Ontario Butcher Knife

[Barry the Bear]

What's the general consensus on the Ontario butcher knife? I just bought one with the intent on a beater hunting knife, I've seen generally favorable reviews but I prefer the good folks on thr's site for the best reviews.

 

[JShirley]

Good for what it is. Takes a good edge, sharpens easily, will rust if not oiled frequently.

 

[Barry the Bear]

Yeah the rust is not especially enticing I'm going to try and force a patina on it to help it out.

 

[hso]

Clean it and Cerakote it?

 

[Barry the Bear]

Thats a that but Id like to keep it more rustic in view. I may cerakote some of my more expensive knives however.

 

[bannockburn]

Barry the Bear

I have an old 6" boning knife from Ontario Knives that I bought back in the '70s. Very inexpensive and got it mainly to use on camping trips. I sanded down the edges of the wood scales and made a small cutout for my thumb to make it feel a little more comfortable in my hand. It takes a decent edge and I occasionally wipe it down with a thin coating of RIG Gun Grease to keep rust from forming. Still works fine and looks really decent after all these years.

 

[hso]

cerakote some of my more expensive knives howeve

Your property, but please let us know what you mean by "expensive knives".

 

[Barry the Bear]

I guess I mean I wouldnt pay for a pro job on a knife that cost 10 bucks , I may however put that kind of a coat on some of my more costly knives like my Kabars or carbon steel cold steel blades. I dont have any crazy expensive knives like many here have I think the most I've ever spent on a knife was about 109 even .

 

[22-rimfire]

I would just keep it oiled before you take it to the woods and when you return. No sense in spending much money on such a knife. How are you going to carry it?

 

[John Joseph]

IMHO it is pretty easy to get a good patina going on these---rust is minimal afterwards

 

[Barry the Bear]

I have a hiking bag where I have taped the sheath to vertically so it's pretty fast to deploy. I have also done an orange patina on it last night.

 

[hso]

"orange patina"???

 

[Barry the Bear]

Sorry I should've been more specific I used an orange to form a fruit patina on the blade

 

[Bama Drifter]

Love Ontario blades, esp @ yard sale and estate sale prices. But I keep 'em sharp, rub the blades with mineral oil, and hang them on kitchen knife magnet.

Edit: just reread thread. I'm thinking Old Hickory... but same care would apply if I had any Ontario products.

 

[Barry the Bear]

Love Ontario blades, esp @ yard sale and estate sale prices. But I keep 'em sharp, rub the blades with mineral oil, and hang them on kitchen knife magnet.

Edit: just reread thread. I'm thinking Old Hickory... but same care would apply if I had any Ontario products.

Ontario makes Old Hickory Knives.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I own over a dozen of them. Their great and they can get razor sharp edge.

 

[bannockburn]

Barry the Bear

Went looking for my Ontario but couldn't find it with the rest of my knives. Probably off somewhere with some other gear I set aside for camping. Did come across an old Russell Green River Works Boning knife with a 5" blade that I also bought around the same time as the Ontario knife. Did the same thing with rounding off the edges of the wood scales and added some tacks to the handle for a little decoration. Varnished the wood and wiped down the blade every so often with some RemOil, Hoppe's Gun Oil, or RIG Gun Grease. The sheath was just some inexpensive leather one I picked up when I got the knife. Probably paid less than $10 for everything back in the day.

 

[Barry the Bear]

Love the looks of that knife!

 

[bannockburn]

Barry the Bear

Thanks for the compliment. Nice design, takes a decent edge, and a handy knife to have around for camping trips.

 

[bannockburn]

Barry the Bear

Found the Ontario "Old Hickory" Boning knife. It was the Russell knife that had the thumb cutout, not the Ontario. Still in great shape after all these years.

 

[C0untZer0]

Do you have a picture of the knife with the thumb cutout?

 

[Jim Watson]

I once ground a Case butcher knife to a spear point and Tru-Oil finished the handle.
It took a sharp edge and held it reasonably well.
Probably 90% as functional as a Major Big Name knife for 10% the price.

 

[bannockburn]

COuntZerO

That would be the Russell Green River Works knife that I posted before the Ontario Old Hickory knife. The cutout, more like a small shallow notch, was on the left side of the knife.

 

[C0untZer0]

I guess I don't know what a thumb cutout is. I thought it would be a section of the spine where you place your thumb:

.

 

[jaysouth]

You can "pickle" the carbon steel finish with vinegar or lemon juice. Degrease the blade with acetone. Wrap paper towels around the blade and soak with vinegar. Put in a plastic bag and let set overnight. Wipe clean and oil. It will not rust again.

The effect is sort of a mottled finish that could be mistaken for damascas at a distance.