edwennink

I got a black and a brown one of these from Sheplers in the US... http://www.sheplers.com/Mens/Mens-Belts-Buckles/Belts/Wrangler-Oil-Tanned-Leather-Belt/pc/1/c/21/sc/64/499.pro#BVRRWidgetID Cost me under $100 including post, almost 1/2 what one RMW would have, and took a week to get here!

G’day…I was born in ’52, got a slug gun for my 8th birthday, and apart from a couple of years backpacking around NZ and Europe, I’ve had rifles and hunted ever since…even for the 5 years I lived in LA. I’ve done a bit of ‘commercial shooting’ at various times, some ‘roos in Western Qld, some venison recovery in NZ, culled a few goats in NZ, did possum skins there for a little bit (Cyanide)…never hard enough, or for long enough at any of 'em to put me off hunting as a hobby, fortunately! Nowadays, apart from smacking cats or foxes, I really only shoot for my freezer...Sanglier (wild pork), Venaison (deer), Chevre (goat), Lievre (hare) and Lapin (rabbit), as the Frogs call 'em! (from Larousse Gastronomique...years in the restaurant business! ) I’ve done some doggin’, but not for a while…have an Amstaff X dog with no experience, and a Bull Arab X bitch pup coming along, though. My safe currently holds rifles in .17Rem, .22lr, .22 Hornet, .222, .222RemMag, .22/250, .243, .25/303, .270, .38/40, 32/20, and .410 and 12ga shotguns. Gun breeds I own are an Anschutz, Brno, Mauser, Sabatti, Sakos , Sauer , Savage and Winchesters… Live in Brisbane, not very far from the Belmont SSAA range, where I sight in and test / chronograph loads…That’s about it for me!

By 'bolster', do you mean 'guard'? http://www.knives.com/nomenclature.html

Queensland Gun Exchange have a fair variety, and also prices.

I have a couple of sheathed Dexter Russell 5.5" sheep skinners, one stainless, one carbon steel, and one sheathed Dexter Russell 6" curved boner, which also doubles as a sticker if needs be. http://www.everten.com.au/prod269.htm http://www.everten.com.au/prod598.htm ...and to keep 'em sharp... http://www.everten.com.au/prod281.htm Ed

Just a thin machine oil... Along the lines of Singer Sewing M/c oil, 3 in 1 oil, etc. Too thick clogs the stone, and too thin leaches the paraffin and wax out too quick. WD40 and RP7 and such are a bit thin, per se. NB. I noticed the other day that my local 'King of Knives' seems not to stock the Jewelstik diamond steels anymore...I have a Mundial one that I bought in the States almost 15 years ago, and it's still doing well, albeit a lot smoother than it was when I got it. Whatever you can find and whatever you can afford, I reckon...even the cheap ones seem to last quite well... What brand did you get for $35 Rono? Ed

