Look what I found digging around my foot locker

[jfowl31]

I found an old gutting knife my dad gave me years ago and I thought I had lost it on a hunting trip. It was handmade for him probably 25 years ago by a knife maker in Jal, NM (his hometown... also the hometown of my mom and both sets of grandparents).

The blade has a nice patina to it now more than likely from the blood that has been across the blade. The handle has a hairline crack that has been there since I received it. Its in the middle of the side, and doesnt reach any edges, so Im not real sure how it got there.

The sheath is also custom made for the knife by a leather maker who was also from Jal.

Just thought some of you might think its neat. I'm not sure any specifications of it, but I do know its the only knife I own that would gut and skin a west TX hog and still shave my hand afterwards. Its some downright good steel. None of my other knives will even make it through skinning without needing a touchup on the edge with a dirty hog.

enjoy...

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i15/jfowl31/knife1.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i15/jfowl31/knife2.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i15/jfowl31/knife3.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i15/jfowl31/knife4.jpg

[nowhereman]

I found an old gutting knife my dad gave me years ago and I thought I had lost it on a hunting trip. It was handmade for him probably 25 years ago by a knife maker in Jal, NM (his hometown... also the hometown of my mom and both sets of grandparents).

The blade has a nice patina to it now more than likely from the blood that has been across the blade. The handle has a hairline crack that has been there since I received it. Its in the middle of the side, and doesnt reach any edges, so Im not real sure how it got there.

The sheath is also custom made for the knife by a leather maker who was also from Jal.

Just thought some of you might think its neat. I'm not sure any specifications of it, but I do know its the only knife I own that would gut and skin a west TX hog and still shave my hand afterwards. Its some downright good steel. None of my other knives will even make it through skinning without needing a touchup on the edge with a dirty hog.

enjoy...

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i15/jfowl31/knife1.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i15/jfowl31/knife2.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i15/jfowl31/knife3.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i15/jfowl31/knife4.jpg

Nice gut hook, good wood color. My fave was a old timer drop point I don't think they make em anymore.

[jfowl31]

The wood looks much better in person than in the pics.... Flash ruins everything, and its dark out, so I cant get any "natural light" pics.

before I thought it was lost, I was about to refinish it and get it back to looking new again, but now that I have it back, I think i'll leave it be.

[AK AJ]

I found an old gutting knife my dad gave me years ago and I thought I had lost it on a hunting trip. It was handmade for him probably 25 years ago by a knife maker in Jal, NM (his hometown... also the hometown of my mom and both sets of grandparents).

The blade has a nice patina to it now more than likely from the blood that has been across the blade. The handle has a hairline crack that has been there since I received it. Its in the middle of the side, and doesn't reach any edges, so Im not real sure how it got there.

The sheath is also custom made for the knife by a leather maker who was also from Jal.

Just thought some of you might think its neat. I'm not sure any specifications of it, but I do know its the only knife I own that would gut and skin a west TX hog and still shave my hand afterwards. Its some downright good steel. None of my other knives will even make it through skinning without needing a touchup on the edge with a dirty hog.


That is truly a great knife,and thank you for sharing it with us.
I think of it as kind of a "right of passage" when a father gives his son a knife before a hunting trip and afterwards shows him how to use it.

My father gave me a knife similar to yours,and being young as i was I just couldn't understand why the blade wasn't shinny (cuz being young you want everything shinny and new),Later on I found out why it wasn't shinny ,(carbon content,and steel, ya'll know all that jazz). I tell you what though that knife could take an edge.

Thanks again for sharing jfowl



AJ

[AK AJ]

The wood looks much better in person than in the pics.... Flash ruins everything, and its dark out, so I cant get any "natural light" pics.

before I thought it was lost, I was about to refinish it and get it back to looking new again, but now that I have it back, I think i'll leave it be.

What are you talking about that handle is beautiful!

[jfowl31]

It has much more "depth" than a digital pic with the flash on can begin to grasp.

[GearHD]

Nice knife. Hope you'll keep better track of it this time. My grandfather gave me a knife that's for kill'n & gut"n but not for hogs. I keep it at the ready.

[jfowl31]

I shave my hand to test how sharp a knife is. Basically I hone the edge until it can shave the back of my hand, and then polish it up slightly and call it sharp by my standards. If it cant shave the back of my hand, I keep honing the edge.

I wont be losing it again any time soon, but Ive moved 3 times in the last year, and it got packed away one time and left there. I also found about 10 G3 plastic stock sets in that foot locker too.

[Old Jimmy]

Great looking knife jfowl, keep it safe and pass it on !!

Old Jimmy

[GearHD]

I shave my hand to test how sharp a knife is. Basically I hone the edge until it can shave the back of my hand, and then polish it up slightly and call it sharp by my standards. If it cant shave the back of my hand, I keep honing the edge.

I wont be losing it again any time soon, but Ive moved 3 times in the last year, and it got packed away one time and left there. I also found about 10 G3 plastic stock sets in that foot locker too.
I know. I was just poking fun @ ya. If you want a place to Blast Hogs I got a buddy with 165 acers 60 miles NE of you. Email me & we can link up there & do some hunting & because you've got the Bad A$$ knife I'll let you do the Gutting.

[jfowl31]

Your friend wouldn't want to host a TX shoot would he???????? 60 miles NE of Austin sounds pretty central for most of us TX guys. Id certainly be down to go shoot the rest of my x51, and play with the 6.8 a little more.

[GearHD]

I'll run it by him but he general get's pretty paranoid when I go down there with a couple of my ex military buddies. He knows we like to shoot long distance & he worries we'll shoot one of his neighbors cows or a canoe'r. His place is on the Brazos. It doesn't help when he is voicing his concerns & I say: " Oh hell that's why I carry a chain saw".

If you want to put a shoot together why don't we go to " Tiger Valley". It's a 1000yd military type range in Waco. I told dpoe about it & he said that he & Henry would recon it for us. Go online & check it out.

[snapshot762]

Nice knife! It's always cool to find something that you thought was gone forever, especially something like your knife.

[drine]

Nice knife Jordan. I wonder if the metal is from and old saw mill blade. That's what most are made from around here. Not much sawmilling in certain parts of Texas for sure, but other parts maybe. You got a new wife now you need a son to pass that too>:eek:

[jfowl31]

yikes... we arent talking about kids for a WHILE. I have plenty to pass down though, and the longer we wait before we have kids, the more stuff I can aquire to pass down :)

Im not sure where the steel came from. It was made in the far south eastern corner of NM. Im sure my dad or my grandpa will/could have more info on the maker and maybe the materials as well.

[SteelCore]

can't see it. My corps firewall must not like the hosted pic site.

[jfowl31]

for steelcore

[SteelCore]

Great lines on that piece...Me likey.

Here's a pic of a migration-age continental euro seax that I did around nov-dec 2007...made from deer antler and a Nicholson file. I left the file on the spine for grip and for use.