Howling Rat usage?

T

TALON158

Joined
Feb 23, 2006
Messages
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Am newly addicted to rats, got a bunch coming, including 4 howlers(1 variation, 1 gen one, 1 gen two and a fat howler). Which howler is your favourite? Do you guys have any howling rat tales to tell in how you use them? Is it used mainly for skinning or utility work? Cant wait for my rats to arrive!!:thumbup:
Talon
 
Great GOOGLY MOOGLY!!! 4 is a great start! My personal favorite is the Howling Fat!
 
The first gen. tan howlers are my personal favorite!!! :thumbup:

I just love the way that they look.. :cool:
 
I carry my 2nd Gen HR as an EDC fixed blade all the time, for general all-purpose work. I've thinned the edge on mine to improve slicing while keeping the overall edge convex. It's small enough to carry discretely, but large enough to handle all but the biggest chores. In fact, I am wearing it today.

I've used mine for yard work, home improvement work, food prep, camping, hiking, and opening boxes from Wauseon.
 
Man, reading the replies just whets my appetite for my incoming rats! Anyone use their howlers for skinning?
 
I have II gen. HR and it has ideal size,(a have changed the edge bevel to flat to impove slicing ablities).In my opinion Howling Fat simply too thick ( try to break standard 3/16" HR, quite difficult huh ??? )
 
Deadhead Archer said:
I carry my 2nd Gen HR as an EDC fixed blade all the time, for general all-purpose work. I've thinned the edge on mine to improve slicing while keeping the overall edge convex. It's small enough to carry discretely, but large enough to handle all but the biggest chores. In fact, I am wearing it today.

I've used mine for yard work, home improvement work, food prep, camping, hiking, and opening boxes from Wauseon.
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How, exactly, did you thin the edge? to what angle? thanks!
 
I don't know what you guys are cryin' about (ok, maybe the "no fats for sale" thing, I can understand). I just picked my teeth with a HF then with a HR. I couldn't tell much difference. :confused:
 
resinguy said:
How, exactly, did you thin the edge? to what angle? thanks!
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I convex my edges with the sandpaper and mousepad trick, so I don't actually know the edge angle. If I had to eyeball, I'd probably say I go at about 12.5 to 15 degrees, and finish with a few strokes at a high angle, maybe 35 - 40 degrees, to take off the wire edge.

Such a low edge angle creates a longer edge that can be measured by how it wears away the coating near the factory edge; I just measured and have 3-4mm of polished edge from the actual edge to the coating. I think from factory it was closer to 1-2mm.

What this does is thin the edge by lengthening it, which puts a thinner edge profile into your cutting medium. Most of the Busse/SR knives I've received are sharp, but can stand to be thinned a bit. Instead of a "rounder" edge in a short area (which works great for chopping but not as well for slicing), lengthening/thinning makes the edge a bit more convex. This would be similar to the difference between a soft point round and full metal jacket.

There is a trade off, however. A thinner edge deforms more easily than a thicker edge. Since the HR is a small blade, it's use as a chopper is quite limited so I have no problem with sacrificing edge strength for slicing ability.

I also strop all my knives with compound on leather for screaming sharp edges. Convex edges get a hanging strop (pulled fairly tight for tension), and v-edges get a padded strop.
 
I also thinned the edge on my HR and Bandicoot. The Bandicoot in particular outcuts almost anything (including all of my Moras by a wide margin), yet still retains almost all the strength of the original. The thin edges, combined with the steel, are a winning combination. The thin edges do indeed deform easier, but SR101 is a very good steel for this application, you have to get pretty radical with it to do any significant damage, especially if you put a microbevel on it.

I used an Edgepro, took about 45 minutes, well worth it.

PS - I forgot to mention, my HR edge is the same as DA, about 4 mm. The polished edge on my Bandicoot is around 3/8 of an inch. It is thin...
 
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