2020 GEC #62 Easy Pocket Congress and Pocket Carver Thread

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I wanted a black micarta, but don't know if I want to pay shipping back over here. As it is I'm not excited about much beyond my red jigged bone model. Id like a desert Ironwood if I KNEW I could get a really nice grain one. Otherwise I'm thinking I don't need it. :D
 
EngrSorenson said:
I hate to admit it, but if I feel like something is rare I’m more likely to jump on it. I hate that about myself. I think it’s what kids these days call “FOMO”. The production runs lately all seem pretty large.
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I have a white bone on order and thinking about the snake wood just because I don’t have anything in that kind of cover, but this pattern is kind of “meh” to me.
 
EngrSorenson said:
I hate to admit it, but if I feel like something is rare I’m more likely to jump on it. I hate that about myself. I think it’s what kids these days call “FOMO”. The production runs lately all seem pretty large.
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I'm guilty of the same thing. This game can mess with your mind if you let it.

I love the 62 pattern. 2-blade single spring knives are my jam. I work in an office, so it fits daily life. That said, I've bought 2, and have 3 more reserved. And given the lack of excitement from others over the run, I'll likely have to sell at a loss if I pass any along in the near term. But, that's fine, that's the price I pay for getting my hands on them and picking which ones I like best.

The key is buying what actually speaks to you, not what you think will be popular. (A message to myself as much as anyone else)
 
It's kind of refreshing to be able to actually think about the purchase instead of the crazy scramble most of last year's drops became. Funny thing is one was listed on the bay for $400 and it's still in stock at multiple dealers for <$90.

I love the two I've landed during this drop. I find this pattern to be a very pocket friendly knife that fills most of my admittedly lightweight daily knife needs quite nicely.

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Never understood why people are drawn to a knife only because of perceived rarity, it implies they are certainly never going to be able use it ;):rolleyes: If I like the look of the scales and the pattern it's immaterial to me if it's common or scarce , plus really find some of the frenzy about 'drops' to be sheer droppings :D Quite a lot of Northwoods knives are drooled over solely because of rarity or difficulty in buying one when the scales are of questionable taste and perhaps durability.

Fortunately, tastes are not congruent:)
 
Others must know more than I do about wood and the changes that can happen to it?

Is it true that Snakewood loses its markings when exposed to light and soon becomes a dull brown? How about Desert Ironwood? Does that turn to a uniform boring bit of timber?

Osage Orange certainly changes from fairly bright yellow to an ochre but I like the change and the rings or grain seems to stay alive.
 
I've read about the dark spots in some of the unicorn ivory. When I started out hunting unicorn sheds with my grandfather I was so little I couldn't even carry one. The ivory was always a gleaming white, with occasional silver sparkles. Poaching by Chinese herbalists and clandestine Southern toothpick makers lead to the controversial listing of unicorns as endangered species in the 1970s, and the closure of many areas to shed collecting in order to protect habitat. Knife manufacturers were forced to begin using farm-raised unicorn ivory. It started out as a pretty good substitute for wild ivory, a little more 'cream' colored perhaps, and the sparkles went away due to the lack of naturally occurring minerals in the water, but it was usually free of any real discoloration or defects. Unfortunately, there has been a huge consolidation of the unicorn ranching industry. Large corporations have swallowed up the smaller family run free range operations. Always looking to maximize shareholder profits, they too often use a low-grade unicorn feed. That, combined with fluoridated water and the stress levels induced by more crowded, industrial-scale conditions, results in a much poorer grade of ivory, often containing the dreaded dark spots. Some counterfeit GEC knockoffs sold on Ebay have even been found to have scales made of jackalope antler! Luckily these are easily identified by their "Norffield" or "Tidoot" labeling, and unpleasant odor. So when it comes to unicorn ivory, please, do your homework and 'buyer beware'.
 
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i think osage orange gains a lot with time and exposure, and most other woods tend to darken but that is only the surface layer, which can be refreshed if you are very gentle and careful.

I sure hope the carvers have the crown shield and say "pocket carver" or I might spiral into a deep funk and wear a paper Burger King crown on my head around town.
 
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Elgatodeacero said:
i think osage orange gains a lot with time and exposure, and most other woods tend to darken but that is only the surface layer, which can be refreshed of you are very gentle and careful.

I sure hope the carvers have the crown shield and say "pocket carver" or I might spiral into a deep funk and wear a paper Burger King crown on my head around town.
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Smooth knives will have smooth shields. So no writing.
 
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