33 Days with a #66

WhittlinAway

WhittlinAway

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Feb 11, 2016
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July 3, 2017—Day 1

I'm fascinated with jigged bone handles: the variety of jigging styles, the broad spectrum of dye treatments, and, above all, how gracefully they mature with age and use. For as long as I've been coming to the porch I've enjoyed looking at the jigged bone beauties shown by the members here. I wonder about the stories the smooth, warm, time-worn ones have to tell. I imagine how the new ones will look after they've been tumbled in pocket and held in hand for a few years.

Despite all that admiration, I haven't yet carried a bone-clad knife with any frequency. The few in my collection aren't in patterns to which I gravitate for daily use.

That changed on Friday with the arrival of a GEC #66 in Antique Autumn Jigged Bone. I'm a fan of the medium stockman pattern and I think GEC did a wonderful job on this one in terms of both knife and handles. I expect this one will be seeing regular pocket time and I look forward to seeing what it becomes with age.

To get a jump on that process, I'm making it my daily carry for 33 consecutive days, beginning today. It'll be a fun way to get to know the knife and I'm curious whether there will be any discernible difference in the bone's appearance after that relatively short time.

I thought it would be fun to document the process in a thread and capture some photos and thoughts along the way. I invite you to come along for the ride and I look forward to any discussion that may ensue.

Here's how it looked this morning after removing the factory oil and wiping with a light coat of mineral oil:

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Beautiful knife and great idea for a thread, Greg. I cannot wait to get my hands on something from this run - they look awesome.

Do you plan to use a slip or just carry it loose in your pocket?

John
 
I always enjoy these types of threads, I am looking forward to tagging along on your journey. My #66 is due sometime this month from what I was told and I am anticipating it with some trepidation as I am concerned that it might be on the smallish end of the scale for me. However, it is an opportunity for me to acquire a Stockman style knife from GEC and I just couldn't pass it up.

I am certainly looking forward to reading your daily thoughts and notes regarding your new knife.
 
I see the makings and look forward to watching a beautiful friendship develop ;):) Great thread idea and a smashing knife:cool::thumbsup:
 
Great pics and great idea for a thread! I will be following this thread closely. Be careful not to become one of those illustrious one knife guys! Although I don't own one yet, I think the 66 is just the right knife to accomplish such a feat.
 
Cool! I'll be watching this thread.

I was NOT a big fan of jigged bone handles until I had my spring green 62 whittler. Now I get it.
 
The knife looks very well finished - pins all the same and domed, a fabulous shield that suits the frame completely and a kind of Winterbottom Bone that looks like it will respond well to pocket-carry. Burnished it will probably look like.

Enjoy the journey, I'm sure we all will:thumbsup:
 
The 66 Stockman is the "goldilocks" of that pattern IMHO. The larger framed ones are too big & the small ones are too small.
The 66 is just right
 
Great looking knife, Greg! I think the Antique Autumn is one of the best from this run. The depth of the jigging makes it a great candidate for a long term pocket worn look should you decide to make it a permanent companion. Looking forward to your updates in the coming weeks.
 
Thanks everyone for your kind words of enthusiasm and support for my little experiment. I'm looking forward to sharing the experience as it unfolds.

huelsdonk said:
Do you plan to use a slip or just carry it loose in your pocket?
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Loose in my right front pocket. I usually carry my sharp keys in my watch pocket, do my RFP is a fairly safe environment.

zolthar said:
Be careful not to become one of those illustrious one knife guys!
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LOL. I'll do my best. :)

oldtymer said:
The 66 Stockman is the "goldilocks" of that pattern IMHO. The larger framed ones are too big & the small ones are too small.
The 66 is just right
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Well put. That's how I feel about medium stockman knives in general.

LastRodeo said:
I like to lower the sheepsfoot on my #66s a bit.
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I'll keep that in mind. I'm going to get to know this one as-is for a while, but I can see the appeal of dropping it a bit.

Railsplitter said:
Great looking knife, Greg! I think the Antique Autumn is one of the best from this run. The depth of the jigging makes it a great candidate for a long term pocket worn look should you decide to make it a permanent companion. Looking forward to your updates in the coming weeks.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I was smitten as soon as I saw the photos on GEC's main page. Good point about the depth of the jigging.
 
The most exciting task it has accomplished so far today was opening a bag of lump charcoal:

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I'll admit to not giving the spey blade its due in the past. I intend to use this time to rectify that and get to know its capabilities. I was impressed at how it was able to slide between the layers of paper and cut the string without slicing either side of the bag.

Tonight I plan to sharpen the sheepsfoot and spey blades. There's whittling in store tomorrow.
 
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Today is the 33rd day that I've carried my swayback jack. The first picture was sent to me by the seller. The bottom picture is as of this morning. The blade has a nice, even patina. The bone feels noticeably smoother then how I remember it upon arrival, even though it doesn't look like much difference. Enjoy your time getting to know your new knife and watch it earn character!
 
The Case Swayback Jack is one of the nicest patterns out there. Tony Bose and Case hit the ball out of the park with that one. Nice!
 
greentrout said:
PT9d5PJ.jpg

Today is the 33rd day that I've carried my swayback jack. The first picture was sent to me by the seller. The bottom picture is as of this morning. The blade has a nice, even patina. The bone feels noticeably smoother then how I remember it upon arrival, even though it doesn't look like much difference. Enjoy your time getting to know your new knife and watch it earn character!
Click to expand...

Very cool. Thanks for sharing the photos and the milestone. It's a beauty and the patina is lovely. :thumbsup:
 
I picked up a 66 stockman in ebony and it hasn't left my pocket since. Similar to the 15, I think it's the perfect size. I have yet to decide what I want to designate my Spey for, but being that it is super thin behind the edge, it may become a whittling knife. I'm excited to see how both our knives progress as we give them their worthy wear and tear
 
That's a VERY handsome stockman, Greg; congrats! :cool::thumbsup:
IMHO, the rounded bolsters and the bodice shield are incredibly appealing! I think you'll really enjoy carrying/using a jigged bone knife; it's literally sensational! :D

I'm looking forward to your month+ with your new knife (including some whittling :thumbsup:). I'm sure you'll get your kicks with that 66! ;)

(I couldn't remember the name of that type of shield, so I searched for a wonderful old thread that taught me a lot about shields and their names: http://www.bladeforums.com/threads/the-shield.913843/ Unfortunately, since the Photobucket debacle, the thread isn't nearly as wonderful. :mad: I imagine it will take quite a while for me to get used to the new (and worse) normal here. :thumbsdown:)

- GT
 
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