Has anyone here ever tried to make a knife out of your turkey leg/spur, like a small skinner? I've seen some pics online. I thought it would be a cool way to show the spurs and get to carry in my vest when I need to skin a bird.
Try giving a shout to my good friend Andy Snair, of Rockhill, Pa.
He makes all kinds of cool stuff including turkey leg bone knives. I'm sure he could help you out.
https://www.facebook.com/AndySnairCraftsCalls/
I've made a few for myself and friends.
I bought the blades. Hollowed out the led inside with a drill, file and wire brush (thats the hardest part). I used plumbers Epoxy Stick Putty to glue the knife blade in the leg and also to form a cap over both ends. If you dampen the Epoxy Putty a little it is easier to form. The stuff dries pretty hard, almost like metal and is dark gray color.
The instructions I had said to peel the outer scales off the leg as the scales will dry out and turn white. I did that on one knife and didn't like the look of it. Made the knife handle kind of thin too. I don't think peeling the scales is really necessary tho. I have left some natural and sprayed several coats of satin polyurethane on the handle and it seems ok to me. I have also painted the scales and that works too if you want to go that route.
A smallish blade is best. I made one bigger blade that is sort of a fish fillet knife but the blade is a touch big for the handle. Still works ok tho.
Pretty cool! Thanks for sharing.
Andy Snair makes some nice looking ones. He is also on Facebroke if you are there.
Real nice...
Love the way those black ones look!
:drool:
Do you use epoxy to hold it in? Does that work? Let me ask this...is this really usable or more for show, cause I really like the looks of this. Great job!
Quote from: jhoward11 on March 29, 2023, 12:46:51 PM
Do you use epoxy to hold it in? Does that work? Let me ask this...is this really usable or more for show, cause I really like the looks of this. Great job!
The plumbers putty is an epoxy, see link. It comes on a sort of stick, you cut off the amount you need and mix it together. You got about 5 minutes before it starts to stiffen a bit and become harder to work. Like I said, if you dampen it a touch, it forms easier to make a smoother surface. There is enough in a tube you can practice with a small piece.
The link is to Ace, probably cheaper at Home Depot, Lowes, whatever. It comes in white also but I would avoid that.
https://www.acehardware.com/departments/plumbing/solvents-and-cements/plumbers-putty-and-sealers/48526?store=14666&gclid=Cj0KCQjww4-hBhCtARIsAC9gR3YKJ3D3KzQDEoinxoA8vd55qjtErNh3rY1RtIryEX-vwuhHA0cpSNsaAheSEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
One thing I forgot to mention (and it wasn't in the instructions I had, just thought of it on my own) is I took my grinder and put 3 notches in the tang of the blade. Could be done with a file. This was to hopefully get some of the plumbers putty to squeeze in the notches and have a better grab on the blade.
Yes the knife is good to use. The spur fits nice between my index and middle fingers. I think a smaller (and duller) spur like 3/4" to 1" works better. Save the 1 1/2" for a trophy display. :) There is a slight difference between the left & right leg of a turkey. Just cut the legs off at the joint and see which one feels best for you.
By the way...the knives are a bit lighter than the pic shows, more of a dark gray not black. But you can paint whatever color you like. I used a hammer type spray paint on mine. Put blue tape on the blade to avoid getting paint on it.
I've seen some pics of the skinner type blade. I think a Damascus blade would look cool too. I was thinking, I can hang 1 spit on my fan mount and make a knife if the other. If I get tired of the knife, I can just cut and drill everything back to the spur. I like sentimental stuff, though the knife would be cool for skinning my future gobblers.