Thanks 300, good write up and supporting photos . The 1991 example looks to be the arrangement Buck is still using today, going on 20yrs.. In Blade's Guide To Knives, I've read that the spey blade was a shape actually designed for Veterinarians to perform that operation (spay) . To me thats the better skinning blade on this pattern . But I never use it for castrating, only the sheeps foot . Then the clip for more general use . DM