Got my first GEC, a #57 :)

Strange. Guess it isn't a glob of grit? Since most pocketknife blades are stamp forged and then pretty heavily ground, it would be unusual to have forge oxide remaining. Can you grind steel black? Hopefully not some kind of inclusion.
 
MarkPinTx said:
Can you grind steel black?
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It is possible to do that. But from the picture I do not see that as being the cause. It looks like a bit of "early patina" to me.
 
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Congrats! I just ordered one of those 2 days ago. Can't wait till it shows up!
 
I'd be keen to see how the horn endures. Perhaps a bit of beeswax for that irritating nick.
 
Sorry to hear that :(

Strigamort said:
Yeah I'm sure. I'm at work right now but I'll try to get a pic of it later. I've done a number of forced patinas, and I've seen natural occurring patinas too. This has that multi color burn that I'm too familiar with from getting overzealous with my belt grinder. :(
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Elof, I don't know your tastes or purposes, but if you're *anything* like me you'll love it. It's my first good slipjoint and it won't be my last.

Thanks guys for your comments. As for the burn, you can't tell in the pic, but the color radiates from the tip and fades in blue and yellow. I'm 99% sure that it's from heat and not a patina, I'm just not sure how big a deal it is. As I said, I'm not going to worry about it unless it becomes evident that it's a problem. I'm sure that the people over there know what they're doing. ;)
 
Congrats! The #57 in Buffalo was my first GEC as well.

They're very beautiful pieces and I'm sure it will bring you much enjoyment.
 
Shepard man said:
Congrats! The #57 in Buffalo was my first GEC as well.

They're very beautiful pieces and I'm sure it will bring you much enjoyment.
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Thanks! I can't wait to have a day off so that I can sharpen it up and actually try it. My work place has a silly "no knives" policy so I can't do much but ponder its qualities from afar.

If anyone was curious, here's a pic of the ding on the horn cover.

IMAG1328_zpsb95d8540.jpg


I'm sure the knife will see more like it as time goes by, I just thought it strange for a knife that was hand selected and inspected for flaws. Of course it could be that that is just a natural feature of horn, honestly, I have no idea. :)
 
As to the burned tip. It does look burned to me. It is easy to do, and easy to fix. Since the burned part is very small, just sharpen the knife and use it. :) As you use it, you will sharpen through the damaged part and my guess is you won't even notice it. A little Flitz will take the color out of it.

But honestly, it will work itself out.

Of course, as others have said, you can always send it off to GEC and they will fix/replace it.

Your buffalo scales look normal to me. They are perceived preferable with a completely smooth scale, but those kind of voids are not uncommon. I would use it and enjoy it. If it ever develops to more, GEC will fix it.

I think of stuff like the mark in the scale as character.

You'll enjoy that knife!
 
OH...and, you can likely swap it out with the seller for a different one. You have lots of good options. :)
 
My only buffalo horn knife is a GEC Conductor. It has natural "striations" for lack of a better word. You can feel them when running your finger over them. They make the knife more grippy and do not bother me. It's going to get dinged with use anyway...don't let it detract from your enjoyment of the knife. GEC will help you out if it ever amounts to anything that would compromise the functionality, I am sure.
Once again, beautiful knife.
 
Thank you guys, I'm very satisfied with the quality and f&f of the knife. It won't ever leave my possession unless I have no choice.

One question, has anyone ever heard of engraving the shield?

For some reason I can't reply at all in my shield thread. I've tried several times, but maybe it's just the forum app acting up.
 
Engraving is no problem and I am pretty sure the hotdog and bar shields where made for such a thing. I do not know who to recommend but I suggest starting a thread in the makers area for that answer.

Beautiful looking knife you got there, going to look great when the patina starts for sure. I am finding the wharncliffe blade to be a new favorite of mine that is up to tackling hard jobs with ease. The horn catches my attention from time to time and I really just need to try it out someday but can you compare the feel to anything else? Just curious if it feels a lot like acrylic or not? At any rate enjoy your new friend, these GEC's are very addicting :D
 
Thanks Pertinux! That's *exactly* what I wanted to see! I'll look into finding someone who can do the engraving. I'm pretty sure my last name will fit. :)

I don't have a lot of experience with natural cover materials. I have extensive experience with synthetic materials though.

The horn is pretty if you look at it closely, but honestly if someone told me it was acrylic I wouldn't doubt them for a second. I will choose something different next time. I'm not a huge fan of stag (say whaaaaat?) but I do like bone. I also really love the look of GECs acrylic, especially their tomato, dead skunk, and eggs and hot sauce. There was also a pumpkin or Halloween (or something?) acrylic that I saw that I really really liked.
 
Finally got a chance to do some preliminary sharpening.

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I think I kinda prefer it without the lettering on the blade. :)

It may not look it, but those blades are sharp!
 
I've got a single blade houndstooth which I believe is a similar frame with the wharncliffe on the smaller end. The Halfwhit reminds me of my favorite Case pattern, the mini copperhead, but bigger and more substantial.

Ed J
 
TLARbb said:
I've got a single blade houndstooth which I believe is a similar frame with the wharncliffe on the smaller end. The Halfwhit reminds me of my favorite Case pattern, the mini copperhead, but bigger and more substantial.

Ed J
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Thanks for mentioning that. I'll probably be looking for more whittler patterns, and bigger sounds good as I have large hands. :)
 
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