gryphon

There are some good pieces here, a Green River blank for $10 gets you real quality carbon steel,a few bucks for pins etc and make a handle for yourself from whatever grabs you,maybe a bit of antler,bone or some exotic wood you have around the joint. http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/SubList.aspx?catId=9 and also here for those that want to try making from kits or even buying a finished job. http://www.texasknife.com/vcom/index.php

imagine a red hot (white hot) billet of metal belted flat then folded then flattened then folded...with an air hammer some billets of steel are folded 1500 times. I spoke to a Damascus cutler that was folding 1200 times by hand!

GD put some pics of your knives up with some details can you,I will eventually get myself a Dammy or three.

Remind me to pull `em out next time you lob mate,they are good tough knives,the middle one is in the tractor cab as I use it for gutting silage bags ,they will blunt a knife quickly and she works well.Ask me about steels too. (sharpening ones)

Hoy stalker the two smaller knives except the Green River skinner were made from old cross cut saw blades, they are high carbon steel which is grouse for knives imo and to me as an ex slaught better than SS. Anyway my mate Kelvin made them for me and i still use them to this day. The GR steel is as good as it gets and is renowned for its quality. GR blanks can be had for $10 USD

I have had input on boots previously a few times as I have used all sorts for 30 years for sambar hunting which is very tough on footwear...this 30 doesnt count all the years before that on other species. Anyway I still buy them if i see a bargain and continue to use every pair in my boot locker as evidenced in the pic...I dont clean them,let the grass do that! I dont oil them much either as most are Cordura type material or other syn stuff. The Irish Setters I wore to NZ are top boots (3rd from left front) but did buckle slightly under even tougher conditions in one of the side panels which has suggested to me in future that this type are limited to easier hunting..stands to reason eh as the more panels sewn together the more can go wrong...NZ high country Sth Island hunting does require quality boots and although the IS`s did the trip wonderfully and with much hunting pre and post that trip the panel stitching and not enough overlap means that type wont be going back there. I have gone off the Rocky`s I have worn and own.. good boots but not good enough for me though I still wear them. Danners are good,but haven't been to NZ. The wet weather/snow /mud boots are used on the farm here and in the bush camps too,no cold feet with them.

There`s no such thing as 'waterproof' if you are hunting where you cross rivers and creeks as the water comes in over the top of the boot and stays in tooyou cant keep it out for long. Recent NZ hunt..we crossed the river 100 yards from the truck and the feet were wet for the next ten days as it was cross more of them or actually walk up the creeks,no boot can stand that sort of stuff but it can be more comfortable than the much cheaper jobs. My third toenail only came off last night from that hunt btw.

First pair of Hi-Teks of mine were the only pair,I blew them apart on a 10 day hunt in the "gatta in 93,never will own that brnd again. I did 12 days in NZ`s toughest country a month or so back and wore Irish Setters,they were a great grippy boot but the water proofing factor means nothing if you are crossing creeks and rivers daily. Main thing is for stiffish and tough boots and a bit of height for max ankle support...Meindels are available under the Cabelas home brand,same boot but re branded cabs and are 1/2 the price here of M branded`s

I grabbed Rono`s Piranta to do some work on that little stag he shot recently ferk! bang, broke the blade on the first go,threw it to the shite house and reached into my pack for my Green River skinner..with the appropriate words added. I carry a scalpel but its for doing some of the finer work around the head skin,skinning knives are made for skinning scalpel blades arent,at least not for the big animals that is. A two hand grip and an upward thrust will split through the brisket so as to access the organs on the meat animals much easier too.

No it was made in Sweden AH

Exquisite alright,heres another knife carrying the same handle material that I was sent a lump of..wild briar root from Spain.Alas its not mine,check the dammy blade out!

Yes its what they say it is. I haven't been in any torrential downpours for hours as yet as there hasn't been any when I have been hunting but it has coped with any of the other rainy days etc and is tough as all shite and the cam`s pretty good as well going on the animals that haven't twigged me.I often have it on when I ride the quad on the cold shitty days and thats a good test and it`s worth putting on. I put a pic up of Worm wearing it sitting under a tree to show the great camo qualities,its here somewhere but I cant find it. Link here to a pic of it on my back.Well the link wont work so maybe one of the mods can fix it please. Its the hog deer days thread http://www.aushunt.com.au/Forum/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1

I had it tonight when i took this pic of one caught in the open

-35C where in Antarctica? Or in a snap chiller NZ walk into the first camp of my recent hunt was one where I got rid of the gaiters, the beanie, the R/line Roar coat and the shorts and walked the next 6.5 hours for 17 k`s in constant rain in my poly pro lj`s and long sleeved top..the Kiwi boys with me at the same time wore gaiters,long strides and gore tex jackets with beanies..and this walk was in a long river valley with all peaks on both sides snow covered so it shows how different folk have vastly different temps,cotton wouldnt have done it at all as it when wet will make you very cold. I did have all sorts of catalogue goodies to put on "in case"

skivvies? Not if they are cotton as cotton gear is a hypo death trap in the wrong place when its wet,either wool or polypropolene..I wore polypro`s in top and bottoms at NZ`s Southern Alps last month and they were very good. Layer up and dont rely on this and that single wonder garment.