Blade concept...opinions

S

Stag & Steel

Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
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I have some customres that are like me, they carry several knives for different things. I was toying with the idea of a small knife that was just for gutting game (derringer guthook). It would be about 6" long or less and could be put in any kind of sheath...leather or kydex. I made a quick wooden pattern to show you all what I have in mind. It would have the guthook and a short area either chisel or single edge grind for making the starting hole. Give me your opinions.
Thanks Jim
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It's ugly as dirt on sin. That's not necessarily a bad thing, if it works.

Off the top of my noggin, make it out of thick stock so all non-cutting surfaces can be fully crowned and incapable of cutting anything, make the "point' of the hook very blunt and round, and make the inside of the hook as acute/sharp as possible.
 
Hi Jim. In fact if it were used with the gut hook used as in the first or second picture it could work very well without damaging the insides as you went. I don't believe the jimmping is needed however. You have the opposite side designed to start the opening . That looks fine. A knife like this can be very handy when opening and skinning out moose where cutting the skin from the "outside" can take the edge off a good blade in no time. I have seen carpet knives used for this purpose. It seems kind of neat !!! Frank
 
Seems like a very functional design. For some reason, the first thing that popped in my head is that you should make the gut hook the same size as a sharpening rod, to make it easier to sharpen. But then again, I don't know much.
 
I really like it. I think it could also be handy for carrying around in places that frown on knives, since there are still lots of things you could cut with it. I used to carry a much smaller version of something like that on my keychain for flying.

- Chris
 
if it were my design i would put a curve on the top edge, but it looks like a usefull tool.
 
I don't care for gut hooks but I like your concept and design. It has only a two-finger grip but the deep finger notches give those fingers a lot to grip. Nice!

- Paul Meske
 
Thanks all for your comments! I may just make one and either use it myself or hand it off to one of my hunting buddies to test out this fall. Oh and I agree it is ugly:)
Jim
 
I would remove the sharp front edge, and blunt the tip of the hook more. Your regular knife will be doing any opening cuts. The gut hook is purely for skinning, and needs no edge but the hook, and no points at all.
Cooper's comment about matching the hook to a 1/4" cylinder burr or chain saw file for formation ,and a 1/4" ceramic rod for sharpening is a really good tip to follow.

The last gut-hook I made was somewhat similar to yours, and was forged from W2 round stock. I didn't take photos, but will try and forge another one soon ,with a WIP on how I made it. The design was super simple. Taper the stock down to 1/4"/ bend the end into a tight hook/ flatten the hook a bit/ draw a tang out ,leaving the integral bolster/ put on a basic tool handle (no fancy ergonomic shaping)/ grind it all a bit and sharpen the hook with a cylinder burr.
The HT was done for a very hard edge and the rest was drawn down lower.

For those who want to experiment with this idea, but do not want to forge out a bar of round stock - Look around in the garage/shop for a Stanly screwdriver with a broken handle. Heat the end full red and bend it back in a tight "U". Shape it into a gut hook. Harden the tip in brine. Put on a new handle. Sharpen. It will probably work just fine.

In a specialized tool, like a gut hook, edge retention is the prime design factor. I may make the next one from a different steel than high hardness W-2.
CPM 3V, CPM M-4, and CPM 15V are good candidates. All have good wear resistance. Toughness isn't an issue here, but CPM M4 and CPM 3V are considerably tougher than D-2. CPM 3V or CPM M4 would work well as a gut hook, but CPM 15V many times the wear resistance, and is still tough enough.
 
I like the chisel edge idea on the front, because you can use that to help split the ribcage on deer, anything larger and you'd probably want a bone saw. Overall it's a neat idea!
 
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