Dave Beck Hide Scraper Review and Give Away

I am always keeping my eye out for multi-use items to keep in my kit. I especially like compact and small items. So while I was cruising the forums I was very excited when I found the Hide Scraper that Dave Beck makes. I emailed Dave and told him I  would like to buy one of these tools and do a review. He replied that he had some in stock. When I got the package I found not one, but two Hide Scrapers. I thought that was pretty cool of him. So, I decided to give the new one to one of you folks. Onto the review.

With the two scrapers came a set of instructions. These detailed use and sharpening.

I am sure it works as advertised for cleaning skins, but I was interested in some other uses. One of the first things I thought it could be used for is a adze. To make this happen I needed a handle. I was trying to do this using tools from a small PSK. I choose a wire saw.

If you are going to make the adze you need something to drill a couple of holes, and a couple of screws. I used a SAK Farmer. This is probably the weakest application for this scraper.

My favorite way to improvise with this is making a chopper. To start the process I used the edge to split the end of the handle. The scraper also can be used to split wood for kindling or stakes.

A little 550 cord and it make a pretty effective hatchet. Lacing a few wraps through the screw holes stabilizes the blade.  It will loosen with continued use. But, it is better than nothing.

 I took a file and squared off one edge for use with a firesteel. The other side I was able to get sparks from a piece of chert. Pretty cool.

Because it is a scraper by design, it is great for cleaning up wood projects and removing bark.

I hope you can see why I was so excited about this product.

Check out Dave Beck's knives.

If you want to have a chance to enter the drawing for a brand new Dave Beck Hide Scraper, enter here.

Monkey Stomp on Bushcraft USA

I will let the drawing run for a week or so.
Thanks.