Hand Forged Gut Hook Skinner, Stacked Leather Handle

Short blade, deep curve, and a hooked notch cut down into the spine near the tip. The belly does the work, because a curved edge holds contact through a pulling stroke where a straight one runs out of it. The blade is 4 inches of 1095 high carbon. The grip is stacked leather, dozens of washers turned down to shape as one piece.

Specification

The blade

1095 is plain high carbon steel. It takes a fine edge quickly and comes back on a stone faster than any tool steel we use. The spine stays dark from the forge with the bevel ground wide and bright under it. Near the tip sits the gut hook, a notch hooked into the spine, sharpened on the inside of the curve only. It opens a hide from the inside, so the point never has to go in. Carbon steel greys over as it works and will spot if it is put away damp.

The handle

The grip is leather washers, stacked onto the tang and squeezed until the pile behaves like one block, then turned and sanded until you cannot find a seam. A brass guard sits at the front and a brass butt cap closes the back. The tang runs through the middle of the stack. Leather does what horn and steel will not, which is take the cold out of a hand rather than put it in. At 4.75 inches there is room for a glove.

The leather sheath

The sheath is vegetable tanned leather stamped in basket weave, cut around this blade's own outline so the hook has somewhere to sit and nothing catches on the way out. Vegetable tanned leather takes a stamp and holds it. A welt runs down the seam to hold the stitching away from the edge, and the stitching is done by hand. The belt loop is sized for a working belt.

Who it suits

Anyone who has held a steel handled knife in November knows why this grip exists. Leather warms up and stays warm.

• Hunters who work in cold and wet more than good weather
• Buyers who want a gut hook on a steel that sharpens easily
• People who like the old stacked grip and want it built properly
• Anyone who finds polished wood slick with wet hands

What comes in the box

• The gut hook skinner, sharpened
• The basket weave belt sheath
• A care card
• Engraving details

Every piece is different

Every stack is turned by hand, so the swell falls in a slightly different place on each one and the leather darkens at its own rate once it is handled. The forged spine comes off the hammer with its own marks too. Two of these side by side are clearly brothers, not twins.

Looking after it

Dry the blade, oil the blade, put it away. The handle wants leather conditioner once or twice a year and no soaking. The main edge goes on a flat stone, then a strop. The notch is the fussy part. A flat stone cannot reach inside it, so use a round file or a small round stone, work only the inside of the curve, and leave the spine alone. See the knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

A name on the flat costs 20 dollars per blade, added on this page. You have about 30 characters to play with. We email a proof image first, so nothing gets burned in until you have seen it. Allow another 3 to 5 business days. On orders of 10 or more we do it for nothing. Details are on the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

Will a leather handle fall apart if it gets soaked? Not from normal use. It is compressed hard and held between brass. Dry it away from heat and feed it now and then.

Does it get slippery when wet? Less than polished wood does. Wet leather grips back, which is half the reason these grips were built.

What is 1095? Plain high carbon steel, no chrome and no pattern in it. It sharpens easily and it will patina.

How do I keep it from rusting? Wipe it after use and keep a thin coat of oil on it. Grey is fine. Orange means you left it wet.

How long does shipping take? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

Can I send the notch back to be sharpened? Yes. Sharpening is free for life, notch included.

For the same hook in pattern welded steel, the Damascus gut hook skinner on ram horn is the one. Without the notch, the hand forged skinning knife on walnut is the plain version. More of the shape in skinner knives, the same steel in 1095 high carbon steel, and the belt knives in hunting knives.