This is my post from that old thread... "Before you go and outlay $120 at King of Knives for a Lansky sharpener, try this... Buy yourself a wax candle and a bottle of parafin and heat them together in an old pot or tin until the candle melts, and stir for a bit. Remove the candle wick. Now, take your '$2 whetstone' (assuming it's about 8" X 2", or so) and immerse it in the hot wax / paraffin mixture...leave the whole lot on a low/med heat until the little bubbles stop rising from the whetstone. (NB: Wash your whetstone in hot soapy water first, if it's been used a bit. Then rinse it well in clean hot water, and leave it to stand on it's end until dry!) Turn off the heat and leave to cool overnight. If you have a missus or a mum you live with, you might want to do this outside on your camp cooker or BBQ...there is an 'aroma'...but not enough to evacuate the neighbourhood! Next day, fish out the stone and clean off the excess wax / paraffin. If you got the mixture about right (50/50ish), you now have a stone that is self-lubricating, and will not instantly suck up any oil you put on it! Before this exercise, hopefully you've made a wooden box or platform for it to sit in, that extends about a third to halfway up the side of the stone, to stop it slipping about while you sharpen things on it! Put the stone coarse side uppermost in it's 'box'...put a little oil on it, to be sure... Leave your good knife in the safe, and get out some crappy old kitchen knife to practice on...even if you buy one from K mart for $10, and give it to the missus / neighbour when your done with it! It's an educational aid, and well worth it even if you wear it down to the handle! Holding the knife handle in your right hand, and with the fingers of your left hand on the back of the blade to help maintain a constant angle, put the heel of the knife on the stone at the left end, at about a 25% angle... less than a third of 90%, in other words. (reverse the above if you're a lefty). You will only learn the correct angle from experience...a very fine 'V' edge will cut extremely well, but won't last long before it needs a touch on the steel...a coarse 'V' edge will last much longer without resharpening, but take more effort to to use! This rule will also depend on the relative hardness and quality of the steel in the blade! Slide the knife across the stone from left to right, as if you were trying to take a fine slice off the top of the stone, starting with the heel and ending with the point at the end of the stroke. Take a couple of strokes, then turn over and take a couple in the opposite direction. Repeat, being as careful as possible to maintain a consistent angle to the stone on both sides. Find the balance point of the knife, usually around the junction of handle and blade, and holding the knife edge down, pull the edge lightly across the back of your thumb nail...carefully! If the knife is sharp, just the weight of the blade will make a shallow (and painless) groove in the back of your thumbnail. You will experience this by how easily the blade slides across the nail. The more blunt the blade, the easier it slides. Take another shallow stroke across the stone, and another reversed...try the blade on your thumb nail. Repeat until you can discern a sticky, cutting sensation across the nail, with the blade held lightly between thumb and index finger of the other hand. Turn the whetstone over so the fine side is uppermost, oil, and repeat the above until 'sharp'... Take half the $120 you were originally prepared to spend on the Lansky sharpening system down to King of Knives and buy yourself a $60(?) 10" Jewelstik diamond steel... Using the same angle and principle as you used with the stone, holding the steel upright in your left hand and the knife in your right, take a light stroke from the heel of the knife to the tip, downwards towards your left hand along the steel, down each side...test it on your nail... The 'sticky' cutting sensation should gradually become less 'hackly', as you slowly but surely remove the fine burrs and make the cutting edge keener and smoother... When your gut tells you it's right, try shaving the hair on your arm or thigh. Take another light stroke down the Jewelstik on each side...when it shaves well, take another really light stroke each side and put it away until you need to use it. Knife sharp, owner capable of resharpening as required... ! (The jewelstik can easily go bush with you, and touch up the edge of your hunting blade as you field dress your meat, unlike the Lansky system..) Over and out." Ed

I got my Canon S3 IS a month ago, but have not had a chance to study it seriously yet! Still awestruck by its capabilities! Got it online from camerastore.com.au . Basic cost was $582 512Mb Memory card (recommended by pro-photographer mate) $35 Powerbase AA Battery charger with 4 AA rechargeable Batts. $45 freight was $16 GST $61.64 Total delivered to door...$678.00 Ed

Rono, There's an interesting 2 page thread over on AHN about oilstones Vs. dry stones Vs. diamond stones, etc... Now even I'm confused! Ed

