Cold Steel Trailmaster Help?

[JA]

I bought a trailmaster at a gunshow 8 years ago. Three years ago I was dressing two deer (no not in evening wear). After quartering first deer placed quarters on picnic table and chopped off feet. Went to skin second deer noticed knife was tearing insted of cutting. Looked at blade and about one inch of it had several chipped out places on it. I called ColdSteel the next day and was told that 5 year warenity had exspired. Also was told that calisum in deer bone was harder than steel of knife(huh?). Anyone know of some company that would reheat treat the blade to take out brittleness? It holds a good edge for cutting after I filed chips out and resharpend it. you can shave with it. I really like the balance and heft of it. but if I can't chop a deer leg it is might near useless. help?

 

[Will Kwan]

Could you have hit a nail or something on the picnic table. Have you tried chopping more deer legs since? Try chopping some bones from steaks or pork chops on a chopping board and see if the problem occurs again. The Trail Master may be O.K. and further heat treating might not be required.

Will

 

[alex]

JA, we skin lots of deer at our camp and deer leg bones are extremely hard. I am not surprised it would chip a hardened knife blade. We either use a bone saw or if we are in a hurry (like we usually are) we use a pruning shear (the type to cut tree branches with about 36" handles and about a 3"jaw).

alex penton

 

[JA]

Well I did't hit any nails on table. Used S&W fixed blade on the deer I killed the next year with no problem. Hit knife with peice of 2x4 cut bone cleanly with no damage to knife. When you pay $130 for a knife it should cut a bone? I have cut many legs off with butcher knife with no problems.

 

[Athabasca Ed]

I once wrecked the edge on a good ax trying to chop out moose antlers, and quickly learned how hard they are. Works better of you chop out the skull bone they're attached to. We cut moose legs off at the knee joints, same with whitetail so rarely have to try to cut the bone. For rough butchering, a big pruning shears easily slices deer legbones and ribs. Maybe a real tough steel with a thicker edge would work for chopping bone; a game saw works better though.