Does GEC blank their own blades and liners?

supratentorial

supratentorial

Joined
Dec 19, 2006
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Does GEC blank their own blades and liners... or are they laser cut? ... or waterjet cut?

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Very cool link in fact! Oh man would I love to get there one day!...I look back to threads that Charlie has been kind enough to share information about his visits and discussions with Mr Bill Howard....Charlie is indeed a very fortunate man, thank you Jake for asking the question, and thank you P
 
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Not sure really... I remembered this pic and thought it showed more. I don't remember other pics of them actually cutting the blanks.
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Thank you, Trand. I'd like to see more of the process.

Here's a very energetic demo of a "foot shear":

[youtube]1TrMe_TO-8U[/youtube]
 
Same type of shear I use to fabricate duct work, and fittings, except I use one a little bigger and a lot older.
 
supratentorial said:
Thank you, Trand. I'd like to see more of the process.

Here's a very energetic demo of a "foot shear":

[youtube]1TrMe_TO-8U[/youtube]
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We'd call that one a "lab size" shear. I used to use one about that size to cut test coupons. They got walloping big ones out on the shop floor.
 
Frank and Stich, is this type of machine capable of the type of cut made in Trand's photo or is the machine just for straight cuts?
 
supratentorial said:
Frank and Stich, is this type of machine capable of the type of cut made in Trand's photo or is the machine just for straight cuts?
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Straight cuts, I use angled hand snips to make round cuts. It's fun to take something flat and turn it into something three dimensional, there is a lot of math, metal grows when bent, you also have to allow for connections, and I use a type of seam to attach the pieces called a Pittsburgh seam.
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I use snaplock also you have to add for all the folds and the 90 bend etc.
This had nothing to do with making knives sorry went off on a tangent.
 
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Trand's photo shows a waterjet cutter.
I've seen those in action. It uses high pressure water and a grit media. It's amazing how it can power through steel.
Not great for close tolerance work but it can rough out a blank very efficiently.
 
Thank you, Corey. One of the things that I noticed in Trand's photo is that the blanks are cut from a sheet... which looks pretty flat. From the Case "how it's made" video, I think their blades and liners are punched out directly from a roll of steel. Of course, they're producing A LOT more knives so there will be differences in production but I wonder if some of these differences in production methods are the reason for gaps which some interpret as a QC problem.
 
That's a good point about gaps. Case tumbles all of their blades which causes the spines of the blades to be rounded off instead of sharp and square. When they are assembled against sharp and square liners, there appears to be a gap but in fact it is just the transition between a shapr and square edge to a rounded edge.

When it comes to what us knife knuts call a bad/wide gap, sometimes, it is the result of a tiny piece of material trapped between the blade and liner, liner and cover, etc. that hasn't been caught by QC before it went out the door. I've found this to be a problem with Queen/Schatt & Morgan.

And of course, old worn out equipment can contribute to gaps too.
 
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You also have to remember some steels can't be stamp cut. Water jet allows them to use more abrasive resistant steels in their operation.
 
Case tumbles most, but not all blades. The stainless Sod Busters & 'workman' knives, and some other lines with stainless blades (black G10 series, for one), leave the 'as ground' finish intact (no tumbling), which leaves the spine, ricasso and tang very crisp. I think the smoothest tang-to-backspring transition I've seen on any of my Case knives are not-so-coincidentally on the the Sod Busters (large and small SS versions). These are also the knives with the sharpest tips, BTW. I'm sure for the same reason. I wouldn't mind at all if Case would do more of their lines with the 'as ground' blades, instead of tumbling them. ;)
 
You're right David. Case doesn't tumble all of their blades but for the most part they do. There's always exceptions to all lines.

Of course you knew about Case tumbling their blades as you said in the "AGR Rancher and Cowbowy Folders?" thread.

Quote by "Obsessed with Edges"

The blade tang on my large CV Case soddie is slightly smoothed off, I'm sure as a result of the tumbled (polished) finish on it. Just enough to take the bite out of the corner on the tang. This holds true of most/all of the polished blades I see from Case. On the other hand, the 'as ground' finish on the stainless Case soddie is quite hard-edged (spine, ricasso, blade tang).
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I like a sharp edge too but sometimes they are a pain (pun intended).:)
 
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Now I really wish I was able to make the GEC Rendezvous...thanks for all the info everyone!
 
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