skinning knife

beachmaster

beachmaster

Joined
Oct 3, 2014
Messages
679
So, sadly today I forgot my bk2 when I headed out to help a buddy skin his deer. I wanted to use it just for some pictures and experience. So instead I had to use my little skeletonized buck skinner, and my tops msk.

My buddy was using his Schrade stainless knife, and it stayed sharper longer than my tops msk! I was shocked! We started with both of our knives able to shave hair, but skinned dang near his whole half of the deer without resharpening, and I only did about half of my half...

There are alot of variables at play here. My tops msk is 1095, not 1095 cro van. My edge is thinned at a 15 degree angle on an idahone sharpener, then the final edge is put on at 22.5 degrees. I could also have a heat treat issue..

Anyways, I def want a small Skinner that will hold an edge a whole lot longer, so I was thinking of going with a bk24. The only issue is that I seem to read here on the forums that the 24 doesn't hold an edge much longer than the 14. Is this still the general consensus? I dont care about the stainless qualities really.

Is a Becker in cro van going to make me happier? Or could I be happier with this tops simply by reprofiling the edge? (Something that i dont really see as an easy option for me)
 
IMHO...
The BK2 is not a good choice for skinning game. The 14/24 maybe but the 16 would be my first choice. I have not used any of the Beckers to process deer or any game but I have heard good things about the edge holding ability of 1095cv in general. If you search for a thread with the key word "deer" in this subforum I bet you'll find something more useful than my 2 cents.
 
I know the bk2 would have been less than ideal for the skinning portion, but I think it would have been doable.

I have a bk10 coming in that i could use for meat processing.

My questions is more specifically about skinning, where I like a small light knife. Most of what I have seen about the 14 and 24 is people recommending the 16 LOL I might get a 15 or 16 in the future, especially for processing the meat, but i think ill try to use the ten for that first since its already inbound.
 
You can't go wrong with a 14/24 or even an 11. After spending some time with my 11 in different cuttings tasks I prefer the control I get with the 3 finger grip. D2 will hold an edge for a little bit longer then the 1095CV but its not as tough.

Check out the Beckerhead knife making thread. Dex has recently modified an 11 into a neat little skinner.
 
I LOVE Dex's 11, but i dont have the knowledge or equipment to do anything like that.

But yes, if Becker came out with something the size of Dex's 11, (a d'11?), I would want that. Its closer to the size of my msk which I really like for a pocket knife also.
 
I've done a few deer with a 14 and it's about perfect for skinning. Didn't need to sharpen and can also baton through the sternum. No scales to get messy, easy clean up.
 
Not trying to be rude, but how are you dulling any knife skinning a deer? Other than cuts up the legs, tail removal, and a few swipes here and there, deer hide peels off pretty cleanly. Just wondering if this deer had been hanging a while, the carcass was frozen, or something like that?
 
It still didn't seem like it was that hard of work on the edge though, and for me personally, regardless of how hard the work was, the fact that a Chinese stainless stayed sharp longer really bothers me.
 
beachmaster said:
It still didn't seem like it was that hard of work on the edge though, and for me personally, regardless of how hard the work was, the fact that a Chinese stainless stayed sharp longer really bothers me.
Click to expand...

I find that if you cut thru the hair a lot (from out side-to inside) it will dull an edge quickly as well as leave a lot of hair on your meat.
I have witnessed this with younger hunters. I think its all about technique.
Back on track, I really like the BK15 for skinning and the 24 for the dirty job of field dressing.
 
I did very little cutting through the hair, except for the feet. But! I am a VERY new skinner, and the guy who owned the deer was pretty new, so I would LOVE to work with someone more experienced so that I could learn more. I told all my buddies that I would help them with any step of deer processing if I had time just so that I could learn.

That being said, I have a 24 on the way, so I will be able to better judge edge retention when it gets here! I will only be able to judge edge retention of the Bk24 as opposed to other 1095 blades (not the 14), but it should still be interesting.

I really am kinda afraid that the heat treat on my Tops might be off... or my sharpening technique.
 
beachmaster said:
I really am kinda afraid that the heat treat on my Tops might be off... or my sharpening technique.
Click to expand...

I have to work real hard an pay close attention when sharpening on a stone or diamond plate to get the Burr removed. The edge feels sharp as hell and even shaves hair. Then before I know it, the bladed is too dull to shave or cut printer paper....turns out the burr had rolled, making the blade unusable. I made a strop out of old blue jeans and put some of the black polishing compound from the big orange home improvement store, I use the strop between grits to remove the burr and final polish after it comes off the ultra fine.
Edge retention for me, using this technique, is extreme on all of the Becker knives I own. The BK 24 only needs a strop now and again to stay SHARP, I love that blade in D2.
 
That is what I am hoping for with the D2 :-)

I use an Idahone setup. I thin the edge to 15 degrees using course rods, then the very edge is sharpened to 22.5 degrees using a fine stone. Then I strop. I REALLY like the Idahone setup. In fact, I am probably going to send it to the nice guys who run Idahone, because they said that they would drill a third set of holes in the block for a 20 degree setup. That way I could keep all of my larger knives at a flat 20 degree grind, and if needed, just touch up the very tip of the edge at 22.5 degrees.

If I could attend a knife sharpening class with a professional, I would do it. Maybe Ethan will show me a trick or two if I can attend the next gathering. And if he can't, I am sure some of you other beckerheads would have a lot that you could show me :-)
 
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