GEC Fire Fighter

Case has been doing firefighter/EMS series knives for quite a while. I'm sure there will be no added expense for artwork, tooling, etc....

 
If you are going wit firehose micarta, it would be really cool as a barlow with a brass bolster. kind of like a hose nozzle.
alternatively, burnt bone? or is that creepy?
 
If you're getting micarta that needs to be sent to GEC, LR Harner (Lloyd) has come up with some outstanding micarta scales. I don't know if he would want to do an order of this size just for micarta scales for pocket knives, but his micarta is amazing. I have no idea if he would want to make micarta from firehoses either, but worth a shot. Goes by Butch Harner on here I believe. Good guy, great knifemaker. Last I saw he is a supporting knife maker of this site.
 
Heres a bit of 70MM non percolating fire hose. Its made of coarse woven canvas internally rubber lined which would come out for micartarisation (hey i made a new word up).
Just to give an idea what it might look like. Not bad I think.

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I like this idea.

Never have been a fire-fighter myself, nor any of my close family, but I respect you guys and the work you do A LOT!

If I can help make this happen by ordering one or two I'll gladly participate!
 
I went through GEC's list of distributors and dealers. I sent them all messages and pointed them towards this thread. Maybe someone will step forward and help make this happen.

I checked with the chief. He said he could find some used hose that could be micarta-ised. I'll track down Butch's email, and send him a note about making up some homebrew mycarta.

TC
 
I can get heaps of the stuff. but the postage costs would be outrageous no doubt.
 
Man that looks like it would make some really grippy knife scales. I think as large as the pattern is it would only look good on a large sized knife. If I were doing this I would contact some of the hose mfgr's. to see about getting the material donated, before it was bonded to the inner core of the hose.

Bob

meako said:
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Hi I'm Mike from the UK.

I got your email and just like to say that the UK isn't the largest GEC market but depending on how this turned out I'd pick up 5-10 pieces for the UK.

It would depend on how international the chosen design is. I mean the Case with American Firefighters on the blade just isn't relevant here.

I like the fire hose idea and I don't know anything about fire hose but is it lined and would that be a PITA to separate?
 
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I went through the GEC dealer list, and sent an e-mail to everyone. I've already got a few replies. Two dealers said that they would take some knives, and another said that he would like to be the primary distributor. So, it look like there is enough interest to get this bad boy rolling.

Hi Mike, from the UK. The design would have to be international, seeing as how I'm in Canada, and the other dealers who are going to back this project are in the USA. My vision is a knife with a smooth shield with the outline of a Maltese cross with a circle in the middle. That is the outline of the logo that my department uses. I've found that it is rather common with other departments too, albeit with minor variations. I figure that if the logo is smooth it won't exclude that many.
 
my only worry is what the hose liner is and if it can be stripped off so epoxy can penatrate the fibers
might be best to get close to the color in duck cloth and make it from that
 
I'll get a piece of scrap tonight, and see how hard it is to take out the lining. I'll also send a message to a hose manufacturer to see about getting some unadulterated canvas outer layers.

I did a quick search on the auction site, and found some used unlined linen hose. It doesn't seem too expensive. 75' of 1.5" hose would be a shade under $100 shipped within the USA. It was a bit yellowed with age, but still quite clean. I bet it was sitting in a hose cabinet in an industrial building, and wasn't ever taken out. That might yield a better final product, untainted by the mud and muck that our old hoses have been dragged through.

TC
 
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mikesknives said:
Hi I'm Mike from the UK.

I got your email and just like to say that the UK isn't the largest GEC market but depending on how this turned out I'd pick up 5-10 pieces for the UK.

It would depend on how international the chosen design is. I mean the Case with American Firefighters on the blade just isn't relevant here.

I like the fire hose idea and I don't know anything about fire hose but is it lined and would that be a PITA to separate?
Click to expand...

You raise a good point about "global marketing" mikes. Although we adopt a lot of U.S. fire brigade imagery we are founded by British firefighting ideas going back to 1900 (and beyooooaaand)also the Royal Navy.When I first joined in 1985(yikes) we still used terms like amidships for a truck with its pump in the middle rather than at the rear.I digress.We use the MalteseX for loads of stuff too.
I think used hose would have more character(dirt) and if its old enough the rubber perishes and disintegrates so would be easy to remove. Old hose also has numbers printed on it -station number and a hose number for ID purposes so you can get your hoses back at the end of a job.(ever seen an explosion in a spaghetti factory?thats just the hoses lying all over the ground).
Oh yeah and percolating hose is not lined so that water oozes or percolates through the skin to protect itself from heat-useful in the bush but not in houses.
 
Allow me. This piece has been home to my Grandads WW2 machete for many years.
Hopefully these pics will illustrate the difficulty of chopping up old hose and the sheer complexity of removing the liner.
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Hmmm as I suspected.It pretty much fell out -the adhsevive having given up the ghost many moons ago.New stuff probably a bit tougher.

Hondo.3 said:
I'll get a piece of scrap tonight, and see how hard it is to take out the lining. I'll also send a message to a hose manufacturer to see about getting some unadulterated canvas outer layers.

I did a quick search on the auction site, and found some used unlined linen hose. It doesn't seem too expensive. 75' of 1.5" hose would be a shade under $100 shipped within the USA. It was a bit yellowed with age, but still quite clean. I bet it was sitting in a hose cabinet in an industrial building, and wasn't ever taken out. That might yield a better final product, untainted by the mud and muck that our old hoses have been dragged through.
Click to expand...
 
Furthermore.
Hondo- there would literally be 100s of miles of this stuff lying around in stations all over the world waiting to be thrown away. .The postage outweighs the cost of the hose because it is so heavy.
I'll investigate some options because I can get all the hose we need (used and condemned). I don't think it will end well at the post office tho. I'll probably need to sitting down when they tell me the freight.:eek:
The best price is free
 
That auction site find was in the USA, and the shipping was $23. Of course, if Butch is willing to undertake this project, perhaps there would be a fire hall in his area that might be willing to cough up a few rolls for the cause.

I put in a message to Chris at GEC, asking a few questions. Apparently, the type of shield used might be limited by the handle material. So, I asked for some more information.

A few people have suggested the model 72, and I'm inclined to agree. I think that is a solid model with broad appeal. There was also a suggestion that we use a brass bolster, and evoke the image of a classic hose and nozzle combination. I like that idea quite a bit. I'm still leaning towards 440C, anticipating that many of the target market would refer the lower maintenance. The Maltese cross shield is an essential component. I'm also thinking that it would be nice to have a simple rectangular shield on the opposite side, so that individuals could have their name, department, or number engraved. I don't have any rock solid ideas about a blade etch. I wonder if we should have a design contest.

TC
 
I love the brass bolster idea but I would prefer 1095 steel. That way the patina & tarnish on the blade & bolster could compliment each other.
 
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