slice cardboard. Resharpening was really easy.
However, I had to take it apart to clean the blood from the inside. I already knew I would, so it's no big deal to me. The handle scales were fastened on with hex screws (I think 1/16") and the blade pivot pin screw is a Torx (T-6). After taking the scales off, I see that there are more hex screws holding the two liners together (I think these were the next size up from 1/16"). However, they won't budge. None of them. I tried different sizes, and I tried Torx as well; the bits were either too small or too large. I finally got out my Dremel and made a long cut on each, making it possible to remove them with a small flathead screwdriver. The blade has a phosphor bronze bushing on each side and a white nylon bushing on the non-locking side, located between the PB bushing and the liner. Everything got cleaned nicely, and while I was in there I took 1000-grit sandpaper and 000 steel wool to the liners, then simichrome polish. This helps prevent rust, which I've had a problem with in bead-blasted steels (both the liners and the blade are bead-blasted here). For the blade, I just polished with the simichrome and then rubbed with Rem Oil. Reassembly was easy.
I really like the Nerve (formerly the Blitz) and I was impressed by how nicely the Chinese steel kept its edge. I didn't just use it for the caping; it was the only knife I used during the entire process... field dressing, skinning, and even getting the actual meat out. I got this knife for $20 out the door, and it outperforms my long-time folding hunter, the Buck 110, in almost all aspects. At less than half the price (a 110 costs about $38+ tax here).
However, I had to take it apart to clean the blood from the inside. I already knew I would, so it's no big deal to me. The handle scales were fastened on with hex screws (I think 1/16") and the blade pivot pin screw is a Torx (T-6). After taking the scales off, I see that there are more hex screws holding the two liners together (I think these were the next size up from 1/16"). However, they won't budge. None of them. I tried different sizes, and I tried Torx as well; the bits were either too small or too large. I finally got out my Dremel and made a long cut on each, making it possible to remove them with a small flathead screwdriver. The blade has a phosphor bronze bushing on each side and a white nylon bushing on the non-locking side, located between the PB bushing and the liner. Everything got cleaned nicely, and while I was in there I took 1000-grit sandpaper and 000 steel wool to the liners, then simichrome polish. This helps prevent rust, which I've had a problem with in bead-blasted steels (both the liners and the blade are bead-blasted here). For the blade, I just polished with the simichrome and then rubbed with Rem Oil. Reassembly was easy.
I really like the Nerve (formerly the Blitz) and I was impressed by how nicely the Chinese steel kept its edge. I didn't just use it for the caping; it was the only knife I used during the entire process... field dressing, skinning, and even getting the actual meat out. I got this knife for $20 out the door, and it outperforms my long-time folding hunter, the Buck 110, in almost all aspects. At less than half the price (a 110 costs about $38+ tax here).
