Hand Forged Skinning Knife, Carbon Steel Skinner with Rosewood Handle

A skinning knife takes the hide off game, and this is the plainest and cheapest one we make. The blade is short and broad with a deep belly and a low point, which is the shape most hunters buy first. It is hand forged 1095 high carbon with the hammer marks left on the flats, and the handle is rosewood on a full tang. A tooled leather belt sheath comes with it.

Specification

The blade

1095 takes the sharpest edge in our shop and comes back fastest on a stone, which is what you want on a working knife. It is forged rather than cut from stock, so the hammer marks stay on the flats and the bevel is polished mirror bright. It is high carbon, so it darkens with use and will rust if you leave it wet. At 4 inches the belly is deep and the point sits low, because skinning is a sweeping cut made with the curve of the edge rather than the tip.

The handle

Rosewood is dense and close grained, dark brown with darker streaks running through it, and it warms in the hand instead of staying cold. It does not go slippery when wet, which matters when the work is outdoors in the fall. The tang is full, one unbroken piece of steel from tip to butt, and brass pins go through the scales to hold them. Rosewood is natural, so the grain and the color are different on every knife we cut.

The leather sheath

Every knife in this batch ships with a leather belt sheath cut for that exact knife, and this one is no different for being the cheapest piece in the set. It is vegetable tanned leather, hand stitched, with a welted edge and a wide belt loop on the back so it rides flat. A strap goes over the handle and closes with a snap, so the knife stays seated while you walk. The face is hand tooled, a carved floral panel set inside a beaded border. Most sellers in this category say leather sheath and stop there.

Who it suits

This is the working knife of the batch, and the one to buy if you want a skinner you will use hard and sharpen often. There is no Damascus pattern and no antler on it, so the money goes into the steel, the handle and the sheath rather than the look of the blade. It is the lowest price we run.

• First time buyers who want a skinner that works
• Hunters who field dress their own game
• Anyone who sharpens their own knives

What comes in the box

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

Every piece is different

Each knife is forged, ground, heat treated and sharpened by hand, so runs stay small and no two come out the same. The hammer marks fall where they fall, and the grain and color of the rosewood are whatever the board gave us. Yours will vary from the photographs.

Looking after it

Wash and dry it by hand, never in the dishwasher, and never left wet in a pack. Dishwasher damage voids the warranty. Carbon steel darkens with use and that patina is normal. Oil the blade before it goes away for the season, and let the leather dry away from heat. Sharpen on a whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side, then strop, and keep it away from pull through sharpeners. 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, photographs do not. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a skinning knife for? It takes the hide off game, using the curve of the edge rather than the tip.

Why is the point low? The deep belly gives a long sweeping cut, and the low point keeps the tip from catching.

What are the hammer marks on the flats? They are left from forging the blade by hand instead of grinding it from stock.

Will 1095 rust? It can. Dry it after use and oil it before storage.

How sharp is it out of the box? It is sharpened by hand and inspected before packing, so it arrives ready to use.

Can you engrave it? Yes, 20 dollars per blade and around 30 characters fits.

If you want a hook in the spine, the Damascus gut hook skinning knife in rosewood has one, and the hand forged skinning knife with a ram horn handle is this same blade with horn scales. The rest are in skinner knives, this steel runs through high carbon 1095, and the wood carries on in rosewood handle knives.