GEC #33 Conductor Whittler

[KP]

Wow - great pair Rick!
Thanks for the pics :thumbup:
Edit: curious about not being as hard, I thought African Blackwood was harder than ebony.....

According to this, ebony is much harder.

 

[jwren]

According to this, ebony is much harder.

Thanks for the link, not sure what I was thinking

 

[DrPenguin]

I wondered who had snatched up those African Blackwoods and if we'd see some good photos of them. Very nice. Never seen it in real life and wondered what it was like. Sounds like a nice material!

Will

 

[Rick]

Thanks, guys.

Great pics and a good looking knives.

I wish the Northfields had the long pull of the single spring conductors.

Funny - Now that I have my #33s side by side, I was just thinking that I appreciate the contrast between the old #33 two-blade's long pull and the new #33 Whittler's crescent nick with its deeper and bolder cut swedge. I think it helps to differentiate the two runs.

 

[knifeswapper]

Wow - great pair Rick!
Thanks for the pics :thumbup:
Edit: curious about not being as hard, I thought African Blackwood was harder than ebony.....

The blackwood has a much higher density than ebony and my very non-scientific test shows it doesn't mark nearly as easy.

 

[SweptEdge]

These are looking soo nice. I wish they were a usual knife they made. I tried carving on some African black wood once, it was almost like a clay.

 

[pertinux]

Gosh, that blue's beautiful.

Thanks for the pictures!

I also really like this one, from the "Just a Picture" thread:

Exotic animals at the watering hole.

Great pics and a good looking knives.

I wish the Northfields had the long pull of the single spring conductors.

Hunh. You made me go look! The swedge is cut so deep, I projected a long pull that isn't actually there....

~ P.

 

[oldrifleman]

Those look nice I would love to see what the stag ones look like. Steven

 

[jwren]

The blackwood has a much higher density than ebony and my very non-scientific test shows it doesn't mark nearly as easy.

Hmmm, interesting....I guess the mystery deepens....

 

[jwren]

Well, maybe Bob (rma100) has the answer, check this link -

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...sually-reserves-ebony-for-the-Tidioute-models

(Post #10)

 

[knifeswapper]

Well, maybe Bob (rma100) has the answer, check this link -

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...sually-reserves-ebony-for-the-Tidioute-models

(Post #10)

That link says African Blackwood is actually a Rosewood...

 

[rma100]

This is from said link:
Comments: To be considered the original ebony, African Blackwood was imported and used in Ancient Egypt thousands of years ago. Even the name “ebony” has an Egyptian derivation as “hbny”—which has been shown to refer to primarily to Dalbergia melanoxylon, rather than the species which are considered to be ebony today: such as those in the Diospyros genus. In addition, African Blackwood is technically in the Rosewood genus (Dalbergia), and is more stable and resistant to movement and warping than other types of ebony.

 

[jwren]

I thought this part was interesting:
"African Blackwood is considered to be among the hardest and densest of woods in the world; indeed, among some 285 species tested, (including Lignum Vitae), Gabriel Janka originally found African Blackwood to be the very hardest. Unfortunately, many online sources list African Blackwood’s Janka hardness at only ~1700lbf—which seems very unlikely given its confirmed specific gravity." - seems like this would validate your "very non scientific test" Mike

 

[2Dead]

Beautiful pics Rick!!

 

[2Dead]

Here's another Blue Denim and the Blue Tuna.

 

[pertinux]

Here's another Blue Denim and the Blue Tuna.

Thanks, Trand!

For you, or anyone else who has both:

Beyond the stunning colors (and the fine ebony in your earlier shipment), how do you like these knives as compared to the first, 2-bladed Conductor pattern?

Or put another way, how do you feel the Conductor frame works in this Whittler form? It sure looks good!


~ P.

 

[2Dead]

I'll have to carry one of the ebony's a bit to give you an honest answer. The whittler is slightly thicker but I'd have to carry it to see if its noticeable. The secondary blades on the whittler are a little shorter than on the pen but that is fine for a secondary blades. I do think that the frame itself will work well for those who actually whittle with their knives. I imagine it will be similar to Queen's #48 Split back whittler which is also a 3 1/2"ish swell center (not certain if equal ended) knife.

 

[Rick]

Great looking knives and pics, Trand.

Or put another way, how do you feel the Conductor frame works in this Whittler form? It sure

The small "swell center balloon pen" frame has been a popular Whittler pattern for a very long time. Here's the #33 with an old XX 2383. Notice how, even though the Case handle is longer, the GEC has a slightly longer master blade.

Personally, I prefer the new GEC Whittlers to the two-blade #33s. The thicker main blade stock at the tang, ground very thin, makes that blade feel more substantial, and the slightly fatter handle provides a better grip for a bit more control. GEC really knocked these Whittlers outta the park. They're like exquisite little jewel boxes - the fit is exceptional, especially for such a small knife, and the walk and talk are as close to perfect as you're likely to find in a production knife. Better, IMO than old Case '83s, which tend to have near nail-breaker pulls, and are more prone to blade rubs, though the old Case's blade finish is deeper.

 

[Finedges]

Great looking knives and pics, Trand.



The small "swell center balloon pen" frame has been a popular Whittler pattern for a very long time. Here's the #33 with an old XX 2383. Notice how, even though the Case handle is longer, the GEC has a slightly longer master blade.

Personally, I prefer the new GEC Whittlers to the two-blade #33s. The thicker main blade stock at the tang, ground very thin, makes that blade feel more substantial, and the slightly fatter handle provides a better grip for a bit more control. GEC really knocked these Whittlers outta the park. They're like exquisite little jewel boxes - the fit is exceptional, especially for such a small knife, and the walk and talk are as close to perfect as you're likely to find in a production knife. Better, IMO than old Case '83s, which tend to have near nail-breaker pulls, and are more prone to blade rubs, though the old Case's blade finish is deeper.

Thanks for the great comparison! That ol Case sure looks like it'd be soft in hand.

 

[Finedges]

I do miss the long pull of the two blade Conductor, but overall I say well done.

A couple shots to compare thickness. They kept the whittler nice and pocket friendly.