Sharp Knife?

[DarbyWHOA]

I'm on a search for a knife that can keep a good edge and is easy to sharpen.

I generally breast out my birds and after a few the blade gets dull and I loose meat that I want. The best knife I used was a Rapala 6" fillet, but after a few mo tha it lost its edge and I couldn't get a good one back on it.

Any one have a go to knife or sharpener for birds? I prefer small fix blades purely because they're easier to clean once done.

Thanks!

[reba]

COLD STEEL http://www.coldsteel.com/

Cold Steel knives are some of the best with a very reasonable price.

Check them out and read why they use the steel they use in every knife they make.

Learning to properly sharpen a knife using the bur method is very important. Check it out on the web.

A lot of the old time knife makers have sold out and the new makers names are just that.

You really need to try just one Cold Steel knife, so try their boning knife in the kitchen knife line.

[ezzy333]

A Case Trapper pocket knife but they all need sharpening occasionally.

[Angie]

Have you checked out benchmade knives? They are on the pricier side but might be one of the last knives you'll ever buy.

[Pheasanttracker]

I like Knives of Alaska. They stay sharp and easy to handle.

[gonehuntin']

Any knife with 440C high carbon steel. Buck knives are great. A Rapala is a very easy knife to sharpen if you hold it at the correct angle. Workmate, Lansky, and Schrade all make sharpeners that will hold the blade at the correct angle.

[RayGubernat]

As far as filleting knives are concerned, the large Rapala(9") is a favoriteof mine. It takes a good edge. I also like Dexter/Russell commercial filleting knives. They are relatively inexpensive and take a good edge. I like a longer knife because it makes it easier for me. Also, the longer the blade,the more edge I have to work with, so the knife stays sharper longer.

If you are going to use a knife...it is going to get dull sooner or later. Soooo... you need to learn how to sharpen it and have the things needed.

If the steel is very hard, it will take longer to get dull, BUT it will also be much harder to sharpen back to the kind of razor edge that is needed for filleting. Truly hard steels(Rockwell 60 and such) can only be properly sharpened in jigs, using machines, because you cannot manually apply enough pressure, consistently, to create a proper edge.

The edge of a knife is a series of microscopic sawteeth. The size of the sawteeth depends on the size of the abrasive grit it is being rubbed against. Typically, you start out with a coarse grit and establish an edge. Then you work that edge on increasingly finer grit abrasives, to make the sawteeth smaller and smaller. Ultimately, one can virtually blend the extremely tiny sawteeth together by using a leather strop, such as what barbers used to use.

There are several ways to sharpen knives, depending on the intended use. The shallower the angle of the blade, the sharper the cut, typically, BUT the shallower the angle, the more fragile the edge will be. A 20 degree edge should be fine for a fillet knife.


There are a bunch of different sharpening stones, machines and such. You can buy oil stones, water stones, diamond stones, belt sanders in all ranges of grits, from very coarse to extremely fine and all manner of jigs and attachments to help maintain a consistent blade angle, but nothing beats practice.

I do it old school, freehand...because that is how I was taught. I typically use a 6" combination oil stone, with a good coating of mineral oil. The stone is held in place on a bench so I can use both hands and not worry about the stone moving around. It is medium India on one side and soft Arkansas on the other, and can restore and keep a good edge on most knives. If I really want to create a razor edge on a knife I will switch to a hard Arkansas stone which is VERY fine grit. My son uses water stones, a diamond hone and a jig to keep the blade angle the same when he sharpens his Santoku knives, which are razors.

If you notice the blade dragging during use, a few strokes on a good steel will usually re-align the blade edge and improve the cut.

I kinda enjoy working an edge into a knife. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to do something with my hands, but that is just me. It is also something that my dad taught me when I was a kid, so it brings some of that back to life for me.

RayG

[Mountaineer]

You are already using what I use...the Rapala 6".
Can't quite figger how a fillet knife like the ol' rap is hard to sharpen sufficient to fillet whatever......been a standard for stacked decades.
I like the Lansky and RazorEdge sharpeners but some makes appear better suited to different blades.
Never used them 50 years ago tho and all seemed ok.....best, is highly overrated when it approaches fiddly.

Still, a Havelon and some extra blades will work quite well, be quite sharp and will last thru many birds.
New-ish, of course, and that turns off many worn saddles but...not a bad way to go.
Kinda like bottled water.

