Testing a Gut Hook
- Thread starter Wolfe
- Start date
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DrewBoyer
Guest
if it slices through paper it should be sharp enough.
Scott Davidson
Well-Known Member
I usually cut thru a piece of 9/10 oz leather . I think if it will cut the leather , it will cut the hide on an animal. Scott
UncleBillyKnives
Well-Known Member
Once I got the gut hook formed with a file, I chucked up a ceramic rod in the drill press, wrapped and taped 400 grit sand paper around it. After running this and getting it close, I used just the ceramic rod. It cut through deer hide like butter!
UncleBilly
UncleBilly
Frank Niro
KNIFE MAKER
I agree that angle may give cause to have to hold the kbnives on an angle that will cause the knife tip to want to cut the insides. Gut hooks see to work best when they are made like yours with a large hole but also when the cut out follows the back edge of the knife.This allows the front tip to lay parallel under the skin to the cut being made and not interferr with the insides of the animal. Frank
Like butter huh? I just spent over an hour more on this darn hook and it's still not good. Probably the last one I'll make. I used a chain saw file to make the bevel shallower using a sharpy marker to see when I got to the edge and the the dremel stone polish it. Sandpaper on a rod also. I have a 3/8" stone coming. if that doesn't do it I'm stumped.
UncleBillyKnives
Well-Known Member
I know what you are saying. My boss at work is a big fan of gut hooks. I'm not. But, that is what he wanted and I wanted to see if I could do it. I did it, and now I'm done. I don’t think I will do another one unless it is for someone special or the $$ is good.
UncleBilly
The way that I do them, is do all the shaping of the hook with a 1/4" chainsaw file, right down to a sharp edge, then wrap wet dry paper around the file, and starting with 220 grit and working up too 600 grit, you could use 1/4" steel rod or wood dowel rod as a sanding stick, instead of wraping the file. The most important thing is to use the same size sanding stick as your file is, and to make your bevel as flat as you can. Also if you can find 1/4" ceramic rods to sharpen it with, include one of those with the knife. My first guthooks were made using my Bader small wheel with a 1/2" wheel and freehand it in, the wheel was a little large to suit me, and it was hard to get both sides even, the file works best for me.
Hope this helps, Dale
Hope this helps, Dale
Cliff Fendley
Well-Known Member
The geometry is as important as the sharpness in order to get a gut hook to work right.
As Frank said you need the inside of the bend to follow the spine of the knife. The hook needs to be sharpened around to the point where it is cutting from the inside of the animal as much as possible but enough of the hook dull and wrap around enough where it doesn't just pull out or hang into a gut.
I hate gut hooks but have been able to get some to work pretty darn good.
Actually I don't hate gut hooks I just hate them on a knife. A dedicated gut hook is a fine tool.
As Frank said you need the inside of the bend to follow the spine of the knife. The hook needs to be sharpened around to the point where it is cutting from the inside of the animal as much as possible but enough of the hook dull and wrap around enough where it doesn't just pull out or hang into a gut.
I hate gut hooks but have been able to get some to work pretty darn good.
Actually I don't hate gut hooks I just hate them on a knife. A dedicated gut hook is a fine tool.
Scott Davidson
Well-Known Member
I have to say that i am with Cliff on this one. I don't hate guthooks anymore , since i learned how to make them work like they should. I like to make a dedicated gut hook, and a knife is another tool. I don't like them made together. When i make a seperatetool for gutting , i use a 1/2 wheel on the bader. When i am making one on a knife, i draw the hook out on the blade , drill out the back end of the hook and cut out the rest with a bandsaw. I find that making a guthook , it works best for me when i put all the angle " do all the grinding " on one side. This method seems to get sharper for me. I usually use at least a 1/4 inch drill bit , even larger when the knife pattern allows, to drill out the back end of the hook. I like to give plenty of room in the hook so things don't get packed up and stop the hide from passing thru.
Now this is just what works for me, and is only my opinion, but i don't try to see if it will cut paper , i guess its a good way to see how sharp it is. I don't use fine stones to try to hone the edge, i usually just grind down to about 400 grit, and this allows me to cut a piece of 10 oz leather with ease. Again this is just my way , and not meant to offend anyone. I am just trying to help , maybe this will. Scott
Now this is just what works for me, and is only my opinion, but i don't try to see if it will cut paper , i guess its a good way to see how sharp it is. I don't use fine stones to try to hone the edge, i usually just grind down to about 400 grit, and this allows me to cut a piece of 10 oz leather with ease. Again this is just my way , and not meant to offend anyone. I am just trying to help , maybe this will. Scott
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HELLGAP
Dealer - Purveyor
Sorry guys hold on . Gut hooks are a very difficult edge to sharpen YES EDGE . you arnt sharpeninga long blade but a curved hook shaped edge. This is the way ive found works better than anything ive seen or been told . You need a fairly large file I like a 3/8 or 1/2 inch round file to shape and start things and keep it even . I then move to the sand paper wraped around the file start at 220 and go to 600 then I use a dremel tool with creytex bullets in fine and extra fine in the 1/4 inch and bigger sizes . I get excellent results and never get complaints from my customers . To just sharpen the gut hook takes me 3 to 4 min . Keep it even and its always perfect. Some makers use a wedge or should I say single beveled edge for all of their gut hooks.
Scott Davidson
Well-Known Member
That sounds like a good way to do this also.Do you use any buffing compound on the cretex wheels , or is that all thats needed. Scott
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Cliff Fendley
Well-Known Member
Scott, that's exactly how I do it and have tried with and without buffing compound. The fine cretex wheels leave pretty much a mirror polish anyway.
I've seen some so bad that I took a carbide cutter and reworked it and worked my way down to the cretex.
That method is for making the guthook work but to really improve the knife use a good 50 or 60 grit on your grinder and the grind the gut hook off of the knife.
I've seen some so bad that I took a carbide cutter and reworked it and worked my way down to the cretex.
That method is for making the guthook work but to really improve the knife use a good 50 or 60 grit on your grinder and the grind the gut hook off of the knife.
Scott Davidson
Well-Known Member
Yes i hear ya . I have just got used to not using a gut hook . They seem to hang on everything. Scott
Scott Davidson
Well-Known Member
Do you guys see more gut hooks ground on one side , or ground on both sides to where the cutting edge meets in the middle. Scott
Cliff Fendley
Well-Known Member
I see mostly ground on both sides Scott but then I don't go out of my way to look at them. And Yeh, they do hang on everything. They are useful for the part of field dressing that takes a total of about 5-10 seconds with a good drop point and are a hindrance the rest of the time. It's not worth it to me to save a couple seconds when unzipping one.
On the plus side they are handy for hanging your knife on a limb to keep from loosing it and they can be very handy opening a bottle of pop but you don't see those type bottles much any more.
On the plus side they are handy for hanging your knife on a limb to keep from loosing it and they can be very handy opening a bottle of pop but you don't see those type bottles much any more.
