GEC Tidioute #73 Osage Orange

lambertiana said:
These look great, and the 73 is my favorite GEC pattern. Too bad I have a wedding/reception to pay for next month and won't be buying knives for quite some time.
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No matter what, it sounds like you have some good things to look forward to!

And then you wrote,
lambertiana said:
Resistance was futile...in spite of the looming financial crunch, this one somehow found its way to my mailbox. I love the chatoyance of osage, the camera just can't capture it.




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:D
-- Beautiful knife, yours. Well chosen, and hopefully not too ill-timed! :)

btmccutcheon said:

The lack of the secondary blade does in my opinion make it more comfortable to hold, however my big mitts like the girth provided by the second spring on the two bladed variety.
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Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that (the lack of girth and the effect on comfort). Thanks for the input.

Modoc ED said:
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Wow, that's possibly the prettiest osage orange I've seen yet; I love the various hues and striations.

Which reminds me:

SonnyJim said:
Meant to ask earlier, but does anyone have examples of how Osage Orange-wood darkens?

~Jim
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I, too, am curious about how the wood darkens over time, a phenomenon I've frequently heard mentioned but am not sure I've seen.

Although, I'm now wondering if I've viewed pictures of various "brown" knives here and there and not realized they were clad in osage orange, aged with use, exposure, etc.?

I hope to see pictures of some of these new knives some months (and maybe even years) hence, to view how they age. If anyone can point me to images of 'old' osage in the meantime, I'd appreciate it.

~ P.
 
Well, you know me. In my world of JB Weld, tar, muriatic acid, and what have you, you never know what my #73 Osage Orange will look like after I've decided how I want to use it.:rolleyes:
 
Modoc ED said:
Well, you know me. In my world of JB Weld, tar, muriatic acid, and what have you, you never know what my #73 Osage Orange will look like after I've decided how I want to use it.:rolleyes:
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Sounds about right! :D

I do look forward to seeing how osage orange ages with your use, no matter what others' findings might be. :cool:

~ P.
 
pertinux said:
Which reminds me:



I, too, am curious about how the wood darkens over time, a phenomenon I've frequently heard mentioned but am not sure I've seen.

Although, I'm now wondering if I've viewed pictures of various "brown" knives here and there and not realized they were clad in osage orange, aged with use, exposure, etc.?

I hope to see pictures of some of these new knives some months (and maybe even years) hence, to view how they age. If anyone can point me to images of 'old' osage in the meantime, I'd appreciate it.

~ P.
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I'd have to dig around in a closet(3x10 internal storage facility) to grab a pic or two, but I have an old osage longbow from the late 20's-early 30's. My cell cam will not do it justice I can attest that Osage does age well and they take on a medium brownish gold. A nice rub down with bees wax when it starts to dry out and all is well. The bees wax will give a bit of stiction to the covers of a 73 if treated the same.
 
Well, I'm undecided about exactly what I want to do, sooooooooooooooo, I just ordered a 2nd #73 Osage Orange to help inspire me. It oughta be here by Thursday seeing as how today is a holiday and when it gets here I'll see what the covers look like and then decide. He he:)
 
Got it in this evening! Can only conjure up a poor shot due to light problems (mind you it's 22.40 here and still not dark yet....the arctic summer light).:cool:

Like it straightaway, no gaps, no play, pull is far from the worst 73 I have, the linerlock is sturdy, meets my sharp out of the tube criteria - it shaves arm hair no problem. Blade is centre despite having the extra liner, wood radiused properly and decent stripes. I certainly will get this into active service it really shouts out to be used! Very good value for money too, a well set up attractive, locking work-knife in an unusual wood for under 70USD. My usual complaint is my annoyance with the way GEC sink hole some of the pins usually on wood or micarta knives (bone & stag are not immune either) Lots of people don't mind but I have plenty of other brand knives that don't have this eyesore feature. I knew it would be there though so it's not a surprise, just wish they could stop doing it - for aesthetic reasons. Grand knife overall!:thumbup:

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Thanks, Will
 
Thank you Bob! I'm really pleased, well worth the wait (takes most of the time in Customs, them sniffing parcels and finally getting round to informing you of the ransom:rolleyes:)
 
When you get around to it Will, I'd like to see a shot of how much the liner lock adds to the overall thickness of the knife. I've found that some single blade knives are a bit too thin, but have experienced lately that a liner lock adds just enough thickness to get a nice grip on the knife.
 
Certainly see what I can manage Bob on the morrow. What sort of shot do you need? With blades shut or open, looking into the innards or an end shot? I must say with the 73s the extra liner doesn't seem to make much difference. Looking at some of them now on the desk, it mainly depends how thick the scales are. Some bone non liners are quite thick others not, I've got this stag linerlock that's phat That gives a lot of grip.

In the meantime, casual desk top shot in lamplight.

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Regards, Will
 
Just a curiosity Will. Looking into the blade well will show. I found mine to be very thin without the liner lock so I was just curious. I'm comparing a couple of #55 Dogleg Jacks I have in liner lock vs. non liner lock. I like the touch of extra width between those two.
 
You guys are killing me. I'm not a fan of most wood handles but after going through these five pages I had to order one. Now I sit and wait for the mail ...
 
I just happen to have two 73s here by me. One liner lock one non LL. The LL adds about .045. The pull on mine is a little less then new,I have opened them a lot and flushed them out.This has helped quite a bit.My left thumbnail is about gone.And another should be here tomorrow.
 
Well, my second #73 Osage Orange came in today.

Here is the first one I got.

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Here is the second one that came in today.

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Both photos taken at the same time of day and in the same place and light. Big difference between the covers on the two of them.

The first one has much more of an orange hue to it and I like the grain and flow of the various patterns the grains make. The second one is so so and nothing to brag about. Therefore, the second one will be my EDC and travel out to the stockyards, ride on the tractor, and go to whatever places I go with me. Keep an eye out for how the covers age and how they're effected (or is it affected) by my day to day play.

For all you guys posting pictures of your new knives, they all look good. Have some fun and use the heck out of them.
 
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Bob Here's an interior shot, I'm afraid I'm not good at this kind of pic.

Anyway, you'll see that the additional liner makes very little difference to the thickness, it's the scales themselves that are important. You may be able to see that the Beaver Tail in Almond Bone on the left is a thicker knife than the Osage liner-lock next to it and that the Northfield next to that is marginally thinner. Tidioute linerlock extreme right.

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Here's my entire 73 Tribe lined up. Osage Orange front. 3 linerlocks: Wood, Bonestag, Stag. 3 Northfields, 3 Tidioutes and 1 Cyclop's Works stainless 2 blade. Love 'em!

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Regards, Will
 
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