Damascus Skinner Knife, Drop Point Skinning Knife with Olive Wood Handle

A skinner is the knife a hunter reaches for once the hide has to come off. The blade is short and broad with a deep rounded belly, because skinning is a sweeping cut along the curve, not a stab with the tip. This one is a 4 inch drop point blade in hand forged Damascus, full tang through an olive wood handle on brass pins, with a tooled leather belt sheath.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core and etched so the light and dark layers show. At 4 inches the blade works a deer without getting hard to control, and the knife is 8 inches overall. The spine curves gently down to meet the belly, so the point sits low and the tip does not catch where it should not. The belly does the cutting. The trade is the carbon under the pattern, which darkens with use and will rust if the knife is left wet.

The handle

Olive wood is dense and slightly oily, so it holds warmth and does not go slick in a wet hand. The grain runs in waves of honey and brown, and no two sets match because the tree decides the figure. The handle is 4 inches, a full grip in a glove. The tang is full underneath, one piece of steel from tip to butt, with brass pins through the scales. In cold weather wood sits better in the hand than bare metal.

The leather sheath

The sheath is cut for this knife, so the blade seats without rattle. It is vegetable tanned leather with a wide belt loop stitched to the back, and a strap over the handle that closes with a snap so the knife stays put when you kneel or climb. The edge is welted, which puts a strip of leather between the seam and the blade so the stitching never rides on the edge. It is stitched by hand, and the face is hand tooled in a carved wheat and leaf pattern.

Who it suits

A plain working skinner for people who take their own game apart. There is no hook to keep sharp, just the belly and a handle that fills the hand.

• Deer hunters who field dress and butcher at home
• Hunters who want a skinner with no hook to sharpen
• Buyers who prefer natural wood to synthetic scales
• Anyone buying a gift for a hunter

What comes in the box

• The Damascus skinner
• The tooled leather belt sheath
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

Each knife is forged, ground and finished by hand in small runs, so no two are alike. The Damascus pattern, the color and grain of the olive wood and the tooling all vary from the photographs. Yours will be its own piece.

Looking after it

Wash and dry it by hand. Never the dishwasher and never left wet in a pack, since dishwasher damage voids the warranty. The carbon under the pattern takes on a gray patina, which is normal and protects the steel. Oil it lightly before the season ends, and dry the leather away from heat. Sharpen at roughly 20 degrees per side, then strop. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a blade, and a longer message sits better on the sheath. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Clean line art engraves cleanly. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a skinner knife for? It takes the hide off game with a sweeping cut along the curved belly.

Why is the point low? So the tip does not catch what sits under the hide.

Does it have a gut hook? No, it is a plain drop point skinner.

Will Damascus rust? It can. Dry it after use and oil it before storage.

Is it full tang? Yes, the steel runs unbroken from tip to butt.

How long until it ships and can I return it? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days with USPS. Returns run 30 days, unused and unsharpened.

The Damascus skinner with a buffalo horn handle is the same blade in darker material, and the Damascus skinner with a stag antler handle puts antler in the hand. More sits in skinner knives, in Damascus steel and in olive wood handle knives.