GEC handle warping

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Pink Guy

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Dec 11, 2013
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I have a stag handled GEC and it warped after I spent time sharpening the knife. While sharpening the knife the handles got soaked in water and I noticed the handles were warped. They are no longer flush with the liners as there are now some pretty big gaps. Will they return to normal?
 
Pink Guy said:
I have a stag handled GEC and it warped after I spent time sharpening the knife. While sharpening the knife the handles got soaked in water and I noticed the handles were warped. They are no longer flush with the liners as there are now some pretty big gaps. Will they return to normal?
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IMO if water caused the warpage then the absence of water should reverse the warpage...… You have nothing to lose by letting it dry out and see what happens...… next time snip a finger off a rubber glove and slip it on the handle if your sharpening process involves baptism…….
 
How come it got 'soaked' in water? Some dampness should not affect it, but soaking for some time certainly will.

Stag expands & contracts quite a lot, being a porous material, it dislikes very dry atmosphere and will shrink back from the liners returning to normal when there's decent amount of humidity.I've dyed Stag and when wet it bloats out from the liners, if you allow it to dry slowly-don't use heat!- it will return to normal size and shape.
 
I’ve had stag expand out from the liners when wet. To help it dry out, I would put a fan on it.
 
I’ll sometimes put a knife fully in vinegar and it will absolutely warp at least 50% of the time. They have always returned to normal no matter what material though it may take several days to a week for the moisture in the material to even out or dry.
 
Putting soaked phones in a zip lock bag with uncooked rice will dry them. Perhaps this may also work with your knife.
 
Im curious about ho this turned out? I have a GEC with elk scales that had some crud in it. I literally ran it under the faucet for a few seconds like I have with literally every other knife I’ve ever gotten dirty (including other bone and antler handled blades) and about a minute later I noticed one scale stretched out and bent backwards away from the liner. I’m freaked out that it could be ruined. I didn’t think a rinse under the faucet would cause a serious issue.

I’m really hoping it returns to normal!
 
Elk warping like that under those circumstances is not the norm. It suggests it has not been cured properly, which GEC is it? Can you show some pictures please?

Thanks, Will
 
Will Power said:
Elk warping like that under those circumstances is not the norm. It suggests it has not been cured properly, which GEC is it? Can you show some pictures please?

Thanks, Will
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Mine is pretty bad and it has sat over night. I’m really hoping it’ll dry out and go back, otherwise I need to contact GEC.

This is a #99 Wall Street. This warping took less than a minute to happen after I ran it under the faucet a few times to try and flush out some debris

1FE33B3B-3507-435C-BA3F-FA60BD309678.jpeg BA5F2091-D94A-48F4-B54C-C26094130902.jpeg DA3C0D56-B847-42AD-B560-958616C8784E.jpeg 9D6F93B7-2984-4C9D-A6A2-E96F62A6541A.jpeg
 
Will Power said:
Elk warping like that under those circumstances is not the norm. It suggests it has not been cured properly....
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If elk slabs would stay perfectly fit for a lifetime minus the holding under a flow of water (a few times); how does it suggest an improper curing?

I have had horn of one type or another curl while in the tube over a couple weeks after production. That to me would suggest improper curing, as the cure continued until the final form was taken after assembly. I just can't work out in my mind how a knife staying perfectly in place, for an extended amount of time, until drenched leads to a conclusion of improper curing.

That seems a bit like saying a completely dried sponge was not cured properly if it expands when brought in contact with water after 5 years. Every material reacts differently to water, and it makes sense to me that the more porous the material - the more drastic it will react.

When GEC would use my buffalo horn I would let it sit through 4 seasons in my garage before sending it to them. And I never had a problem with it curling. But I don't know that it wouldn't have moved had someone placed it in conditions significantly different than any it had previously been subjected.
 
I was merely putting forward a reaction to what I think is an exceptional and extraordinary situation. :rolleyes: Obviously, I don't know as much as you do about the intricacies of how materials are prepared, but it seems reasonable to assume that American Elk is prepared in a similar way to say other antler - like Sambar or Père David. It requires drying, assessing and prepping before it can be worked into appropriate scales. The word 'curing' might be inexact, if one wants to be pedantic;) as it applies to horn material.

