A sticking knife is primarily an agricultural tool. Sticking knives resemble

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

s in shape and function, but are made for the utilitarian purpose of "sticking" or bleeding out

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

in home butchering.Meat Slaughtering and Processing
Dillon, C, E. 1947. In some cases the animal would die directly from

blood loss Bleeding, hemorrhage, haemorrhage or blood loss, is blood escaping from the circulatory system from damaged blood vessels. Bleeding can occur internally, or externally either through a natural opening such as the mouth, nose, ear, urethra, vag ...

, where in others the animal would be killed beforehand and hung by the hind legs to bleed out.

Description

A sticking knife usually consists of a double edge pointed blade approximately six inches long. Blades are traditionally made of

high carbon steel Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content from about 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states: * no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, coba ...

(such as 1095). Handles are simple, consisting usually of two

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

scales riveted through the full, flat blade

tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...

. Sticking knives generally lack any kind of guard. Sticking knives are generally inexpensive and rugged, making them a viable choice for

gardener A gardener is someone who practices gardening, either professionally or as a hobby. Description A gardener is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner suppleme ...

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

s and

sportsmen An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-develo ...

Production

Few companies continue to produce sticking knives.

Firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

s have generally replaced the sticking knife in home livestock processing. Most

slaughterhouse A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility. Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...

s use humane killers, which project a

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

rod through the skull of the animal.Meat Science and Applications
Hui, Y, H et al. 2001. Retrieved: 04/05/18 Because sticking knives are so infrequently used, a home

butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesal ...

may choose another type of knife that would serve other purposes as well. A boning knife or narrow hunting knife is commonly used in place of the more specialized sticking knife. The Ontario

cutlery Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware), includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. The city of Sheffie ...

company continues to produce traditional sticking knives in their "old hickory" knife line. Some people may still want a sticking knife for chores other than slaughtering livestock. Although double edged blades are usually considered by

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...

as weapons,Armed for Personal Defence
Ahern, J. 2010. Retrieved: 04/05/18 in situations where they are acceptable they have a few advantages. Having twice the edge length of a single edge knife they can be used longer between sharpenings. This advantage may be offset however because the thumb of the cutting hand can't press against the spine of the blade. With a single edged blade thumb pressure is often exerted for heavy cutting chores.

References

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