Just got a GEC 26

A

ackeith4570

Joined
Aug 31, 2012
Messages
362
I got a GEC 26 in ebony wood. I opened it and i thought man this is beautiful. I went to open the knife and it broke my thumb nail. The pull on this knife is like a 9-10 Is there any way to get it to a 7? Where should i go from here?
 
Wow ouch! Congrats on the new knife and sorry it's extremely heavy, that sux. Guys have had success "flushing" out the joint with lots of oil and working the blade open and close numerous times. This can sometimes flush out grit from the machining or assembly process perhaps. And working the blade may soften up the pull a bit. Not sure how far down you can take it with just this method however.

Others will chime in with far more experience than me, so I'll be watching this thread myself. Hope you get it loosened up a bit without having to send it in.
 
ackblade24 said:
I got a GEC 26 in ebony wood. I opened it and i thought man this is beautiful. I went to open the knife and it broke my thumb nail. The pull on this knife is like a 9-10 Is there any way to get it to a 7? Where should i go from here?
Click to expand...

The blades on #26s can have notoriously strong pull (or, for fans of The Three Amigos, their pull strength is IN-famous), primarily due to the thick spring and relatively short opening radius.

Every little bit of grit in the joints works against the already strong physics, so flushing out the knife well is a start. I've used hot soapy water before, but have since found WD-40 to be at least as effective, and more preferable with ebony. (One of my ebony knives dried out in an alarming way when subjected to my then-usual Dawn bath.) Put some painter's tape on the sharp edges, set the knife on some paper towels, spritz liberally WD-40 liberally into its joints, and work the blades back and forth. Repeat until no black gunk shows up on the paper towels.

Even after that, it can take a lot of time working [covered-edge, to prevent Oopsies] blades back and forth and back and forth (and more!) before the pulls loosen to a non-cringeworthy state. Once there? Sweetness. At least, one of my #26s is now in the sweet spot, and may have been looser than I'd prefer by now had I had GEC work on it. Another is still a work in progress.

On the other hand, this report of a sleeveboard sent back to GEC is very promising:

coyote711 said:
Hi all. I got my Watch Pocket Sunfish back from GEC today and thought I'd update this thread. Here's what I said earlier .....

"I've got one with Cocobolo wood handles. It's back at GEC now getting un-stiffened. I called Christine at GEC and she acknowledged that the Watch Pocket Sunfishes were pretty darn stiff. She said to send it in and they'd take care of it. I'm anxious to see how how if feels when it comes back - I've never sent one in to GEC before. I can usually get 'em operating pretty well, if need be, with a good cleaning & lube, but not this little fella."


The knife came back with a perfect 5 to 6 pull on both blades! There's no evidence of a "fix" - no scratches, dings, etc. Both blades are still without wobble and tucked next to the liner, yet not rubbing the liner or each other. Needless to say I'm impressed and very satisfied with the results. Thanks Christine & GEC! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Good luck!

~ P.
 
I like a strong spring, but I have to confess that the pull on my Primitive Bone 26 is over the top. It's monster.:eek:

Shutting it is hard too as it's a short and wide Clip that you do not want taking a nip at you.....:D

The main problem is that it's so over sprung that the opening & shutting routine several times a day is impractical.:confused:

I can't frankly see the reason for such an oversprung knife on a very small frame (and I have smaller hands), an awkward pairing. Looks grand mind:thumbup:
 
willgoy said:
The main problem is that it's so over sprung that the opening & shutting routine several times a day is impractical.:confused:
Click to expand...

Have you perhaps heard of "sports on the telly"? I've found this the best opportunity for working a blade back and forth repeatedly. For those who eschew electronics, I suppose the principle is the same whilst sitting in the woods. ;)

I can't frankly see the reason for such an oversprung knife on a very small frame (and I have smaller hands), an awkward pairing. Looks grand mind:thumbup:
Click to expand...

I'd venture that the hard pulls are a primary reason so many of these little beauties (yes, they do look grand!) are still in dealers' inventories near and far....

From a visit to GEC, specific to these little nail-breakers:
pertinux said:
...it was both revelatory and challenging to watch how easily [Bill Howard] and Chris Tucker opened blades that completely thwarted me. I believe I may have gained some insight into GEC's characteristically "stiff pulls" that day: to the pure, all things are pure; to those who can easily open the stiffest blade, all pulls are "easy"...? ;))
Click to expand...

For the rest of us, these knives are a definite challenge, sometimes insurmountably so.

~ P.
 
i definitely pay attention to which knives have been reported as hard to open or 9-10 on the spring tension scale. i'm not getting any younger and my hands aren't becoming more nimble so the knife can't be excessively challenging to open, otherwise it's a pass.
 
A couple of years ago, I discovered GEC knives,and really appreciate a well made product.
In my excitement of finding a quality slip joint, I purchased I think about 15 or 20 of them.
I sometimes lament,why I didn't stop buying after the first couple,as for most of them are a 8 or 9 pull,very unnerving opening and closing.

At that time, I also purchased a Canal Street, Case and Boker, finding them with a very weak pull,which was also disappointing.
I would like to purchase more GEC's, but am gun/knife shy. :p
 
My 25 had a really strong pull at first. I like a really strong pull.

The good news is that the pulls on every GEC I own have lightened and smoothed considerably after cleaning, oiling, and most importantly lots of opening and closing.

I have never broken a thumb nail on GEC's. I have bent my pinky nail, and other small nails when new.

You can also open partially, and leave the blade partially open for a while to take some of the resistance out.



That said, when I order GEC's, I am always more concerned that the pull will be too soft for my liking. I have queens with this issue. and it is a bummer, because it cannot be fixed, and will only get worse!

I also have a queen, that has the hardest pull of any slip joint I own by far. But it is a longer blade (grandad barlow), and it is pinchable too. I love it.


I honestly think I am a "target" audience for the strong pulls. When I get a slip joint with a pull in the 5/6/7 range I am disappointed, or at least concerned that the pull will become too soft for my liking after extended use.
 
Last edited:
big Fatty, I totally agree with you and I'm the same way. Gec listens to its customers and im scared that pretty soon the GECs will have weak anemic pulls. some knives aren't for everyone and I'd hate to see them change...

some great advice from everyone was presented, I was wondering if you could post a pic of the culprit? :-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top