However, something is clearly not right with the material if it peels away with just washing and that suggests some manner of failure in the preparation, I think that's self-evident? Clearly, GEC will be able to comment on the OP's situation and offer an explanation and likely a remedy that will satisfy him.
 
Will Power said:
I was merely putting forward a reaction to what I think is an exceptional and extraordinary situation. :rolleyes: Obviously, I don't know as much as you do about the intricacies of how materials are prepared, but it seems reasonable to assume that American Elk is prepared in a similar way to say other antler - like Sambar or Père David. It requires drying, assessing and prepping before it can be worked into appropriate scales. The word 'curing' might be inexact, if one wants to be pedantic;) as it applies to horn material.

However, something is clearly not right with the material if it peels away with just washing and that suggests some manner of failure in the preparation, I think that's self-evident? Clearly, GEC will be able to comment on the OP's situation and offer an explanation and likely a remedy that will satisfy him.
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My apologies. There is much to learn on BF and I do so daily. Thus, I thought your experiences might have yielded a curing process that goes beyond what I had experienced. But I do think that the assumption that a factory can treat a porous horn in a way that it can withstand any test thrown at it, may be a bit naive. As to the "self-evident" aspect, I don't think GEC (or other factories) do much to stag of any kind other than to cut and shape it. My guess is that GEC's remedy will be a warning label that says "don't soak this material in water" - but GEC can respond for themselves as you mention. But, again, I would contend that if a horn slab was fine for months - right up until submerged in water; we can probably eliminate a preparation issue. But possibly they can add some type of treatment step to assist in the future - I just can't imagine what it would be. Again, wasn't trying to be contentious, just thought you might have some additional information.
 
So, after a few days of drying time, things are improving. It's not back to flush or perfect yet, and only time will tell if it will fully return to its previous state. At this juncture, I would not be pleased if it remained in its current state, but at least it has receded to a mostly usable condition where I would not be extremely worried about a corner catching on something and breaking off.

I'm hopeful that after a few more days it will be back to how it was originally, and I can resume carrying it.

I guess I've learned a valuable lesson here. I shouldn't wash my knives. Maybe I was out of line by running it under water, but I have done this any time any knife gets sufficiently dirty. I have stag handled knives that i use extensively for fishing tasks including cleaning fish in running water, as well as other stag knives that have gotten wet in similar situations to the #99, and there has been zero issue. The #99 is the only time i have ever had any sort of warping or damage occur from getting a knife wet.

Anyway, here's to hoping that in a few more days it settles itself mostly back down.
 
knifeswapper said:
My apologies. There is much to learn on BF and I do so daily. Thus, I thought your experiences might have yielded a curing process that goes beyond what I had experienced. But I do think that the assumption that a factory can treat a porous horn in a way that it can withstand any test thrown at it, may be a bit naive. As to the "self-evident" aspect, I don't think GEC (or other factories) do much to stag of any kind other than to cut and shape it. My guess is that GEC's remedy will be a warning label that says "don't soak this material in water" - but GEC can respond for themselves as you mention. But, again, I would contend that if a horn slab was fine for months - right up until submerged in water; we can probably eliminate a preparation issue. But possibly they can add some type of treatment step to assist in the future - I just can't imagine what it would be. Again, wasn't trying to be contentious, just thought you might have some additional information.
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I like the idea of a warning label.
 
I hate gaps. I'd probably get it wet again, and wrap it up with rubber bands to dry flush!!!

I've not had that effect on stag, but I dont have any elk handle covers.
 
Well, I checked it last night and it was improved even more, hoping a few more days will put this issue to rest, and I'll never use that knife for anything near water again unless Its an absolute must.
 
Marneaus said:
Well, I checked it last night and it was improved even more, hoping a few more days will put this issue to rest, and I'll never use that knife for anything near water again unless Its an absolute must.
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I wonder if you should let if complete the process while under a little pressure (like a clamp or non-tight vice)?
 
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