Do you carry your GEC knives without sharpening (reprofiling) them?

rma100 said:
Since I am not a Surgeon, and I do not shave with a Pocket Knife, I use 'em as they come. When they get dull I sharpen them freehand on Arkansas Stones.
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Exactly. I don't need my pocket knife to split atoms or push-cut thru a 2x4. If it opens the mail, packages, cuts rope n string, tape, boxes, etc that's all I care. I touch it up on an Arkansas stone when it needs it. Strop it here and there. I've not had any problem using my GEC for what it's intended for.
 
I tried using a GEC with serviceable factory edges for a while to see if I could live with it. After a month, I got frustrated, and returned to my usual routine of reprofiling the GECs to a 30 or 40 degree edge.

My criterion of practical sharpness is slicing a cherry tomato effortlessly, or bubblewrap and maintaining this a while.

Lately I have had a harder time getting them to these standards with the newer GECs - they arrive with a less obtuse edge than the old ones, but maybe they are somehow less consistent? An edge can be crooked in 3 different dimensions and something is off on them - this really shows on a straight-edged blade like a wharncliffe or spey. Nowadays I find it easiest to convex the blades, as this requires the least degree of precision (from both my side, and the original edge).
 
kamagong said:
Lol...I'm hardly the person to ask. My knives are sharp, but they're nothing to brag about. They don't compare to the mirror polished, perfectly symmetrical beauties you see in the maintenance sub-forum. But since you asked...

I start out by using a Norton India stone to reprofile. I lay the blade pretty close to flat, using the stone to hog off the metal. Once I have the blade sharp, I'll slightly convex it and refine the edge using sandpaper of various grits. I'll finish it off with a strop. Once done I can keep the knife sharp a long time with regular stropping, using the stone only to repair occasional damage.
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Interesting..... Mind posting a close up of one of your edges? I've been thinking about thinning out some edges to get some really good slicers.
 
Most of the knives from GEC have been good to go right out of the tube lately - the two #73 Osage Orange knives and the #63 Fishtail come to mind. As long as they can cleanly slice a piece of printer/copier/typing paper, I'm good to go. Maybe just a couple/three swipes on my jeans. If they aren't up to paper slicing par out of the tube, I'll give em a quick once over with a Lansky 4-Rod Turn Box and if they are really dull as was the case with most pre-2008 GECs, a Norton Crystolon combination stone will get them finger slicing sharp or to coin another phrase - throat poppin sharp.
 
Modoc ED said:
Most of the knives from GEC have been good to go right out of the tube lately - the two #73 Osage Orange knives and the #63 Fishtail come to mind. As long as they can cleanly slice a piece of printer/copier/typing paper, I'm good to go. Maybe just a couple/three swipes on my jeans. If they aren't up to paper slicing par out of the tube, I'll give em a quick once over with a Lansky 4-Rod Turn Box and if they are really dull as was the case with most pre-2008 GECs, a Norton Crystolon combination stone will get them finger slicing sharp or to coin another phrase - throat poppin sharp.
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Yowza! I've never tried the throat poppin' sharp test. :D
 
I take pics of all my knives when I take them out of the box. They're new and unused. Unless they're going to be a user, back into the box they go. Of the users, I check the edge to see if it'll slice paper. Based on that I might touch them up on a stone, ceramic rod, or strop them and use it like that until it needs a good sharpening, or I'm no longer happy with how sharp it is. Then I'll reprofile or just sharpen the edge free hand (which is reprofiling in a way). This is the case for knives of all makers.
 
Modoc ED said:
Most of the knives from GEC have been good to go right out of the tube lately - the two #73 Osage Orange knives and the #63 Fishtail come to mind. As long as they can cleanly slice a piece of printer/copier/typing paper, I'm good to go. Maybe just a couple/three swipes on my jeans. If they aren't up to paper slicing par out of the tube, I'll give em a quick once over with a Lansky 4-Rod Turn Box and if they are really dull as was the case with most pre-2008 GECs, a Norton Crystolon combination stone will get them finger slicing sharp or to coin another phrase - throat poppin sharp.
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This has been and is standard for me. Typically just a quick strop and they have been good to go lately. Perhaps I've been lucky to get sharp ones? I don't know, but as Ed says, as long as they slice printer paper, they are OK for me. Once it comes time to put a real edge on them, I will sometimes re-profile with a nice convex edge. Depends on the intended use for each individual knife.
 