[Tooling]

Made to last a lifetime

[DonF]

I think you'll find that if you learn to sharpen a knife well, the brand is not gonna make a lot of difference. But a ten dollar knife isn't gonna cut it. On the other hand my two favorite pocket knives are both Schrade old timer's. One original with carbon steel blade and a smaller new one that I wouldn't swear the blade isn't stainless. Case has always made good knives too! Years ago all I would use was a oil stone to sharpen knives. today I use my son! You can't get a knife sharper on anything with other than an oil stone. Great deal for sharping is 400 grit wet/dry sand paper. Don't cut into the paper, put the knife on it and draw it backward. To be sure, when you get finished your gonna have to strop the knife on leather. That system was told to me by a knife maker I got a knife from years ago. He claimed that drawing the knife rather than the cutting motion made the edge angle the same on both side's. My son got him one of those electric sharpener's that use a sanding belt. He does pretty well with it, at least good enough for me at this time in my life. I've got a few other system's laying around here but I view them as a gimic! Might have to make me one that use's the 400 grit paper again. Also if your breasting out, are you trying to cut bone? Wings can be taken off without cutting through bone or even bouncing off to bad. Learn where to cut to avoid them. If that is what's happening, no knife will stay sharp long, knives are made for slicing flesh and tendons, that is all that hold the legs and wings to the body. One more thing, the longer you wait to skin out the breast, the harder it get's. Get the skin off the breast soon as you can.

[DarbyWHOA]

Thanks for all of the input. I know I can sharpen a knife well and when I do the paper test, the blade passes. However, I can't seem to ever get them back to what they were from the manufacturer.

[IANative]

Rapala also makes a 4" bird-specific knife. Bubba Blade has several offerings that will work, too. The inexpensive Lansky ceramic stick sharpening system is a great little investment.

[fishvik]

I have a folding Remington UMC R-2 duck hunter. Best bird knife I've seen. Long thin 3" blade for gutting and breasting, and 2" serrated blade for severing wing and leg joints. Also has a flat blade screwdriver and Remchoke wrench for Remington pumps and autos (12 and 20 ga) along with a punch tool for taking out the pins when removing the trigger mechanism. Sharpens easily and holds the edge. It's 4 1/4" long when folded and fits well into a pocket or into a belt scabbard. I've had mine for 20+ years. Also comes in an upland model that has a gut hook, but no serrated blade or pin punch.

[tekoa]

Knife selection is dependent, in part, on type of steel you want in the blade. Some are easy to sharpen ( high carbon) but do not hold an edge for long. Others hold an edge for heavy use, but are difficult to sharpen. My choice for birds,fish, and small game is the Cold Steel Fish and Game knife with AUS8A steel, which is easy to sharpen and holds an edge moderately well.
I use a Lansky Blade Medic field sharpener which work very well on all my sharpening and is inexpensive and easy to use.
I also carry poultry shears when i'm hunting Pheasant, whichare better than any knife on larger birds.......

[IANative]

In reality, you only need a moderately sharp knife:

http://www.wideopenspaces.com/how-to-bu ... t=sendible

[gonehuntin']

Fact is nearly any bird is easily cleaned with a shears and fingers. Easier than a knife.

[Mountaineer]

The OP appeared interested in breasting out his birds......hatchets, digits, snippers, loppers, etc. would have less need and appeal in that case.

The Rapala with it's blade shape and simplicity would be as good as any for filleting off the breast meat.
Sharpening...a seperate issue.

[GrayGhost]

I have a Cutco for birds and I love it, I use if for dressing out elk as well and I've absolutely love it.

[Garrison]

Fact is nearly any bird is easily cleaned with a shears and fingers. Easier than a knife.

+1


I think every sportsman should have to go spend an hour or two with a pro. Watching someone who can take a animal apart efficiently makes you realize that a sharp knife and skill is a big part of conservation. My Grandfather was a butcher, watching him taught me that honing steel and a knife are one tool. His knife hit steel multiple times on each animal, and he would wear them down until they were slivers. Get your self a good piece of steel and use it whenever you use your knife.

[Spyro]

Fact is nearly any bird is easily cleaned with a shears and fingers. Easier than a knife.

+1


I think every sportsman should have to go spend an hour or two with a pro. Watching someone who can take a animal apart efficiently makes you realize that a sharp knife and skill is a big part of conservation. My Grandfather was a butcher, watching him taught me that honing steel and a knife are one tool. His knife hit steel multiple times on each animal, and he would wear them down until they were slivers. Get your self a good piece of steel and use it whenever you use your knife.

You're absolutely correct about true butchers and their knives. There is a difference between putting an edge on a knife and using steel to maintain an edge. Steel is a constant when butchering. What seems like a lifetime ago, I'd spend summers working for a tuna processor. You learn very quickly that, when addressed properly, they come apart as if they were held together with zippers.

And as the previous poster mentioned, fingers are fantastic on birds.