Rono, I'm not an expert on whetstones, I must admit! Over the years I have read various articles by knifemakers extolling the virtues of one type of stone over another, but I can't honestly say I've been able to tell a lot of difference myself. Actually, on reflection, that's probably not quite true! You CAN feel the difference using an expensive stone and a 'cheapy', but it would be difficult for me to say what makes it so! I've always managed to get my knives sharp on either! They are not that expensive anyway...aluminium oxide will work fine, not only for hunting, kitchen and pig-sticking knives, but also for chisels, plane blades, etc. Just getting a decent size is probably more important...anything under, say, 200mm X 50mm X 30mm deep is not much good to man or beast, and the bigger, the gooder! I bought an Arkansas oilstone for US$3 at a gun show in California in '91 and thought that was dirt cheap...I still have and use that stone! I have another one that was in storage for ten years while I was overseas, and I still use it too (upstairs and downstairs whetstones! )...though I don't remember what I paid for it. ...guess I've had it for about 25 years, so what you pay for one today won't matter when you're still using it in 30 years time! Don't use a stone that has not got a nice flat, unchipped surface ( top and bottom), coarse and fine sides! Give it the treatment I described in my post and it will serve you well for years. Just don't make the box out of 'craftwood' or particle board because it won't last...the ideal is some native floorboard offcuts or similar, and make two, one for a lid to protect it! Use a router and/or chisel to inlet the correct sized recess. Hope that helps ya! Ed

Guys, Just as an add-on... Rather than going to King of Knives and spending $60(?) on a 10" jewelstik, I've just remembered I know a cheaper place to get 'em...E.O.Everten Online in Sydney! www.everten.com.au Go to 'Chef's knives by Type - sharpening steels'...the 10" Jewelstik is listed at $38.90...plus $5.90 postage Australia wide = $44.80 ! While you're there, check out the Dexter Russell knives...go to 'Processing knives by Brand - Dexter Russell' (not to mention the other well-known brands...) I use the #10101, 5" Sheep Skinner as my general purpose hunting knife... and the #5548, Backswept boner as my sticker cum field dresser... Cheers, Ed

You are welcome, guys... Pleased to be of service! If you have any problems, feel free to ask...incidently, I have edited the original post, adding some refinements, so if you kept a copy of it, you might like to update it... (There's a few ex-butchers onboard, too, who probably know some tricks I don't...) Let me know how you go with the "Home Sharpening Course"! Ed

Hey, M.18... Before you go and outlay $120 at King of Knives for a Lansky sharpener, try this... Buy yourself a wax candle and a bottle of parafin and heat them together in an old pot or tin until the candle melts, and stir for a bit. Remove the candle wick. (NB: Wash your whetstone in hot soapy water first, if it's been used a bit. Then rinse it well in clean hot water, and leave it to stand on it's end until dry!) Now, take your '$2 whetstone' (assuming it's about 8" X 2", or so) and immerse it in the hot wax / parafin mixture...leave the whole lot on a low/med heat until the little bubbles stop rising from the whetstone. If you have a missus or a mum you live with, you might want to do this outside on your campcooker or BBQ...there is an 'aroma'...but not enough to evacuate the neighbourhood! Turn off the heat and leave to cool overnight. Next day, fish out the stone and clean off the excess wax / parafin. If you got the mixture about right (50/50ish), you now have a stone that is self-lubricating, and will not instantly suck up any oil you put on it! Before this exersize, hopefully you've made a wooden box or recessed platform for it to sit in, that extends about a third to halfway up the side of the stone, to stop it slipping about while you sharpen things on it! Put the stone coarse side uppermost in it's 'box'...put a little oil on it, to be sure... Leave your good knife in the safe, and get out some crappy old kitchen knife to practice on...even if you buy one from K mart for $10, and give it to the missus / neighbour when your done with it! It's an educational aid, and well worth it even if you wear it down to the handle! Holding the knife handle in your right hand, and with the fingers of your left hand on the back of the blade to help maintain a constant angle, put the heel of the knife on the stone at the left end, at about a 25% angle... less than a third of 90%, in other words. (reverse the above if you're a lefty). You will only learn the correct angle from experience...a very fine 'V' edge will cut extremely well, but won't last long before it needs a touch on the steel...a coarse 'V' edge will last much longer without resharpening, but take more effort to to use! This rule will also depend on the relative hardness and quality of the steel in the blade! Slide the knife across the stone from left to right, as if you were trying to take a fine slice off the top of the stone, starting with the heel and ending with the point at the end of the stroke. Take a couple of strokes, then turn over and take a couple in the opposite direction. Repeat, being as careful as possible to maintain a consistent angle to the stone on both sides. Find the balance point of the knife, usually around the junction of handle and blade, and holding the knife edge down, pull the edge lightly across the back of your thumb nail...carefully! If the knife is sharp, just the weight of the blade will make a shallow (and painless) groove in the back of your thumbnail. You will experience this by how easily the blade slides across the nail. The more blunt the blade, the easier it slides. Take another shallow stroke across the stone, and another reversed...try the blade on your thumb nail. Repeat until you can discern a sticky, cutting sensation across the nail, with the blade held lightly between thumb and index finger of the other hand. Turn the whetstone over so the fine side is uppermost, oil, and repeat the above until 'sharp'... Take half the $120 you were originally prepared to spend on the Lansky sharpening system down to King of Knives and buy yourself a $60(?) 10" Jewelstik diamond steel... Using the same angle and principle as you used with the stone, holding the steel upright in your left hand and the knife in your right, take a light stroke from the heel of the knife to the tip, downwards towards your left hand along the steel, down each side...test it on your nail... The 'sticky' cutting sensation should gradually become less 'hackly', as you slowly but surely remove the fine burrs and make the cutting edge keener and smoother... When your gut tells you it's right, try shaving the hair on your arm or thigh. Take another light stroke down the Jewelstik on each side...when it shaves well, take another really light stroke each side and put it away until you need to use it. Knife sharp, owner capable of resharpening as required... ! (The jewelstik can easily go bush with you, and touch up the edge of your hunting blade as you field dress your meat, unlike the Lansky system..) Over and out. Ed

