GEC NF Powderhorn w/Primitive Bone Handles Arrived

[Modoc ED]

This GEC Northfield Powderhorn with Primitive Bone Handles arrived yesterday. Another thread about a knife with Primitive Bone handles prompted me to buy this knife. The knife is based on GEC's Toothpick pattern and comes with a clip blade and a pen blade. Each blade has it's own spring. The pull on both blades is about a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 and there are no half-stops. The knife is 4" closed with the clip blade being 2 7/8" long and the pen blade being 2" long. The fit and finish of the knife is excellent -- no gaps what-so-ever, perfect scale to bolster fitting. There are some minor cracks in the handles but that seems to be par for these GEC Primitive Bone handles and is acceptable to me. All-in-all, the knife is quite pleasing to my eye. This is the sharpest GEC out of the tube knife I've received. It isn't razor sharp but is very sharp. It will certainly handle any cutting task encoutered in normal daily use.

Pardon the lighting in the pictures. The weather here today is glum at best and the lighting on my desk is the best I could find.

"Rick": In case you see this thread, the crack on the backside scale between the pinched bolster and the first pin reminds me of the crack on your (I think) Case Seahorse Whittler -- a beautiful knife as we've discussed. I guess it's just the nature-of-the-beast when it comes to some handle materials. As you said when you posted about your knife, the crack is acceptable.

 

[coyote711]

Cool knife, Ed! Thanks for posting. I saw in Jeff's thread where you said you'd ordered one, and have been awaiting your comments. (Thinkin' of getting one just like it for myself). How's it feel in hand? I'll bet great ...... I know the GEC Toothpicks do, and this should be a little fatter yet, with the second blade on it.

Is the Primitive Bone as white as it looks in your pics, or is that only due to the desk lamp lighting? Looks like some brown in it, and maybe a little gray also???

 

[Modoc ED]

The photograph with all blades closed and the shield up shows the color best. There is some brown in the scale but there is also some very faint yellow coloring also along with an overall grayish tint. Other than the mottling on the backside scale, the bone is mostly white. The scales don't match from side to side but that seems to be how it is with Primitive Bone. I'm not saying that because it's my knife -- I've noticed it on other Primitive Bone handled knives too.

The knife feels very good in the hand and the second blade and spring add some heft to it. It snuggles into the palm nicely.

Yes, it was the thread by Jeff (black mamba) that prompted me to get this Primitive Bone Handled knife. Here is the link to Jeff's thread.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=814988

It is interesting to see all the variations of mottling/bark in various Primitive Bone handled knives. All comments on this thread and Jeff's thread are welcome.

 

[Rick]

Humph...I'd send it back. Look at all those cracks!



















Nice knife, Ed. Actually, the cracks in Primitive bone (which were there long before the scales were hafted) are pretty much the whole point of the material, along with some occasional colorful mineralization and bark-like weathering effects similar to those found on ancient ivories.

The distressed bone has been subjected to some form of stabilization, so the cracks aren't 'active' any more. Whether it underwent a simple epoxy or CA soak or had its pores completely filled under high pressure with some form of acrylizing agent hasn't been revealed, but it certainly feels more dense and heavy than untreated bone. Either way, those cracks ain't goin' nowhere, so you have nothing to worry about. OTOH, the small stress cracks in my stag Seahorse are free to do what they will, but I can't feel 'em with my fingernail, and so far, they seem content stay put.

One of my Primitive bone GECs has a load of cracks 'n' fissures. I love it.

 

[knarfeng]

Good looking stuff, Ed.

Congrats on that one!

 

[wagglebee]

I'm really liking GEC's primitive bone.

 

[Will Power]

That Primitive Bone is rewarding stuff as it's so varied. I believe it will age and enhance very nicely too after a few months of use. Very good choice indeed, congratulations!

 

[black mamba]

Very nice, indeed.

And the enabling chain continues . . . Rick . . . to Jeff . . . to Ed.

So, who's next for some primitive bone?

 

[dannyp]

Thanks for sharing this, Ed. I always enjoy seeing the primitive bone scales. All of the different variations make them so visually interesting. I'm glad GEC has made these in the Northfield lineup, as the pinched bolsters they have been putting on most of the new ones lessen the temptation for me to buy one.

 

[jujigatame]

I'm not usually big on the toothpick handle shape but that model from GEC with the more conventional clip blade and a small secondary definitely catches my eye. The only thing I'd change would be to have the small blade in front of the large one.

The primitive bone looks great. :thumbup:


-- Nate

 

[DennisStrickland]

rick certainly stresses a good point when he mentioned that the "cracks were'nt going anywhere" this bone was in the ground 65 to 75 years. i certainly think that all the change that eas possible has already occurred. i'm waiting on the pioneers in this handle material before i make a decision...dennis

 

[Modoc ED]

I'm not usually big on the toothpick handle shape but that model from GEC with the more conventional clip blade and a small secondary definitely catches my eye. The only thing I'd change would be to have the small blade in front of the large one.

The primitive bone looks great. :thumbup:


-- Nate

I have avoided GEC's Toothpick with what they call their Muskrat Clip blade but when I saw their Toothpick pattern with what they call their Regular Clip blade I really liked what I saw. The second Pen blade is a bonus. I like the blade arrangement as is but could have lived with it the other way around.

Dennis --

I know "Super Glue" makes a wide variety of glues but over the years, I have used their "Future Glue" to repair cracks in knife handles/scales. It is a thin glue, flows evenly, is fast drying, bonds like nobody's business, and the residue, if any, is very easy to remove -- just be a little juditious when applying it and all will be well.

Like "Rick" said, I don't think the cracks in this Primitive Bone will be a problem for the reasons he stated.