Lets talk GEC!

stagmeister said:
Have you tried flushing it real well and oiling it? That could help a bit but they do have a strong pull.
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I have not. Would WD40 work? Or should I use something else? I certainly do not want to use something that would damage the scales. What type of oil should I use after? Gun oil?
 
AZGabe said:
I have not. Would WD40 work? Or should I use something else? I certainly do not want to use something that would damage the scales. What type of oil should I use after? Gun oil?
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Use dish soap and warm water first and if you have a brush long enough to reach the bottom of the blade well that will help also. get it wet and soapy and VERY CAREFULLY work the blade back and forth as if opening and closing it. Rinse the soap out and generously spray the joint with WD40 and work the blade as before. Then lube with gun oil if you're not going to be using the knife on food. If you're going to be using the knife for food prep then after the WD40 go back to the dish soap and warm water and rinse thoroughly then use a hair dryer on low heat to dry the knife and especially the area of the joint completely then lube all of the metal with mineral oil (which is food safe) be sure to lube the backspring as the washing you just did removed all the protective oils that were on the knife from the factory.
WD40 will not harm the bone covers.
 
Tx308 said:
Use dish soap and warm water first and if you have a brush long enough to reach the bottom of the blade well that will help also. get it wet and soapy and VERY CAREFULLY work the blade back and forth as if opening and closing it. Rinse the soap out and generously spray the joint with WD40 and work the blade as before. Then lube with gun oil if you're not going to be using the knife on food. If you're going to be using the knife for food prep then after the WD40 go back to the dish soap and warm water and rinse thoroughly then use a hair dryer on low heat to dry the knife and especially the area of the joint completely then lube all of the metal with mineral oil (which is food safe) be sure to lube the backspring as the washing you just did removed all the protective oils that were on the knife from the factory.
WD40 will not harm the bone covers.
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I use Hoppe's #9 gun solvent to flush it. I let it sit for awhile, then brush it out and clear it with canned or compressed air. I then use mineral oil (gun oil will work if you don't use it for food) and work the blade. WD40 will work too, just be sure to clean it out.
 
AZGabe said:
I recently purchased a GEC 23 Autumn bone. The pull leaves much to be desired. I prefer my Case Trapperlock. The GEC is difficult to open, and it closes like a bear trap. I have it in the 1/4 open position (2 days so far) and will chage to 3/4 in a few days. I've read the you can bend the spring? Are there any videos that show how to do this?
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Tx308 said:
Use dish soap and warm water first and if you have a brush long enough to reach the bottom of the blade well that will help also. get it wet and soapy and VERY CAREFULLY work the blade back and forth as if opening and closing it. Rinse the soap out and generously spray the joint with WD40 and work the blade as before. Then lube with gun oil if you're not going to be using the knife on food. If you're going to be using the knife for food prep then after the WD40 go back to the dish soap and warm water and rinse thoroughly then use a hair dryer on low heat to dry the knife and especially the area of the joint completely then lube all of the metal with mineral oil (which is food safe) be sure to lube the backspring as the washing you just did removed all the protective oils that were on the knife from the factory.
WD40 will not harm the bone covers.
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I have two 23s, coincidentally I posted them in the Totin’ thread today. I agree with everything Tx308 Tx308 said. The only thing I would add is after you finish with the flushing and oiling process don’t expect a huge difference. It will be smoother but not necessarily easier. The spring is still strong. It takes practice and time to get used to opening a knife with a strong pull. In time you will figure out how to position your thumb in order to get the best leverage and frankly your fingers will get stronger. I love mine and it is a true workhorse, put it to work and you will appreciate the strong spring. Don’t give up on it, it’s a great knife. Just my two cents. 😊
 
I personally would never use WD40, gun cleaner or gun oil on my knives because it can get inbeded in the fibers of scales especially on Ivory 😬… I use mineral oil very carefully then blow it out of liners with air compressor. I have used soap and hot water before works great then dry throughly coat with mineral oil, wipe excess and use or store.

Here’s an example of a tragedy: I took the pic from a FB post but I’m sure the gentleman wouldn’t want his mistake happening to other fellow collectors
199976FF-84EB-419D-B981-C9CF56D5F0FE.jpeg488C55DA-B114-440F-96E3-F39BE734C85D.jpeg
 
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fishin1635 said:
I personally would never use WD40, gun cleaner or gun oil on my knives because it can get inbeded in the fibers of scales especially on Ivory 😬… I use mineral oil very carefully then blow it out of liners with air compressor. I have used soap and hot water before works great then dry throughly coat with mineral oil, wipe excess and use or store.

Here’s an example of a tragedy: I took the pic from a FB post but I’m sure the gentleman wouldn’t want his mistake happening to other fellow collectors
View attachment 1734865View attachment 1734894
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Looks perfect me. 😊
 
fishin1635 said:
I personally would never use WD40, gun cleaner or gun oil on my knives because it can get inbeded in the fibers of scales especially on Ivory 😬… I use mineral oil very carefully then blow it out of liners with air compressor. I have used soap and hot water before works great then dry throughly coat with mineral oil, wipe excess and use or store.

