{"product_id":"hand-forged-skinning-knife-ram-horn","title":"Hand Forged Skinning Knife, Carbon Steel Deer Skinner with Ram Horn Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eA skinner is for the work after the hunt, when the job is hide. The blade is short and broad with a deep rounded belly, so the cut runs along the curve rather than the tip, and the low point stays clear of what lies underneath. This one is hand forged 1095 high carbon steel with a 4 inch blade, full tang through a ram horn handle, and a tooled leather belt sheath.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e8 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1095 high carbon\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand forged, hammer marks on the flats, mirror bright bevel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTang\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFull tang\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle material\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRam horn, banded cream and amber, brass pins\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTooled leather belt sheath, hand stitched\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngraving\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLaser engraving, 20 dollars per blade\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForged and finished by hand in High Point, North Carolina.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWarranty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLifetime warranty against defects, free sharpening for life.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe blade\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e1095 takes the sharpest edge of anything we run. The 4 inch blade is forged under the hammer, so the flats keep the marks the work left, and the bevel is polished mirror bright. The belly is deep and rounded because skinning is a sweeping cut drawn along the curve, not a stab, and the point sits low so the tip does not catch. The trade is rust. Plain carbon steel darkens to a gray patina and wants drying after use, and it comes back on a stone in minutes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe handle is ram horn in banded cream and amber, 4 inches of it, held by brass pins through a full tang. The steel runs unbroken from tip to butt, so no thin stub hides inside the scales. Horn gives a little under the hand and does not pull the warmth out of your fingers on a cold morning. The surface is not glassy, so a wet palm still finds grip. No two pieces of horn are marked the same.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather sheath\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe sheath is vegetable tanned leather cut for this knife, not a pouch it happens to fit. A wide belt loop is stitched to the back so it rides flat, and a strap crosses the handle with a snap to keep the knife in place while you walk. The edge is welted, so a strip of leather sits between the stitching and the blade and the edge never reaches the thread. It is stitched by hand, and the face is hand tooled with a barbed wire pattern inside a carved border.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a working knife for people who take their own game apart. The 1095 is the reason to buy it, because it sharpens easily in camp, and the ram horn is why it looks like nothing else on the belt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeer hunters who field dress their own animals\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who likes a carbon steel edge\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSomeone shopping for a hunter\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe skinning knife\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe tooled leather belt sheath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA free laser engraving quote on request\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach knife is forged, ground, heat treated and sharpened by hand in small runs. The color and banding of the horn, the hammer marks and the tooling on the sheath will vary from the photographs. Yours will be its own piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWash it by hand and dry it right away. Never the dishwasher, since that damage voids the warranty, and never left wet in a pack. The gray patina it takes on is normal and protects the steel. Sharpen on a whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side, then strop. No pull through sharpeners. Oil the blade before storage, and never put the knife away wet inside its sheath. More in our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per blade. 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 well, photographs do not. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is a skinner for?\u003c\/strong\u003e Taking hide off an animal with the curve of the edge, not the tip.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is the point low?\u003c\/strong\u003e It keeps the tip from catching under the hide.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is a ram horn handle like?\u003c\/strong\u003e Natural banded horn, warm to hold and grippy when damp.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill 1095 rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can if left wet, so dry it after use and oil it before storage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it full tang?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, unbroken steel from tip to butt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long until it ships?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days with USPS.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the same shape in wood, see the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-skinning-knife-rosewood\"\u003ehand forged skinning knife with a rosewood handle\u003c\/a\u003e, or the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-skinner-knife-burl-wood-resin\"\u003eDamascus skinner with a burl wood and resin handle\u003c\/a\u003e. More sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/skinner-knives\"\u003eskinner knives\u003c\/a\u003e, the steel runs through \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/high-carbon-1095\"\u003ehigh carbon 1095\u003c\/a\u003e, and the season is in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/hunting-knives\"\u003ehunting knives\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44134055280758,"sku":"VEF-SKN-HC-DP-157","price":129.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/hand-forged-skinning-knife-ram-horn-handle_57b84bb2-d167-4766-a151-f6ba4da259ab.jpg?v=1788736487","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-skinning-knife-ram-horn","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}