I want to "make" a fillet knife for my father

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clovehitch

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Jan 8, 2018
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http://usaknifemaker.com/north-lake...13-5-long-8-25-l-x-3-4-w-blade-110-thick.html

Hey guys. I am not a bladesmith, but I wanted to "make" a fillet knife for my father. I was surprised to find that there is a lack of abundance of high edge-retention steels when it comes to fillet knives (as opposed to the folders and fixed blades market). CPM154 seems to be a great choice. I would like to make a custom handle for this blade, put my own edge on it, and mirror polish the entire knife. This will be a gift for his retirement and I know he will be fishing a lot (and also aquiring fish from his commercial fishing friends whom he's help out in the past). He'll be cleaning a lot of fish. I believe he would really like this and see it as somewhat meaningful. I have a few questions.

1. Why is the price so low in that link I posted? Is something wrong, or what am I missing?

2. Does anyone have a better recommendation for me? I am certainly willing to spend a bit more than $26 on a blank.

3. What type of wood for the handle? Oak seems like a good long lasting one, as well as maple.

4. What finish should I use on the wood that would soak into it and harden it, while waterproofing it?

Thank you for any help you can provide.
 
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People with more specialized knowledge on actually knife making is found here: https://www.bladeforums.com/forums/shop-talk-bladesmith-questions-and-answers.741/

I can't really help with your questions, other than mentioning Walnut, Cocobolo, Olive and Ebony are all also quite well often used for handles/grips. You can also consider Micarta, plenty of colors and can be customized/contoured like wood as well. Good luck with the project, it's a nice idea. :thumbsup:
 
The low cost is probably because the blade is not heat treated -- unless you have all the $$$ equipment you'll have to send it out for heat treating. Might be better to find a blade that is already heat treated -- Ragweed Forge would be a good place to start. About any wood is good if impregnated with a water resistant finish. That said, how good is your FIL at sharpening? A simpler steel like 12C27 is easy to hone, rust resistant, takes a great edge.
 
Alberta Ed said:
The low cost is probably because the blade is not heat treated -- unless you have all the $$$ equipment you'll have to send it out for heat treating. Might be better to find a blade that is already heat treated -- Ragweed Forge would be a good place to start. About any wood is good if impregnated with a water resistant finish. That said, how good is your FIL at sharpening? A simpler steel like 12C27 is easy to hone, rust resistant, takes a great edge.
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I would agree with using a steel like this.
He may not he great at sharpening and he'll need to be able to sharpen easily while he's out there.
Maybe include a ceramic sharpening rod with it so he can do this.
 
Also check out Jantz, they have some already heat treated blades, many made in the USA, most under $20.
 
With some experience in this area, I'll just mention that the main thing you want in a filet knife is some flex in the blade. That flex helps you keep the knife flat while removing the skin from the filet, or when cutting out the ribs or Y bones (on pike). A thicker blade will help provide some backbone to allow you to cut through the ribs on your initial cut. But that really only applies on smaller fish. Like so many other aspects of knives, you need to find the trade off that works for you or in this case, your dad. The type of fish he is most likely to be cleaning will help steer you into the characteristics his knife will need. Fileting a crappie or bass requires a different knife than Tuna or Halibut.

In order I would consider these the priorities in a filet knife.
1. stainless steel
2. water proof or resistant handle with a sure grip.
3. flex in the blade
4. edge
 
Thank you. It honestly didn't occur to me that it had not been heat treated. I will check out ragweed forge and Jantz!

My father taught me how to sharpen knives 25 years ago, so he'll be fine on that front. Currently, I am not entertaining the possibility of run of the mill stainless for this knife. I also recently got my mother a Shun chef's knife and a DMT steel (fine grit) that he will have access to in addition to his stones.

I'm aware that flex in a fillet knife is necessary. I've been cleaning fish my entire life (commercial fishing family). I guess this further explains why I want this to perform well above average, lol. Thanks for all the info and any more suggestions will be appreciated.
 
If you haven’t already, try pulling up some of Phil Wilson’s work, you may get some ideas there.
 
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