Woodrow F Call said:
Interesting..... Mind posting a close up of one of your edges? I've been thinking about thinning out some edges to get some really good slicers.
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Sure. This pic is the best I can do, I haven't yet mastered how to take close-up pics.

 
RDaneel said:
Yowza! I've never tried the throat poppin' sharp test. :D
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Well, ya just never know when ya might be called on to do an emergency tracheostomy (sp?) or more importantly have to open one of those dad burn clam shell packages. Of course it should go with out saying, but if you're castrating calves or pigs they do appreciate a razor sharp or very close to a razor sharp blade edge.
 
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If a knife has a usable edge out of the box, I use it until it needs sharpening. This gives me a chance to see if I really want to carry the knife. When they don't have a usable edge anymore, I'll sharpen them. I've had to reprofile a few but usually it's just sharpening the existing edge and stropping on a leather hone with CrO compound. If it pops hair when I'm done, I'm happy.
 
Modoc ED said:
Well, ya just never know when ya might be called on to do an emergency tracheostomy or more importantly have to open one of those dad burn clam shell packages.
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True. When I was an EMT the only thing I slice open were shirts; never even had to cut a seatbelt. I have performed emergency surgery on the clam shell packages; and then had to get a bandaid when I sliced myself, too.
 
RDaneel said:
True. When I was an EMT the only thing I slice open were shirts; never even had to cut a seatbelt. I have performed emergency surgery on the clam shell packages; and then had to get a bandaid when I sliced myself, too.
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Those clam shell packages are dangerous. I've cut myself on them a couple of times. They arrive from the factory sharper than most slipjoints. :eek:
 
Those clam shell packages are the reason I started carrying pocket knives in the first place. Living in the city, it was relatively easy to get by without one in your pocket. Until you meet one of those things.
 
I tend to agree with Bob and Gary on this. If its sharp enough to cut paper out of the box, I use it till it needs touching up.
 
Since there seems to be some interest on re sharpening the edge, I figured I'd post some pics. These two are both sharpened to 20* per side. I usually take them to a ceramic rod and then a strop to finish them up.

P.S. Sorry for the crappy pic.



Ryan
 
I'm up to maybe a dozen GECs, which is not a lot I know. At this point, only two or three are put away in the tube without use. I carry and use the majority of my knives on a rotational basis. Every GEC I've carried has been treated to a 30 degree reprofile. I use a diamond stone laid on my Spyderco sharpmaker to do the heavy lifting (I only use the 30 degree angle), then follow up with the medium rods, fine rods then polishing compound on my strop. Usually takes about an hour for everything, going slow and taking my time.

I just bought a GEC 77 second hand and the previous owner used it enough to get a nice patina on it without ever sharpening it that I could tell. First thing I did was put a 30 degree angle on it. I'm just not satisfied with GEC's factory edge. As others have mentioned, 1095 is very easy to work with, and it's something I've come to accept. I can fix a dull edge. It's a lot harder to fix sloppy fit & finish, and I haven't had to do that with a GEC yet.
 
I only have a small handful of GECs, and to date the only one I haven't reprofiled (mainly because I haven't really used it yet) is my #73. The others came dull out of the box (wouldn't shave hair or cut newsprint) and were immediately sharpened at 25 degrees on my Lansky.

Like many others, those that come sharp from the factory are used until they need sharpening.
 
I do like carrying them for a while with the original bevel angle. Usually they all get a lower angle eventually, though.
 
I have two GECs (of about 40) that came sharp enough for me to happily use; a courthouse whittler and a 2014 boys knife. They have since been touched up.

A large number of my collection are 25s which I have no intention of using - they're just for CF&CE :)
 
Am i getting it right? 25-30 ° per side? 50-60° included? are we talking axes, paint scrapers?
Factory edge bevels almost always need to be reprofiled like many do. At least one of the blades IMHO needs to be keen and sharpened, the other could also be use for digging if one want so ;)
18 to 25 ° INCLUDED is what i consider the maximum edge angle for a cutter....if it's not up to the task, better changing tool.

With a 40-60° included edge is also trivial the dispute between carbon steel and high carbide SS steel...
 
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