GEC's jigged bone

[supratentorial]

GEC just released their #42 Missouri Trapper with "Copperhead Jig Bone" and I'm very impressed. Unfortunately, their stock photo does not do it justice…

…but I was able to find a better photo on the web.

In my opinion, this jigged bone is dangerously close to the stuff on the oldies and is right up there with some of the best jigged bone from Queen a few years back (that's a very big complement from me). example: http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u298/supratentorial/Schatt-18-sowbelly.jpg

GEC has used "Copperhead Jig Bone" on a few other knives but it looked very different. The older "Copphead Jig Bone" had a worm groove (one of my favorites).

This is purely subjective and your opinion may vary… but I didn't particular like it on the #12

…but I think it looked excellent on the Conductor. ...it looks like the may have scaled down the size for the smaller pattern... not sure though.

The new "Copperhead jig bone" seems to have done away with the worm groove and altered the jig pattern. I hope to see both styles of the "Copperhead jig bone" on more of their knives.

I've been fairly critical of their bone handles in the past… although in addition to the "Copperhead Jig Bone" on the Dog bone Conductor they have had some really beautiful stuff like the "Green Tea Jig Bone" on the #73 and Charlie's peach seed on the 2011 forum knife and SFO harness jack.

Now I'm wondering how many of their other stock photos don't do their knives justice!

 

[rockgolfer]

Ya, that is very nice. I agree that they should expand their offerings with that particular shade and style. I am also diggin that harness handle, very nice sir :thumbup:

I can say that photos do not give their yellow rose justice. My 66 comes alive in natural light. Ill have to bust out the good camera today.

Jeff

 

[biglmbass]

I'm liking the random looking jig pattern on the new 42 in Copperhead bone and would like to see them use it on other patterns. It looks very close to the jigging on the Ruby Red 79 whittler, and may in fact be the same pattern.

I also like the random jig pattern of the 73 green tea, though I don't like the color at all. Unless I'm mistaken that one was made in the early days of GEC and it was during the time when they bought their bone from other sources. Now of course, they dye and jig bone in-house.

 

[odd]

That trapper is beautiful. And the green tea makes me want my 2012 Forum Knife all the more.

 

[Peter Parker]

I concur some of the best looking bone yet along with the ruby red, and mahogany bone, very nice!

 

[FLymon]

I think the random jigged patterns are the best, and your Missouri Trapper is gorgeous.

I hope we see more of this pattern/color in the future.

 

[richstag]

I agree Jake. This is the best improvement GEC has made to date IMHO.

 

[Gec fan]

Wow it does look nice

 

[johnny twoshoes]

I got to see it first hand it's awesome.
I would have one in my pocket right now if they had one in the Trader, not yet though.

Great jig and awesome colors.

 

[Will Power]

Their line drawings are pleasant and give the required nostalgic feel, but they certainly don't do justice to most of their jigged bone or other materials for that matter)

For instance, their Amber Bone on the 56 is a wonderful rich toffee colour, Antique Black has beautiful cream swirls in it, Antique Amber Barnboard on the 25. coffee, cream, red mottled, same with the Burnt Orange (73, 25) Main thing is, you can buy in confidence!

Wonder what Spring Green is like......?

 

[black mamba]

GEC's horsecut bones are among their best, with deep textural random jigging.

Horsecut walnut bone (the darkest and most used of the horsecut jigs).

Horsecut stained green tea (L) and horsecut red wine (R) bones.

Burnt grizzly cut bone is another more random jigging, yet not as deep or random as the horsecuts.

And then they also have some great stag jigged bone. Shown here from left to right are:
green mountain, carved pumpkin, river blue and brimstone bones.

They also did a run of burnt carved stag bone in 2008, similar to Case's 6.5 bonestag.

 

[black mamba]

Here's a few more photos.

I believe this to be the only knife they ever made in Arrowhead jigged bone.

A better example of Brimstone bone.

And a better one of the Carved Pumpkin jigged bone.

Although technically not jigged, the Primitive bone with "character" has become a huge favorite.

 

[pertinux]

Here's a few more photos.

I believe this to be the only knife they ever made in Arrowhead jigged bone.

I've seen 25s featuring the same jigging, at least in name:

... This subject is trickier for me to get a handle on than the more straightforward Pattern designation, because it seems that sometimes the jigging name is inseparable from its use on specific bone cover (at least until another bone cover is used with the same jigging?), whereas in other instances the same jigging pattern name is used but looks very different from one knife to the next-- a la Jeff's "Burnt Grizzly" knives above, the second of which looks to be "horsecut."

Hunh.

~ P.

 

[Modoc ED]

Here's a few more photos.

I believe this to be the only knife they ever made in Arrowhead jigged bone.

Not so Jeff. Here is GEC's Northfield Wharncliffe Jack with Arrowhead dark jigged bone.

It used to be mine but I traded it with "comoha" (Corey) in 2011 for that Horsecut Antique Harness Jack I showed off in a picture in another thread yesterday.

I do wish GEC would be more consistent with the availability of certain jigged bone patterns.

Colors are also hit-and-miss with GEC. I have a #53 Stockman with green jigged bone and a #12 Powderhorn with green jigged bone - both the same color but GEC calls it a different name for each knife - dark green for the #53 / antique green for the #12.

The pattern of the jigging for your Arrowhead covers and the pattern of the jigging for Corey's Arrowhed covers appears to be just a tad different. Therein lies another inconsistency in GEC's jigging patterns - they vary throughout time and knife patterns.

pertinux's and my post overlapped. I pretty much said the same thing he did . Took me a long time to find my old picture of the GEC Wharncliffe Jack.

 

[black mamba]

Guys, I brought this on myself by not printing the FULL name on my post of the opened knife. The jack in question is in Burnt Arrowhead jigged bone. So the jigging is the same, but the #25s do not have the word "burnt" in the name, like the #73 does. They have also done Grizzly bone without the Burnt in front of the name. They seem to be VERY inconsistent with their bone.

 

[Modoc ED]

As stated by Jeff:

They seem to be VERY inconsistent with their bone.

Ya got that right Jeff. Nor are they consistent with their colors as I stated above.

 

[pertinux]

Guys, I brought this on myself by not printing the FULL name on my post of the opened knife. The jack in question is in Burnt Arrowhead jigged bone. So the jigging is the same, but the #25s do not have the word "burnt" in the name, like the #73 does. They have also done Grizzly bone without the Burnt in front of the name. They seem to be VERY inconsistent with their bone.

Well now, that's different now, isn't it?

When it comes to similar (or even identical) jigging patterns or colors and the naming thereof, I wonder if there is any method to GEC's madness, or if it doesn't occur to them that their "new" color/pattern/result looks so close to a previous one they can use the same name...?

Or that a new application of a previously-used jigging design will scale in such a way as to look quite different, and warrant a new name?

Finally, in examples such as this:

GEC evidently calls this "green tea stained." How does one go about identifying the jigging pattern?

~ P.

 

[Lenny]

Beautiful pix guys.
Not to hijack the thread, but what is the tool on this one called?
It's shaped like an awl, but what are the two flutes for?

 

[Modoc ED]

Beautiful pix guys.
Not to hijack the thread,.......

but you have.

That's a harness jack. The tool is for punching holes in leather.

 

[mrrampro]

I believe the two flutes are the improved awl design by GEC.