- Joined
- Jun 6, 2010
- Messages
- 184
Intro
One day I was thinking about my humble collection of folders. There were the bad boys; Ellishewitz tacticals, the über-over-kill Crusader Forge and the Striders somewhere in between. Then there were the gentlemen's folders, from alox-clad SAKs to Rockstead's ultra-polished fare. Just when I thought I was pretty well covered, I caught sight of the GTC Plasma. As solid and robust as any tactical out there but at the same time, the sculpted frame and flowing grinds of it's blade just said "gentlemen's" to me! Clearly not the first to make the observation, "Dress Tactical Folder" captions the GTC Plasma on the cover of Blade Magazine!
click-the-pics for hi-res goodness!
GTC
The GTC logo and the man behind it, Brazilian Gustavo Thome Cecchini - that's Gus to us - is well known to everyone here in the knife world and has been working on knives since roughly 2004. Gus has an engineering background which is reflected in his innovative and iconic designs. Among the many awards received, Gus most recently won the "Most Innovative" award at USN's 2012 "Gathering" as well as best collaboration (with R. Terzuola) at the 2012 Blade show. The .50 GTC, Integral, Prisma, Plasma and Super-Sonic are among his more known designs, but he has and continues to venture in many interesting directions; for a better overview, have a look at "homework" below. Not only are GTC knives veritable works of modern art, they also represent technical achievements. Custom pivot-bearings, "front" frame-lock design, lock-bar limiter-screw, variation on the integral frame and several types of hidden clips are examples of the innovation behind the GTC logo.
A "custom" custom
My fondness for knives started out with my good ol' SAK; my interest then turned to one-handers and I ended up with a few decent production models. I joined a few good forums and soon after I was dreaming of owning a custom folder. I started following a few makers, saw their knives come and go through many popular dealers. I did end up buying my first custom this way but my idea of "custom" really meant getting to know the knifemaker, their work and then working with them to produce the optimal combination of their original designs and one's own taste. Once I decided that I absolutely had to have a GTC, I wrote to Gus to see if he would build a folder for me; "I'd be glad to ... in about 12~13 months' time..." Considering I'm the gotta-have-it-now type I wondered if I'd be able to cope with the wait. To make things worse, there was a GTC for sale the very next day... ! But I resisted and persisted, patiently awaiting my turn. that was Jan 2012 and in Jan 2013, I sent Gus a mail... "Gus... are we there, yet?!?"
Plasma
Of course I'd been following Gus's work throughout the entire year as well as reviewing his past efforts. I'd had twelve whole months to come up with a choice... but come decision-time I drew a blank. Lol. Why, you ask? Because there's something that I love about each of his designs and having to choose one is torture. Though I had all but memorized every folder he's made and presented to the community, I couldn't get myself to choose. But choose I did and Plasma it would be...
That was the hardest part. The details fell into place quite easily and soon after, I had the basis for my dream GTC...
San Mai - To date, still less common and exotic among folder makers
Bare Titanium - to highlight his sculpted frames
Thumb Stud - while flippers seem to be dominating the scene today, I'm still "all thumbs" ... with the Plasma, you get both!
Design accents - not really a "choice" per say as you always get cool and innovative stuff with a GTC!!!
The Plasma might have a Gentlemen's look to it, but the stats say bad boy...
