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The Blade

Unless otherwise specified, your knife was made with a ‘High Carbon Steel’ (1095, 1084, 1075, D2-Tool Steel or 440C). Because it is NOT ‘Stainless Steel’ you will need to take care of your knife or it will rust (stainless also will rust under the right circumstances).  Also it will obtain a ‘Patina’ with use. This (and any rust) can be easily removed with a green scrub pad and some powder cleanser or you can use a 1000/1200 grit sandpaper, used very lightly. Apply an oil to the surface from time to time, any oil will work but I use A.G. Russell’s ‘Rust Stop’ (Food Safe). I’ve had the bottle several years now and it still almost full. So a very tiny dab is applied and spread VERY CAREFULLY with your finger or use a cotton swab.  Start at the spine and rub down towards the edge. Do NOT store the knife in it’s sheath for extended periods of time as the chemicals used on the leather will eventually cause corrosion (even on stainless).

How often should you sharpen your knife? I use a ‘High Carbon Steel’ because it will produce and hold a wicked edge, and is easy to sharpen – EXCEPT – the D2. Although this steel will hold an edge the longest, it is B-itch to put an edge on it, so keep it sharp.  There is a picture on the website of my friend Bill holding up his “Kenai Moose Skinner’ in front of a moose he just skinned all the way through without having to sharpen the blade. Just make sure you sharpen it at home before going out into the bush.

The other steels can be ‘Touch-up’ sharpened in the field if necessary. Let me say here that it is MUCH easier to “Maintain” an edge than to put a new edge back on the knife. I ‘Touch-up’ sharpen my knives after every day of hard use and give it (and all our kitchen knives) full sharpening once a month.  Get yourself a small ‘Diamond Sharpener’ in either med or fine (not expensive). Give the blade a few light strokes and that will keep it sharp. The black sand paper for metal also works very well.  I use 220 grit to start and go to 400 or 500 grit to finish. I use ‘Birthwood Casey Gun Oil’ as a lubricant.

Now – different companies use different angles of degrees to put on their edge. My knives – place the edge perpendicular to the stone surface. That is 90 deg. Split that in half and you get 45 deg. Half of that is roughly 23 deg. That’s the angle of the blades edge. For kitchen knives or Filleting knives, tilt that down just a couple more deg to roughly 17 deg. I find that if I highlight the edge with a black marker, I can see if all of the edge is getting hit and that it’s at the right angle.

The Handle

With use the handle of your knife will become worn. To keep it looking new, use a 320 or 400 grit sandpaper for wood and sand it very lightly. I use ‘Birchwood Casey’ gun stock care products on all my wood handles. Apply a light coat of ‘Tru-Oil’ let it dry, hit it with steel wool, wipe it off. Repeat as often as necessary. You can then apply several coats of ‘Filler Sealer’ or not as Tru-oil works just fine. Almost all of the wood I use is “Stabilized” in a ‘Vacuum Chamber’ while submerged in resin. This hardens and help prevent the wood from splinting and helps prevent wear.

The knives with horn, antler, or bone should not need anything. I stabilize these using multiple coats of thin ‘CA Glue’. Be warned – this glue is very toxic. Use a respirator and have lots of air circulation if you use it. I occasionally use synthetic products (i.e. Macarta) that do not really require any care beyond keeping it clean.

The Sheath

I use only top quality leather for my sheaths from Tandy. I use waxed thread or ‘Faux Sinew’ for the stitching. The sheath is treated with ‘Mink Oil’, ‘Neatsfoot Oil’ and ‘Renaissance Wax’ for the polish and conditioning of the leather. It’s what museums use to restore and preserve old leather.

This knife was inspired by a suggestion from a friend who is an experienced, avid hunter. The design is based upon the Cattaraugus from the 1880s. My friend gave many suggestions throughout the development process and I am confident this will be a welcomed addition to any hunter’s collection of working knives. The knife pictured here is the first Kenai Moose Skinner and is already sold. It is a custom build for a client in Alaska. The overall length of the knife is 9″ and the blade alone is 4 3/16″. The blade width is 1 3/16″ and 5/32″ thick.

This knife is made using ‘D-2 Carbon Steel’. I use this steel in the more expensive knives that I make because D-2 is considered by many to be the best carbon steel for knife blades. The combination of superior abrasion resistance and toughness is the result of it’s high carbon and high chromium content.

Unlike the high carbon steel I use in my more economical knives, it is not easy to sharpen so you want to make sure it’s sharp before you head out hunting. On the up side, it holds an edge really well and if properly sharpened should last through the entire animal skinning. Remember that a sharp edge is easier to maintain than it is to put an edge back on a dull knife. Sharpen often.

It is NOT ‘Stainless Steel’ even though it contains chromium, so it needs care and attention to prevent corrosion. This is nothing major, it just means that you clean and dry off the knife after use and put a thin film of rust blocker such as A.G. Russel’s ‘Rust Free’ or some other oil (which I do to every knife before it goes out) regularly. And as with any knife, do not store it in it’s sheath for long periods of time as the chemicals used in tanning process will cause corrosion.

No two knives will be exactly the same because I ‘Electro-Etch’ the blade, which makes every knife unique and the purchaser can choose the wood used in the handle.

For the handle of this knife I used ‘Desert Iron Wood’. For finishing the wood handles of my knives I now use ‘Birchwood/Casey’ gun stock finishing. So maintaining the knifes handle is easy. I also treat each knife handle with Sealer & Filler, Tru-Oil, and Gun Stock Wax to give them a rich, long lasting finish.

You can order your own custom Kenai Moose Skinner for $225 by emailing me at moondogknives at gmail dot com. I accept PayPal, Zelle, Google Pay, and Popmoney and require a 50% deposit on all orders. Approximate wait time on order fulfillment is one month as each knife is individually built.

This series of four knives are designed to be a Day Hike or Light Camp Knife so I’ve named them the ‘Day Tripper’. You get a lot of value for your money. I make affordable, functional, and dependable ‘Works-of-art’ that you can pass down to your children.

The steel is 1084 High Carbon that I’ve electro-etched. These knives are handcrafted from start to finish. I start with a bar of 1084 steel, draw on the design; rough cut it out; grind out the shape; bevel it; sand it; sand it some more; drill holes for the pins; send it off for heat treating; get it back and then decide what etching effects and handle material I want to use. Each handle is hand shaped, sanded, and finished. I am now using ‘Birchwood/Casey’ gun stock products exclusively. I start with the ‘Filler/Sealer, then ‘Tru-Oil’ and finish with ‘GunStock Wax’ (multiple coats of each).

Once the knife is done, then comes the designing of a sheath for it. I use a #8-9 weight leather for the one piece. For the two (or more) piece sheath, I use a #12 weight for the back piece and #8-9 for the front and straps. Stains, designs and stitching are all done by hand by me.

Are they flawless? No. They are not mass produced, laser guided CNC machined by the dozens. Each and every one is unique and no two are exactly the same. So, if you are at all interested in supporting a struggling ‘Artisan’ please PM me for a price.

SOLD – DT001 – American Oak and American Walnut with Cinnamon & Black G-10 liners.

DT002 – This one (above) started out as a very light colored Magnolia but I found that it attracted dirt very easily, so I hit it with a Burgundy dye and used Green G-10 liners.

DT003 – Lacewood with yellow G-10 liners.

SOLD – DT004 – Black and white Ebony with Gray & Black G-10 liners.

You can order your own custom knife by emailing me at moondogknives at gmail dot com. I accept PayPal, Zelle, Google Pay, and Popmoney and require a 50% deposit on all orders. Approximate wait time on order fulfillment is one month as each knife is individually built.