I looked in the archives and couldn't find this. I'm getting ready to mount a coon and future taxidermy will be mostly small mammals. I'm getting ready to buy a double handle fleshing knife, but not sure what size. I've found 10", 12", etc. Single edged, double edged, etc. Any opinions or help is appreciated.
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I have a 12" single edged fleshing knife for all my fleshing needs. The single "sharp" edge will let you cut all those stubborn areas and the flat side will push off the rest. You don't want to cut the whole thing. The whole idea is just to push off all the fat, meat, and membrane. The 12" knife would be a perfect size for just about anything. It'll take a while on large animals (deer, antelope etc..) and you'll have to be careful on smaller animals (mink,rabbit, squirrel, etc..) but that's my input.
on small game with a fleshing knife. The skin on them critters can be very thin! I have a bobcat that I thought was caught in a trap. But after I fleshed it. I came to the conclussion that it had died from a fight with another bobcat that must of had a knife. After all the wholes I seen in it...lol I am thinking very seriously about taking a sewing class at my local community college since I got into taxidermy :)
Listen to teddy,Bigger isnt always better , or faster in the long run.There are a varietiy of ways to get the job done, and some jobs are just plain labor intensive.Something as simple as a pair of table spoons ,one sharpened on one edge the other you can file serations on one edge .They both will work very well on facail areas where you need the most detail , and are a manageable size.Wire wheels also work well.Many folks have taken to a skife knife.Or a # 15 scalple blade for turning ears/splitting lips.#22 blade for general skinning. For larger(deer sized game and up , i prefer an Ulu Knife for rough fleshing.It's just my opinion, but a beaming knive is (in most cases) Way overkill on small game.
Thanks for the responses. Hope everyone has a great weekend.