Thread: Fish filleting knives

Originally Posted by RezDog

Well I can’t tell anymore. It’s very old. It is from Finland, I remember that, I’ve had it for likely 40 plus years. Has that company ways been called Rapala?

I don't know how long Rapala has been around but the handle design is typical for Finnish knives.

Bob

The one I posted is around that old. I've had it since my early teens. Their over 50 years in the making, by what the company says.

Rapala knives were Martini knives before Rapala bought them out in the early 2000’s. Now they are inexpensive stainless steel, but the old Martinis were carbon or carbinox, a better grade of stainless.

The old Martini’s had the brand name engraved on the blade, by hand in script. Before Martini there were Puukko knives by Frost and company, (a consortium of Finnish cutlers that made knives under the Frost -Erickson brand but signed them in the fuller), that later became Mora. Vintage Martini’s and Frost Puukko’s can bring well over a hundred dollars and those with birchbark handles and or sheaths even more to collectors, they are highly collectable.

The new Rapalas are made of inexpensive Stainless, but as said it all depends on what you are doing with it and how it is sharpened. You can certainly sharpen a stainless knife well enough to clean and filet a couple fish. But for serous work get old carbon steel. You can pick up an old Ontario or Dexter carbon steel filet knife for $5-10 at any antique swap meet or flea market. Honed on a 600-diamond plate, it will cut fish all day long, and easily touched up on a diamond plate.

New “high carbon” stainless Dexter’s are about $20. The trick to fileting is a sharp knife with a bit of give in the blade to follow the spine and ribcage down the spine.

Yes, Puukko is a typical Finnish belt knife design but in use refers to a knife.

Bob

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Rapala knives were Martini knives before Rapala bought them out in the early 2000’s. Now they are inexpensive stainless steel, but the old Martinis were carbon or carbinox, a better grade of stainless.

The old Martini’s had the brand name engraved on the blade, by hand in script. Before Martini there were Puukko knives by Frost and company, (a consortium of Finnish cutlers that made knives under the Frost -Erickson brand but signed them in the fuller), that later became Mora. Vintage Martini’s and Frost Puukko’s can bring well over a hundred dollars and those with birchbark handles and or sheaths even more to collectors, they are highly collectable.

The new Rapalas are made of inexpensive Stainless, but as said it all depends on what you are doing with it and how it is sharpened. You can certainly sharpen a stainless knife well enough to clean and filet a couple fish. But for serous work get old carbon steel. You can pick up an old Ontario or Dexter carbon steel filet knife for $5-10 at any antique swap meet or flea market. Honed on a 600-diamond plate, it will cut fish all day long, and easily touched up on a diamond plate.

New “high carbon” stainless Dexter’s are about $20. The trick to fileting is a sharp knife with a bit of give in the blade to follow the spine and ribcage down the spine.

Mine has the Martini signature, with original, leather sheath, and birch handle.




But I doubt it worth that kind of cheddar.

“Puukko” knives were utility knives that were made in a variety of blade designs, but commonly were what became known as Scandi ground, work knives. Prior to Martini making fishing knives for Rapala that style of narrow, thin blade design was in use by knife makers, (though shorter blades) by the Finnish cutlers of the Frost -Erickson consortium and before.

Depending on use, Puukko knives were designed or modified/reground for specific use. A fisherman could buy or regrind a thinner pointier blade. There is no single vintage, Puukko knife blade design.

I have a collection of vintage Puukko knives by a variety of Fin, makers. Most all have a bit different blade design. The early knives were not all factory made.

I bought this one, just this morning. With a much narrower blade and of Carbon steel. The horse head is an old traditional pommel design, as is this style of leather sheath. This knife was most probably not a working knife but more of an up-scale presentation knife, where the gift of a knife is considered a high honor.

It should clean up nicely.

Mike, that is one of the old Rapala’s made by Martini with the better blades.

The handle is Birch, the Birch bark handles were glued & stacked bark, similar to the leather stacked handles on old Kbars.

Sheath were also woven from strips of wet Birch bark. So if you see one in the wild, might be worth picking up.

One on the good ones that will take and hold an edge.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Mike, that is one of the old Rapala’s made by Martini with the better blades.

The handle is Birch, the Birch bark handles were glued & stacked bark, similar to the leather stacked handles on old Kbars.

Sheath were also woven from strips of wet Birch bark. So if you see one in the wild, might be worth picking up.

One on the good ones that will take and hold an edge.

Hmmm. Don't think I've ever seen one of those. I shall look more closely, while on my hunts in the wilds.

Mine also originally had script writing on the blade. Likely the martini brand then. Second blade in my picture is a Mora, but not one of the old Mora knives. It’s probably only ten or fifteen years old. Once upon a time I had quite a few frost knives, they were all older knives and were great. None of them float though.

Originally Posted by RezDog

Mine also originally had script writing on the blade. Likely the martini brand then. Second blade in my picture is a Mora, but not one of the old Mora knives. It’s probably only ten or fifteen years old. Once upon a time I had quite a few frost knives, they were all older knives and were great. None of them float though.

That is from the little people that live under the water. They can't start fires to forge anything so they have magnets that they pull anything steel like knifes over the edge of the boat or down the hole of your ice fishing shack.