Action - Thumb-stud (primary) and flipper (secondary) assist
Length - Overall 24.5cm (9.65") / Closed: 14.0cm (5.5")
Weight - 202g (7.1oz)
Blade
-type - compound hollow-ground American Tanto,
-Length - 11.0cm (4.3")
-Usable - 7.5+3.3cm (3.0+1.3") for the main and secondary (tanto) edges
-Thickness - 4.5mm (3/16")
-chord (width) - 30mm (1.2") @widest point
-Material - 420/5160/420 San Mai (details below)
Frame - sculpted, satin / ceramic-blast 6A14V Titanium frame-lock, full back-spacer (San-Mai)
Pivot - 440C SS bearing-assisted
Pocket Clip - tip-up, San-Mai
Other - flamed Ti accessory screws, pivot screws and thumb-stud
Framework 1.0
In the case of the chosen Plasma, the frame is a classic*, GTC-sculpted, Titanium frame-lock with full back-spacer. Sure, I gave more exotic materials some thought - Gus has done some amazing frames with MokuTi and Timascus, 2die4! But he shapes his frames like a sculpture that it's almost a pity to obscure the form behind a myriad of patterns and colors... . Despite my determination to have the entire frame in Gus's super-fine satin finish, Gus convinced me to take advantage of his latest & greatest, ceramic-bead blast. Gus works with Aluminum oxide when he wants dark tones, glass when he wants a classic and well-defined blast finish and now he's added ceramic to the mix. The Ceramic-bead blast produces a very subtle contrast to the satin-finish Ti and is just as scratch-resistant as glass. We initially considered the option of using the Al-Oxide to compliment the carbon-steel in the San Mai, but this finish is more susceptible than the other bead finishes. Now that I have the folder in my hands, I'm thrilled that Gus went with ceramic - it's a really unique and refined finish!
*In conjunction with Gus's new hidden-clip design, the newer Plasma frame has a more flat profile and stand-offs replace the back-spacer.
Well I've never been to San Mai...
...but I kinda like the steel.... San Mai literally means "three layers" in Japanese; I'm uncertain if the process originated from the feudal period (folding the outer layer around the core steel was the standard practice) but San Mai is certainly the more common practice today. The objective however is the same as that used when forging the Samurai's Katana; provide a blade with a hard and durable edge as well as one that can bend without breaking. The solution was to take a hardened steel and "clad" it with a more ductile steel. In more contemporary times, protection against oxidation was also desirable and thus low-carbon stainless steel was used as the "jacket" and high-carbon remained the choice for the "core" (edge). Considering today's super steels, multi-layered steels have gone from necessity to artistry.
The San Mai chosen for this project was forge-welded locally (G.T.C., G.V. & M.G.) from 5160 high-carbon and 420 stainless. These are very functional steels, albeit rather commonplace. Working with San Mai is all but commonplace and from what I've understood, quite the challenge for knifemakers. Gus has several objectives in mind when working with San Mai. The first is to achieve a symmetrical "sandwich" where the outer layers are more or less the same thickness. This is necessary to achieve some level of symmetry when grinding both sides of the blade. The next problem to contend with is the ball detent; Having different types of steel presents an additional obstacle when setting up the detent. Gus even opted for a ceramic ball to improve the operation. Finally, the knifemaker needs to bring the pattern to life with a chemical treatment not too dissimilar to working with damascus but with results that are more akin to bluing / blackening. The resulting pattern must be consistent in tone and finish, something easier said than done. The transition line seen on Gus's San Mai blades is the result of the right selection of steels and proper treatment.
Tanto Americanis
One of my favorite aspects of Gus's folders are his blade grinds, from the Integral's sleek grind to the diabolic compound grinds of his .50 GTC and everything in between! For the most part, his grinds are modded wharncliffe and spear-point derivatives with the exception of his stout-tanto style used on the many of his .50 GTCs. Being the American Tanto addict that I am, I was picturing a Plasma with said profile. As much as I respect the .50 GTC Tanto for what it is (...a proficient can-opener - no, make that a car-door opener ...
) I wanted to see the Plasma's tanto with more acute angles. I made a rough suggestion for the angles, Gus adjusted them to make it work with the Plasma and voila, the American-Tanto Plasma is born! What could rock me more than an American Tanto? Why, a GTC-style compound-grind American Tanto, of course... !
The GTC compound grind = Gus's mad skillz in turbo-mode. From the spine to the edge, everything just flows! Starting with the ~5mm spine, Gus added coarse jimping as my preference. He's better known for his finely-detailed file work and for those who prefer a finer jimping, you're in for a real treat! Looking at the blade-face, the hollow-grind provides a smooth transition from the stock down to the edge. The wave-like transition from primary to secondary grinds is what gives this full hollow-ground compound Gus's special touch!
continued in next post...
