Dressed another deer today....

[kbaknife]

Tell you what guys, it never fails to amaze me what the simplest of forging and heat treating processes can achieve.
I've been an active deer hunter since '70. That's a LOT of venison.
That's also a BUNCH of cutlery used in that time. I've dressed deer under a wide variety of circumstances.
Currently, and for the last 10 years, I live back along a river and have the privelege of having some convenient facilities for taking care of deer, like a "skinning tree" and a shop which works out well for cooling the carcase. These "ammenities" have the nature of somehow acting like a magnet to other friends of mine who need a place to dress out their deer! During this time of year, it is frequently the occasion where I'll see head lights coming down the lane, only to discover yet another deer to be skinned and quartered.
Honestly, this was one of the driving forces that headed me in the direction of making my own knife! It always seemed that everybody that stopped by to dress out their deer either had a worthless knife or none at all! And, it seemed like they always picked the coldest night of the week.
So, I figured I had better learn how to make a knife that would dress out a deer QUICKLY and get these guys on their way home.
Sorry about dragging on here.
Two weeks in a row now, I've had my own deer to dress out. As fate would have it, I also had the company of the same two guys.
Each time, I used my own little knife that I made about 5 years ago.
I dress the dear, split the pelvis and ribcage, skin, quarter and cut the spine in two, and even cut out the heart and liver.
All with one knife? Are you kidding me?
I didn't even sharpen it from last week!
Then, I hand it to one of the guys watching/helping and he says, "Dang! That's still sharp!"
Just a little ol' piece of 5160, forged and then hardened with an oxy/acetelyne torch.
Ain't knife makin' fun?!

[Ray Hammond]

we want to SEEEE it Karl....!

[kbaknife]

I can't believe I had a picture of that knife!
I forged this knife out at Ed Fowler's in Wyoming on the Will Bow Ranch in '04.
It's been a good friend. But, it's so ugly I hardly ever show anybody!

   

[Wampus]

What?  No sheep horn handle?     Very nice looking knife IMO.

[Steve Nuckels]

I really like that one!

[drewsbow]

Karl : I'll take all the ugly ones you make and I won't show dem to no one   :rolleyes:    :rolleyes:   Very nice knife :0) Drew

[Ray Hammond]

nuttin wrong wid dat one, Karl!!!

[chiger]

That is exactly why I made my first knife Karl.

It's the one I have posted over on the then and now thread.  I didn't know enough to heat treat it then, but it didn't matter.  It was made from a 40's era, maybe 30's Black Diamond file.  Virgin W1...oh yeah!  Big carbon pockets and the whole bit.  And I took my time and never took it past blue heat.  Did know that much.  :~)

Skinned and dressed 3 deer within 2 weeks of finishing it and never touched it with a stone.  1 for me, 1 for my brother and 1 for the neighbor, just to see if it still would. Didn't split the spine, but did whack it through the brisket and pelvic bones.  I was in love.

Been making knives ever since.  Life is grand when you have a sharp knife and a warm carcass.

Oh, and by the way.  It ain't ugly, but it is way different than most those sexy things you usually make!

[OconeeDan]

Not as pretty as your current knives, but it looks like it is one of your "go to" knives.  That means it is a goodun.
Dan

[LAR43]

Is that the ball bearing steel Ed makes his kinves from?
Seems it would be some of the toughest stuff around!

Larry

[kbaknife]

No! It's not. Ed uses 52100. Mine is 1 inch square 5160 that was made back in 1984.
But, Ed has used a TON of 5160, and it heat treats very similarly to 52100. So, when he was doing one of his "Seminar of the High Performance Blade", I road my motorcycle out to Willow Bow, near Riverton, and spent four days learning his forging and heat treating processes.
This was the blade I forged while I was there.
All of my knives from this 5160 are treated the same way as this one.
I get some amazing performance out of it when compared to other processes and "recipes".
Here's a picture of the steel and of me forging some down:
 
 

[chiger]

Great pic Karl.

What can you tell us about that hammer?  Not one you talked Ed out of is it?

[kbaknife]

This forum is about knife making and knife making "adventures" - right?
Hope you don't mind if I post a few pictures.
That hammer is one of two that I get to play on sometimes. I have my own 50# Little Giant, but when I go up to visit a friend of mine, I always try to go when he's got the forge gonig and is making damascus. that way I can "play" on his hammers!
Hammers are rated by the weight of the "ram" head the contacts the work piece. The green one here is a 500# Chambersburg. The grey one is a 250# Chambersburg. They were both originally designed to run on steam, but my friend runs them with compressed air, which is compressed with a V-8 Deisel SulAir compressor into a 2000 propane tank as a bladder between the compressor and the hammers.
Both of these hammer can run on that supply at the same time.
When that hammer hits the work piece you can feel it in the ground 100 feet away. The Damascus billets he welds up are about 40 pounds.
The trip of the motorcycle is one I took when I went out to Fowler's Willow Bow in Wyoming.

 

 

[LAR43]

Fantastic! Thanks Karl.
It's been years since I saw Ed's video & forgot what the specs were of the bearing steel he was using!
Awesome hammers!

Larry

[chiger]

Now that's the kind of buddy to have!  

Very impressive set up.  And a 40# billet...impressive is what's called for!

You've just given me an ideal.  I've got a 100 gallon propane tank that's about to be retired...hum?

Thanks!  

Oh, love the Gold Wing.  Use to ride with a buddy back in the late 80's early 90's that had one.  VERY smooth and comfortable ride.  He was a big old boy and that bike is a real hoss.  Especially good if you're packing that much gear!