Gec 81. Tidioute Abilene Stockman in Osage Orange

navihawk

navihawk

Joined
Feb 21, 2006
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I received my new stock on Wednesday and I couldn't be happier. This is a fantastic knife. It's large 4 inch frame carries well in the pocket and the F/F is superb and there's nothing like a knife that you can hear across the room when it closes. Definitely an esthetically beautiful knife. I gave it a bath of alcohol and compressed air and lubed it to get any manufacturing grit and polish out of it. I also hit some of the sharp edges of the bolsters, very lightly with a rubber wheel just enough to make it a little more comfortable to handle. I also took a stone and just touched the sharp edges near the tangs of the blades. I like the fact that I have the option to do this. The knife is "crisp". Better than being tumbled IMO. I prefer brass liners but I'm getting used to the steel ones. I wonder how the steel liners will look with a patina.
If anyone has an 81 feel free to post them up here. I welcome you comments and opinions about the pattern.



 
The Abilene has recently made it to the top of my to buy list. Look forward to some more pictures of these!

Jake
 
I really love the large 4" stockman and have 4 of them mostly Shrade Walden but will really celebrate the day when I can add the GEC Abilene to my stock. Very beautiful knife!!!
 
Handsome knife. Congrats, Steve!
 
I've joked that this one has been named my "Grandpa" knife. I have named it such due to wanting it to be known by said name by my grandkids, if I am blessed enough to have grandchildren. I thought it would be a little big before I got it, but afterwards, I find it is one of my main carries. I really like this knife.

 
Thanks Frank. Jake, there's not a lot of them left around the web. I saw a handful in stag which were nice, but since I planned on carrying this one I was nervous about getting a fat piece of stag, not that the stockmans have wide stag, but I couldn't tell.
I'm ok with the use of steel liners I guess. Older knives used steel on some of the patterns but I think brass is more lubricious than the steel. Maybe they will use some NS for liners at some point. Premium knives have this from time to time. I'm curious as to how the steel liners will patina over time.

Lambertiana, the African blackwood is beautiful. I like the extra touches on the UN-X-LD.
 
I really enjoy steel liners. They are more prone to pepper spots, and rust, but they are my favorites all the same.

This stockman pattern just looks fantastic to me.

I really "Need" one!
 
I think they should have carried the liners down the full length of the tang to keep dirt out but its not a show stopper. There must be something wrong with me. I can pick out faults in any knife, and this probably isn't really a fault, just a mental fault from me looking at millions of knives lol.
The Osage Orange is really nice. You can see the color come out with the flash of the camera, but in hand its a nice tan color. This one has a couple of knots in it that add to the beauty. If you like stockmans this one is a must. I almost picked the 82?, which is 4 1/4 but I wasn't keen on the wharncliffe blade as the sheepsfoot is the go to blade. I wish the sheepsfoot rode a little higher as you can open them by pinching the blade but that's ok too. The swedges are done just right.
 
It was either gonna be stone moss green jigged bone or osage orange.
Copperhead bone won out.:)
2013-11-18150301_zpsd910a57f.jpg

There's a fair few still around.
 
Steve,
Here is the sister to your Abilene Stockman.
TidiStockman.jpg


Being a native Kansan, I have lived around Hedge trees most of my life and have a deep fondness for the wood. I will be waiting to see if the handles turn from a bright orange to a darker orangish-red as the wood is normally wont to do over a period of years. I have made a few fixed blade knives with Osage handles and they are among my favorites.
 
That's awesome Mort. Looks like they definitely came from the same piece of wood. Definitely love this wood. It lights up under light.
Meako, that bone is a really nice color I wasn't crazy for the moss green though. At least the pictures didn't do the green any justice.
Whats their numbering system? what's the middle two numbers? I know pattern and 13 was year.





 
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Yep! Undoubtedly, our knives spent some time in the same tray at GEC going through the various stations of the factory. Great stuff!
 
The 3rd number in will be whatever the primary blade is. 1 for clip 2 for spear & so on. The 4th number in will be how many blades the knife has. :)
 
I also love the 81 Stockman. Mine's in African Blackwood and it's one of my most-carried pocket knives. The 4" size is unnoticed in my RFP and the 3 blades on tap are great to have.

958516A7-B4C8-4A91-81EC-8D6BCA452B05_zpseqakqy9i.jpg
 
That's an impressive find Steve!

I don't have this type of Stockman and I was surprised it sports steel liners not brass. One drawback of brass is that on bone and stag it can green bleed into the scales and cause discolouration, not a problem with wood though I'm sure.

Very enthusiastic about the Osage Orange, you and Mort show some really fine examples of this complex wood. Lot of grain, tough and yet, really quite light in weight. Apologies for any thread-drift but here's my Viper in it, hope it's of interest.

Regards to all, Will.

IMG_2258.jpg
 
Seeing these 81's is getting me fired up. This thread is turning into a #81 love-fest! :thumbup:

My 81 alongside a Case 6375 large Stockman for comparison.

0F4752B9-C3B6-4CDF-869D-B41852342D34_zpsvanutlm3.jpg
 
Very useful shot that, I thought the GEC was as big as the CASE. Makes me begin to need one......
 
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