One day I was thinking about my humble collection of folders. There were the bad boys; Ellishewitz tacticals, the über-over-kill Crusader Forge and the Striders somewhere in between. Then there were the gentlemen's folders, from alox-clad SAKs to Rockstead's ultra-polished fare. Just when I thought I was pretty well covered, I caught sight of the GTC Plasma. As solid and robust as any tactical out there but at the same time, the sculpted frame and flowing grinds of it's blade just said "gentlemen's" to me! Clearly not the first to make the observation, "Dress Tactical Folder" captions the GTC Plasma on the cover of Blade Magazine!
click-the-pics for hi-res goodness!
GTC
The GTC logo and the man behind it, Brazilian Gustavo Thome Cecchini - that's Gus to us - is well known to everyone here in the knife world and has been working on knives since roughly 2004. Gus has an engineering background which is reflected in his innovative and iconic designs. Among the many awards received, Gus most recently won the "Most Innovative" award at USN's 2012 "Gathering" as well as best collaboration (with R. Terzuola) at the 2012 Blade show. The .50 GTC, Integral, Prisma, Plasma and Super-Sonic are among his more known designs, but he has and continues to venture in many interesting directions; for a better overview, have a look at "homework" below. Not only are GTC knives veritable works of modern art, they also represent technical achievements. Custom pivot-bearings, "front" frame-lock design, lock-bar limiter-screw, variation on the integral frame and several types of hidden clips are examples of the innovation behind the GTC logo.
A "custom" custom
My fondness for knives started out with my good ol' SAK; my interest then turned to one-handers and I ended up with a few decent production models. I joined a few good forums and soon after I was dreaming of owning a custom folder. I started following a few makers, saw their knives come and go through many popular dealers. I did end up buying my first custom this way but my idea of "custom" really meant getting to know the knifemaker, their work and then working with them to produce the optimal combination of their original designs and one's own taste. Once I decided that I absolutely had to have a GTC, I wrote to Gus to see if he would build a folder for me; "I'd be glad to ... in about 12~13 months' time..." Considering I'm the gotta-have-it-now type I wondered if I'd be able to cope with the wait. To make things worse, there was a GTC for sale the very next day... ! But I resisted and persisted, patiently awaiting my turn. that was Jan 2012 and in Jan 2013, I sent Gus a mail... "Gus... are we there, yet?!?"
Plasma
Of course I'd been following Gus's work throughout the entire year as well as reviewing his past efforts. I'd had twelve whole months to come up with a choice... but come decision-time I drew a blank. Lol. Why, you ask? Because there's something that I love about each of his designs and having to choose one is torture. Though I had all but memorized every folder he's made and presented to the community, I couldn't get myself to choose. But choose I did and Plasma it would be...
That was the hardest part. The details fell into place quite easily and soon after, I had the basis for my dream GTC...
San Mai - To date, still less common and exotic among folder makers
Bare Titanium - to highlight his sculpted frames
Thumb Stud - while flippers seem to be dominating the scene today, I'm still "all thumbs" ... with the Plasma, you get both!
Design accents - not really a "choice" per say as you always get cool and innovative stuff with a GTC!!!
The Plasma might have a Gentlemen's look to it, but the stats say bad boy...