Here’s an example of a tragedy: I took the pic from a FB post but I’m sure the gentleman wouldn’t want his mistake happening to other fellow collectors
View attachment 1734865View attachment 1734894
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I understand your concern and I would never use anything but mineral oil on ivory as well. You can even somewhat flush with just mineral oil depending on how gunked up it is. As for Hoppe's, I know gun collectors that use it on exhibition grade Browning and Weatherby's with high gloss blueing, exotic woods, and gold etchings with no ill effects. I have stag and wood knives I used it on 10 years ago and they are perfectly fine. It is oil based. I don't soak them in it, but just squirt it in the channel and blow it out before following up with mineral oil. To each their own, but this is just my experience.
 
Sadly no longer with me.
jigged-bone-36.jpg
 
stagmeister said:
I use Hoppe's #9 gun solvent to flush it. I let it sit for awhile, then brush it out and clear it with canned or compressed air. I then use mineral oil (gun oil will work if you don't use it for food) and work the blade. WD40 will work too, just be sure to clean it out.
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If the Hoppe's #9 has ammonia in it to remove copper fouling in the gun bores, it will also be deleterious to your brass liners, pins, etc.. You would be better off with a solvent w/o ammonia....
 
fishin1635 said:
I personally would never use WD40, gun cleaner or gun oil on my knives because it can get inbeded in the fibers of scales especially on Ivory 😬… I use mineral oil very carefully then blow it out of liners with air compressor. I have used soap and hot water before works great then dry throughly coat with mineral oil, wipe excess and use or store.

Here’s an example of a tragedy: I took the pic from a FB post but I’m sure the gentleman wouldn’t want his mistake happening to other fellow collectors
View attachment 1734865View attachment 1734894
Click to expand...

HEMI 49 said:
If the Hoppe's #9 has ammonia in it to remove copper fouling in the gun bores, it will also be deleterious to your brass liners, pins, etc.. You would be better off with a solvent w/o ammonia....
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You are correct about ammonia with copper, brass and especially nickel. I'm not sure if #9 has ammonia, but may contain a little as it removes and prevents fouling. That said, I think repeated use may be detrimental. I would use it once initially, squirting down onto the spring. The black gunk would ooze out, then I would blast it out with compressed air, dry it, and flush with mineral oil. Your post made me a little paranoid so I went and checked a couple stag and wood examples I did some time ago. Brass and pins nice and shinny and no verdigis on the stag or brass (which would happen with a chemical reaction), so no harm-no foul here.:D

Actually, over the last year or so, they have done a much better job of flushing them clean from the factory and have had pretty smooth action right out of the tube. I pretty much just do an oil flush now. Thanks for pointing this out though.
 
stagmeister said:
You are correct about ammonia with copper, brass and especially nickel. I'm not sure if #9 has ammonia, but may contain a little as it removes and prevents fouling. That said, I think repeated use may be detrimental. I would use it once initially, squirting down onto the spring. The black gunk would ooze out, then I would blast it out with compressed air, dry it, and flush with mineral oil. Your post made me a little paranoid so I went and checked a couple stag and wood examples I did some time ago. Brass and pins nice and shinny and no verdigis on the stag or brass (which would happen with a chemical reaction), so no harm-no foul here.:D

Actually, over the last year or so, they have done a much better job of flushing them clean from the factory and have had pretty smooth action right out of the tube. I pretty much just do an oil flush now. Thanks for pointing this out though.
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I also note that manufacturers are shipping knives with cleaner blade wells..... Used to get some with hunks of black gunk in them...... Haven't seen that in a l-o-n-g time.😀
 
HEMI 49 said:
I also note that manufacturers are shipping knives with cleaner blade wells..... Used to get some with hunks of black gunk in them...... Haven't seen that in a l-o-n-g time.😀
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Exactly, that's why I would use the #9 as it would quickly dissolve all that crap and I would blow it out clean and follow up with an oil flush as well. It would really free the action. I guess they finally caught on and knew they needed to do a better job.
Great improvement.
 
fishin1635 said:
I personally would never use WD40, gun cleaner or gun oil on my knives because it can get inbeded in the fibers of scales especially on Ivory 😬… I use mineral oil very carefully then blow it out of liners with air compressor. I have used soap and hot water before works great then dry throughly coat with mineral oil, wipe excess and use or store.

Here’s an example of a tragedy: I took the pic from a FB post but I’m sure the gentleman wouldn’t want his mistake happening to other fellow collectors
View attachment 1734865View attachment 1734894
Click to expand...

What's wrong with that??????? It's called patina. Looks good. If ya want to see tragedy, imagine Cindy Crawford with a beer belly.:rolleyes:
 
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