# 2 3/4" moose skinners



## Pointpuller (Dec 22, 2016)

I have been wanting a custom knife for years and finally did the research and selected a knife maker.  I talked to John Shore many times until we both knew what I wanted and he didnt disappoint.  I sent him an elk shed I found on a New Mexico elk hunt for the handles.  Ordered them a while ago and they arrived today!  One for me and one for my fellow traditional hunting friend.  I couldn't be more happy with them.  2 3/4" Moose Skinners


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## Nicodemus (Dec 22, 2016)

Those look really nice. And functional.


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## tsharp (Dec 22, 2016)

Man I love them.


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## dawgwatch (Dec 23, 2016)

very nice. I know your are happy with those... and so will the friend..


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## georgiaboy (Dec 23, 2016)

They look great and John is a first class knife maker and man.


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## injun joe (Dec 23, 2016)

Those are classic.


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## wvdawg (Dec 23, 2016)

Awesome knives!  Congratulations.


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## IFLY4U (Dec 23, 2016)

Very nice.


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## blood on the ground (Dec 23, 2016)

He did great! Absolutely beautiful!


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## T-N-T (Dec 24, 2016)

Wow those look good


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## Razor Blade (Dec 25, 2016)

John is an outstanding knifemaker, and a good friend of ours in the knifemaking community. You will not be dissapointed with them. Beautiful knives.


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## Pointpuller (Jan 3, 2019)

Need some help so Im bringing up this old thread.
I love this knife but it got dull after several deer cleanings and I have been unable to sharpen it. I clean lots of game through out the year.  My knife for years is a Puma and I typically hit it on a butchers steel a couple of time while cleaning a deer to keep it shaving.  
Seems this blade is to hard for my normal technique.  Not sure of the steel but I know he mentioned heating it to a high temp then cooling.  Any advice with details would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jason


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## Mr Bya Lungshot (Jan 3, 2019)

I’ve got a very hard stainless steel custom handmade knife that’s nearly impossible for me to sharpen correctly. I use a coarse stone and straight to leather strop to fine tune it. Ceramic occasionally works.
One pass on the medium or superfine stone and it’s often dull again.
Very frustrating as I love the knife’s balance so much.
The steel never works with this one.


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## Pig Predator (Jan 3, 2019)

Have you tried a diamond whetstone? That aught to cut it.


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## K80Shooter (Jan 3, 2019)

I'm pretty sure he used ATS34, at least that's what mine is that he made. I use a belt sander and finish with trizact belts so I'm not sure what to tell you.


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## georgiaboy (Jan 3, 2019)

Please do not heat and cool the blade, you may easily ruin it, not to mention the epoxy under those scales.  A diamond sharpener may be the cheapest option without going to a belt type sharpener.  Belt sharpeners work like a charm though.


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## walkinboss01 (Jan 3, 2019)

Very nice knives


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## Pointpuller (Jan 3, 2019)

Thanks for all the advice.  I will buy a diamond sharpener and give it a try.


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## Dub (Jan 3, 2019)

Well done.

I have a knife that size/shape.

It's very useful and fits my hand well.


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## georgiaboy (Jan 4, 2019)

Let us know how it works out.


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## Anvil Head (Jan 4, 2019)

John is a superb knifemaker and good friend of a lot of us here. I would imagine if you contacted John, he would be more than happy to redress your blade(s). 
It is one of those quandries we makers are faced with - making a blade that will hold an edge for a long time and still have it "soft" (relative term) enough for the average person to sharpen in the field. 
Learning to sharpen a blade is not as easy as most imagine, learning to keep it sharp is a bit easier, but still a skill that must be learned. 
Also, it's not so much about hardness of the blade as it is alloy composition of the steel. Quality stainless steel blades are usually more difficult to sharpen due to the abrasion resistant properties created by the added alloy(s). Won't go technical here, but suffice it to say, we can produce a high carbon blade that is equal in Rockwell Hardness - Rc scale as any stainless blade. It will still be easier to sharpen on a stone or other device because it does not have the additional alloy composition and .... the blade will most often be a good bit more "brittle" than the stainless for the same reasons.
We all strive to make the very best we can and to please our customers by providing them with quality product. Bottom line comes with choice of the end user and what they are comfortable with per their experience. Contact John, I know he'd be happy to help you with this.
Georgiaboy has given good advice. 
Note: The *"heating it to a high temp then cooling"* that John had mentioned to you was in reference to the thermal cycling of the steel in order to get it to the refined hardness required of any serious blade. Not for you to try after the knife is complete.


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## Pointpuller (Jan 4, 2019)

Thanks Anvil,
I didnt mean to imply that I intended to heat it up.  Was just describing the method he told me he used to treat the blade so maybe some of y'all might have an idea of the type of steel and method to sharpen.  Love the knife and have zero complaints.  Just need to get the sharpening method figured out.


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## godogs57 (Jan 4, 2019)

John makes a great blade....pretty knives there!


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## Anvil Head (Jan 5, 2019)

Was hoping that was the case. Thermal cycling the steel is necessary to get the proper hardness, that and blade geometry are the soul of a good knife. That's where all the science, physics and math come to play. Diamond hones sound like your best bet.


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## georgiaboy (Jan 5, 2019)

Here’s the basics of how stainless works (usually) for knifemaking.  The blade starts as a piece of steel from a mill and is fairly soft.  Soft is relative but it’s relatively easy to drill/sand/grind initially, a file will readily cut it.  The steel is then cut/shaped, handle holes drilled and then the initial grind done.  That steel is then heat treated in a specialty oven.  When it comes out it’s super hard, like a file.  This is too hard and brittle and would probably break or chip if dropped on a concrete floor.  

This calls for the blade to be tempered (often 2-3 cycles for 2-3 hours each) which brings the hardness down to a “useable” level.  Some blades are also cryo treated (super cooled) before tempering.  There are other steps like foil wrapping, quenching in oil or between aluminum plates and other methods of protecting the steel during heat treat.  The temps vary but it’s common to heat stainless blades to over 1900 degrees, which is crazy hot when you think about it.  Tempering is more in normal baking temp ranges like 300-500.    

Too hard and it’s brittle; too soft and it won’t hold an edge long.   I’m almost certain that John outsourced his heat treat to Peters and they are probably the most respected commercial operation for knives.  Yours is probably around 60RC if I had to bet and will have been done right!

Just some info that is probably interesting to people who like knives and like to know how it’s done.


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## John I. Shore (Jan 29, 2019)

Hey Folks, been a while since I’ve been on here, finally back to check things and see this.  Thanks for the comments, hey Pointpuller, send me that knife, I’ll sharpen it up for ya, glad you like the pair, I remember them well.  The Steel is ATS34, heat treated by Peters Heat Treat and cryo’d to 300 below, they hardened out at RC 61.  So pack it up and send it, I’ll have it headed back the same, or next day.  John I.  1708 S Palmetto Ave, Sanford, FL 32771


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## Pointpuller (Jan 30, 2019)

Thank you sir!!!
They will be heading your way.


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## John I. Shore (Jan 30, 2019)

Good deal, will sharpen them up and have them back ASAP!


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## toolmkr20 (Feb 1, 2019)

Great looking knives.


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