Building a Nesmuk from a 5" Green River rather than a 6" Old Hickory?

M

mutinousdoug

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Sep 28, 2007
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The Green is supposed to be a might thicker at the spine: .135" vs .090". That's not an issue as this will be a hunting/slaughtering knife I won't be batoning.
I have a 6" OH knife modified per the old internet instructions that works really well in this application. Would the 5" GR be a better candidate for this conversion than the 6" OH? (Or 6" GR for that matter). I'm questioning the ergonomic differences of the 5" blade vs. the 6" rather than the metal or build quality.
 
The Ontario OH 6” skinning knife looks like it would be a pretty good candidate, although it is pretty handy in the kitchen as it is.

I don’t know that I’d be eager to cut up the 5” Green River, which is pretty close to perfection as it sits.

CE245418-8E57-496B-BEA0-3E84B3F69C1B.jpeg 18642A53-8907-4F6F-BAE5-76E89B43DBFB.jpeg
 
I'm still irritated with Nessmuk's disinterest in measurements. I would guess from his etching that his blade was between 5" & 6", but that's extrapolating from my assumption that his handle was about 4".

Anyway, I think 5" might be a better choice than 6", for a skinner/generalist.

I have a round-nosed butcher somewhere that might be close to a Nessmuk. I'll have to dig it out.
 
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scrteened porch said:
I'm still irritated with Nessmuk's disinterest in measurements. I would guess from his etching that his blade was between 5" & 6", but that's extrapolating from my assumption that his handle was about 4".

Anyway, I think 5" might be a better choice than 6", for a skinner/generalist.

I have a round-nosed butcher somewhere that might be close to a Nessmuk. I'll have to dig it out.
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From what I remember reading in his book, he stated he preferred a thin 4.5 inch blade that had some flex for his sheath knife.
He found the typical Bowie hunting knives of his day with a 6 inch or longer blade too long and too stiff for skinning and dressing or butchering game.
 
I was checking in Woodcraft and Camping, where I don't see any measurements in the neighborhood of the famous etching. He certainly didn't like a saber grind ("thick ridge in the middle"). I remember Kep saying 4.5" blade was the right length. So to get back to the point of the thread as I understand it, 5" shouldn't be too short.

Turns out I have something pretty similar to a Nessmuk, even though I never made the connection. You could read "western cutlery" on the handle if I were better at focussing.
9fRl3Rd.jpg

udElXB0.jpg

Sorry about the derailment, M mutinousdoug .
 
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Hickory n steel said:
I don't think nessmuk knives are generally very large blades, so I'd check out the Russell green Green River 4-1/2" sheath knife which is practically a nessmuk already.


Btw as far as I know Ontario no longer even makes the 6" .
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I could use the GR 4 1/2" sheath knife but it looks to me more like a Kephart except for the spine. I like the belly of a true Nesmuk hence my thinking the 5" GR would suit me better than the 6" model. My OH skinner 71-6" turned into a 4 5/8" Nesmuk. (The OH 71-6" is still listed as available, incidentally). My thinking is the 5" GR skinner might have more of the curved belly closer to the handle similar to the Grohmann Canadian knife or Scrteened's picture, where I like it. On the other hand, I think I'd find a .090" thick blade a handier slicer than the .135" of the GR.​
 
That GR has the concave back of the Nessmuk, too, without having to grind it out.
I think of my GRs as thin knives, but all my OHs are older ones and I guess OH went to thinner stock a couple years ago.
 
I turned a Green River Buffalo Skinner into this-
JnrUpiW.jpg


The Buffalo Skinner is thicker blade stock than most of the other Green River knives. Specs are-

5" Buffalo skinner blade blank
- Overall length 9"
- Widest part of the blade is 1 3/16"
- Tang is .140" thick
- 5/32" pin holes
 
Creaky Bones said:
I turned a Green River Buffalo Skinner into this-
JnrUpiW.jpg


The Buffalo Skinner is thicker blade stock than most of the other Green River knives. Specs are-

5" Buffalo skinner blade blank
- Overall length 9"
- Widest part of the blade is 1 3/16"
- Tang is .140" thick
- 5/32" pin holes
Click to expand...
Fantastic work! What are the details on the burlap micarta scales? where did you source the slabs and how did you go about finishing them?
 
rswanson said:
Fantastic work! What are the details on the burlap micarta scales? where did you source the slabs and how did you go about finishing them?
Click to expand...

Thanks! I made them. About a dozen layers of burlap and West Systems resin. Cut on a band saw, glued on with G-flex, copper pins. Then I sanded to 220, and coated one last time with more West Systems to fill little air bubble voids.
 
Creaky Bones said:
Thanks! I made them. About a dozen layers of burlap and West Systems resin. Cut on a band saw, glued on with G-flex, copper pins. Then I sanded to 220, and coated one last time with more West Systems to fill little air bubble voids.
Click to expand...
Well they really look awesome and really complement the whole project perfectly. Thanks for the information.
 
16kygd5.jpg
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Creaky Bones said:
I turned a Green River Buffalo Skinner into this-
JnrUpiW.jpg


The Buffalo Skinner is thicker blade stock than most of the other Green River knives. Specs are-

5" Buffalo skinner blade blank
- Overall length 9"
- Widest part of the blade is 1 3/16"
- Tang is .140" thick
- 5/32" pin holes
Click to expand...

That is what I'd call a handsome knife.
Now how long is the blade from scale to tip? This is how my 6" OH turned out and why I think I'd like to experiment with the 5" GR
Very convincing
16kygd5.jpg
 
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mutinousdoug said:
16kygd5.jpg
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That is what I'd call a handsome knife.
Now how long is the blade from scale to tip? This is how my 6" OH turned out and why I think I'd like to experiment with the 5" GR
Very convincing
Click to expand...

I couldn’t tell you. I made it as a gift, and it lives in Connecticut now. It was approximately a 4” blade and 4” handle. The other option is a Green River sheep Skinner. That’s what I used for this knife-
a9xVPO2.jpg


It’s a little longer than the Buffalo Skinner. Overall 9 5/8", blade is 5 1/4" x 1 1/4" x .132 thick. I actually prefer the Sheep Skinner because the handle is a little longer. Can’t measure this one either...another gift :)

Nice job on your old hick by the way!
 
I like the Sheep Skinner too but from your pics and the catalog it looks to me like the Buffalo Skinner has a little bit more belly. Is that my imagination?

In any case, I like the flat grind on the GR blades compared to the sort of sabre grind of the OH even though this one of mine performs and handles really well for me. I just need a project to keep me busy through January and February.
 
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