Damascus Skinning Knife with Bone Handle, Handmade Skinner with Sheath
Damascus Skinning Knife with Bone Handle, Handmade Skinner with Sheath
Please enter the text you want engraved.
- Engraving adds 3 to 5 business days.
- We engrave your text exactly as typed, so double check the spelling.
- We send a proof image before we engrave.
- Engraved blades cannot be returned or exchanged unless the blade itself is defective.
A skinner earns its keep in the hour after the shot, when the hide has to come off clean. The blade is short and wide with a deep sweeping belly, so the work happens along the curve, not at the point, and the upswept tip stays clear of the meat. This one is Damascus with a raindrop pattern etched dark against a bright polished edge, full tang through a smooth camel bone handle with two brass pins. It ships in a hand stitched leather sheath.
Specification
| Blade steel | Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core |
| Blade finish | Etched raindrop pattern, polished cutting edge |
| Tang | Full tang |
| Handle material | Polished camel bone with two brass pins |
| Bolster or guard | None |
| Sheath | Brown leather, hand stitched |
| Engraving | Laser engraving, 20 dollars per blade |
| Made in | Forged and finished by hand in High Point, North Carolina. |
| Warranty | Lifetime warranty against defects, free sharpening for life. |
The blade
Damascus here is pattern welded over a high carbon core, folded and forged until the layers show, then etched so the darker steel drops back and the raindrop rings stand out. The polished edge runs bright down the belly. It sharpens like the carbon steel it is and comes to a keen edge on a stone without much argument. It behaves like carbon steel about water too, so it will spot and rust if you leave it wet. No two of these patterns repeat, since the billet is drawn out by hand.
The handle
Camel bone is polished smooth here and sits in the hand in a warm cream color, cool to the touch until your hand warms it. Two brass pins run through the full tang. There is no guard, so the grip stays clean and your fingers can move forward when you want the belly closer to the hide. Bone carries its own fine lines and small tone changes, and it takes stain from use, so the handle you get will not copy the one photographed.
Who it suits
This shape is for people who take the hide off themselves and want a blade doing the pulling for them. The Damascus pattern also makes it a piece people buy as a gift, since it reads well on a shelf.
- Hunters skinning deer and hogs
- Trappers and small game hunters
- Anyone buying a gift for a hunter
- Collectors of pattern welded blades
What comes in the box
- The skinning knife
- A fitted leather sheath
- A care card with sharpening and storage notes
- A laser engraving quote on request
Every piece is different
Damascus is forged by hand, so the raindrop rings sit in their own places on every blade and no two match. Bone color and marking vary as well. Take the photographs as a guide to shape and character, not as a picture of yours.
Looking after it
Hand wash and dry it. Never the dishwasher, never left soaking, since dishwasher damage voids the warranty. The high carbon core wants dry storage and a light coat of oil, which also keeps the etch looking sharp. Sharpen on a whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side, then strop. Keep it off pull through sharpeners. Dry the leather slowly and away from heat. More on the 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, which is often the better call on a patterned blade. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Clean line art works, photographs do not. See the engraving page.
Questions buyers ask
Why so much belly? The long curve does the work. You draw it and the hide opens along the sweep instead of catching at a point.
Will the raindrop pattern wear away? The etch is in the steel, not on top of it, so use and sharpening will not take it off.
Is the bone handle slippery? Polished bone is smooth and there is no guard, so wipe a wet hand before you work.
Will Damascus rust and how do I stop it? It can, since the core is high carbon. Dry it after use, oil the blade, and store it out of the sheath.
How sharp is it out of the box? It is sharpened by hand and ships ready to work. Free sharpening for life, you cover shipping to the shop.
Can you engrave it? Yes, 20 dollars per blade with a proof image first. Engraved pieces are final sale unless defective.
More shapes for the same job sit in the skinner knives, and the Damascus steel range is there if the pattern caught you. Handles like this live in the bone handle knives. For a hide opener with a hook, see the gut hook knife in D2 and olive wood, and for bone with stone set into it there is the bone handle hunting knife with turquoise inlay.