I use a Dexter Russell 6" backswept boner for sticking...razor sharp! I prefer the backswept design because it also makes the knife more suitable for dressing out... Ed Oh, and I stick it it the same place Speedy does...in the throat, just ahead of the breastbone, with the sharp edge down and at about a 45 degree angle to the backbone...then, levering against the breastbone (so the handle goes towards the back legs and the blade towards the spine), I cut towards the first rib on each side, so the incision is vaguely 'arrow shaped'...this cuts both carotid arteries and the jugular vein...bleed-out is very, very quick!

Anyone who thinks they share my taste in knives might like to visit the site of the Sydney company, Everton Online, at www.everten.com.au, and take a look at the line of Dexter Russell processing knives. The plastic handled / stainless version of my Green River g/p knife, would be the #10101 SL12-5.25 Sheep Skinner @ $31.90. The 'later model' of my 'sticker', is the #5448 D.R. 6" Backswept Boner @ $23.90 For just sticking, I also like the look of that #10149 D.R. 6" Flex Straight Boner @ $26.90...its apparently available in yellow and der handled versions too! I have no idea who might make sheaths for them, so you'd have to try your local saddlemaker, as I mentioned in my earlier post... TM...Have my doubts about that electrical tape, mate...reckon I'd rather fork out a few bucks for a top quality, white-plastic-handled knife, than deal with the tape maybe coming unwrapped and going 'sticky-slippy' while I was arguing with a good pig! Ed

I have three main knives... If I'm out with dogs, I carry my old commercial Dexter Russell 'sani-safe' 6" boner from the meatworks, that's been across the steel so many times it looks like a slightly curved 'Arkansas Toothpick"...that's my favourite 'sticker', I had a sheath made for it by a local saddlemaker to carry it in... It's other advantages are the ruggedly non-slip handle(!) which is white, and thus easier to find if it gets dropped or put down, even at night or blood-covered. On the other hand, if the hunt is a "walkabout rifle carry", I have a general purpose, upswept drop-point, a J. Russell, Green River Knife Works, 'black steel', wooden-handled job, which is better for general gutting and/or skinning. It resembles the old traditional skinning blade ground back to a drop point...which coincidently, is exactly what I have done in the past to make a hunting knife... My other purpose-bought main knife is a blue-handled FDick with an 8" blade, which is specifically for breaking down carcasses... FYI. Ed