Action - Thumb-stud (primary) and flipper (secondary) assist
Length - Overall 24.5cm (9.65") / Closed: 14.0cm (5.5")
Weight - 202g (7.1oz)
Blade
-type - compound hollow-ground American Tanto,
-Length - 11.0cm (4.3")
-Usable - 7.5+3.3cm (3.0+1.3") for the main and secondary (tanto) edges
-Thickness - 4.5mm (3/16")
-chord (width) - 30mm (1.2") @widest point
-Material - 420/5160/420 San Mai (details below)
Frame - sculpted, satin / ceramic-blast 6A14V Titanium frame-lock, full back-spacer (San-Mai)
Pivot - 440C SS bearing-assisted
Pocket Clip - tip-up, San-Mai
Other - flamed Ti accessory screws, pivot screws and thumb-stud
Framework 1.0
In the case of the chosen Plasma, the frame is a classic*, GTC-sculpted, Titanium frame-lock with full back-spacer. Sure, I gave more exotic materials some thought - Gus has done some amazing frames with MokuTi and Timascus, 2die4! But he shapes his frames like a sculpture that it's almost a pity to obscure the form behind a myriad of patterns and colors... . Despite my determination to have the entire frame in Gus's super-fine satin finish, Gus convinced me to take advantage of his latest & greatest, ceramic-bead blast. Gus works with Aluminum oxide when he wants dark tones, glass when he wants a classic and well-defined blast finish and now he's added ceramic to the mix. The Ceramic-bead blast produces a very subtle contrast to the satin-finish Ti and is just as scratch-resistant as glass. We initially considered the option of using the Al-Oxide to compliment the carbon-steel in the San Mai, but this finish is more susceptible than the other bead finishes. Now that I have the folder in my hands, I'm thrilled that Gus went with ceramic - it's a really unique and refined finish!
*In conjunction with Gus's new hidden-clip design, the newer Plasma frame has a more flat profile and stand-offs replace the back-spacer.
Well I've never been to San Mai...
...but I kinda like the steel.... San Mai literally means "three layers" in Japanese; I'm uncertain if the process originated from the feudal period (folding the outer layer around the core steel was the standard practice) but San Mai is certainly the more common practice today. The objective however is the same as that used when forging the Samurai's Katana; provide a blade with a hard and durable edge as well as one that can bend without breaking. The solution was to take a hardened steel and "clad" it with a more ductile steel. In more contemporary times, protection against oxidation was also desirable and thus low-carbon stainless steel was used as the "jacket" and high-carbon remained the choice for the "core" (edge). Considering today's super steels, multi-layered steels have gone from necessity to artistry.
The San Mai chosen for this project was forge-welded locally (G.T.C., G.V. & M.G.) from 5160 high-carbon and 420 stainless. These are very functional steels, albeit rather commonplace. Working with San Mai is all but commonplace and from what I've understood, quite the challenge for knifemakers. Gus has several objectives in mind when working with San Mai. The first is to achieve a symmetrical "sandwich" where the outer layers are more or less the same thickness. This is necessary to achieve some level of symmetry when grinding both sides of the blade. The next problem to contend with is the ball detent; Having different types of steel presents an additional obstacle when setting up the detent. Gus even opted for a ceramic ball to improve the operation. Finally, the knifemaker needs to bring the pattern to life with a chemical treatment not too dissimilar to working with damascus but with results that are more akin to bluing / blackening. The resulting pattern must be consistent in tone and finish, something easier said than done. The transition line seen on Gus's San Mai blades is the result of the right selection of steels and proper treatment.
Tanto Americanis
One of my favorite aspects of Gus's folders are his blade grinds, from the Integral's sleek grind to the diabolic compound grinds of his .50 GTC and everything in between! For the most part, his grinds are modded wharncliffe and spear-point derivatives with the exception of his stout-tanto style used on the many of his .50 GTCs. Being the American Tanto addict that I am, I was picturing a Plasma with said profile. As much as I respect the .50 GTC Tanto for what it is (...a proficient can-opener - no, make that a car-door opener ...
) I wanted to see the Plasma's tanto with more acute angles. I made a rough suggestion for the angles, Gus adjusted them to make it work with the Plasma and voila, the American-Tanto Plasma is born! What could rock me more than an American Tanto? Why, a GTC-style compound-grind American Tanto, of course... !
The GTC compound grind = Gus's mad skillz in turbo-mode. From the spine to the edge, everything just flows! Starting with the ~5mm spine, Gus added coarse jimping as my preference. He's better known for his finely-detailed file work and for those who prefer a finer jimping, you're in for a real treat! Looking at the blade-face, the hollow-grind provides a smooth transition from the stock down to the edge. The wave-like transition from primary to secondary grinds is what gives this full hollow-ground compound Gus's special touch!
continued in next post...
Gus certainly gets enough exposure but I believe my writeup was the first time anyone (incl. Gus himself) put it altogether in one place.
