Lets talk GEC!

BearBug said:
I like the way the burnt orange clips came out. Has anyone used 440c on food. Is there any chance of a patina? Or, could one force etch it?
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You might be able to acid etch it. In my use, I've never seen 440C develop a patina. I'm no steel expert, but from what I've read, it's one of the most stainless steels out there. It has a high chromium content. Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but 440C was sort of the first of the modern super stainless steels.
 
BearBug said:
I like the way the burnt orange clips came out. Has anyone used 440c on food. Is there any chance of a patina? Or, could one force etch it?
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That Burnt Orange turned out AWESOME!
What a great time to be a GEC fan!!
In my experience, 440c doesnt really stain- at all.
 
rma100 said:
I don't know much, but I do know that you will never see that shield on a GEC Knife.
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OK, so just playing devils advocate. What if Queen gave up the ghost and GEC bought components / equipment? Or vice-versa for that matter - what if Queen bought all the GEC trademarks?

:D
 
Personally, I love the keystone shield. To me, it represents my heritage. Generations of SW PA coal miners on both sides. It's where my mom's farm is. It's where a large % of the knives we talk about come from. To me, it just has so much meaning. I'd love to see it, but is it trademarked by S&M?
 
BearBug said:
I like the way the burnt orange clips came out. Has anyone used 440c on food. Is there any chance of a patina? Or, could one force etch it?
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In the realm of corrosion resistant steels, Martensitic stainless does not rank high in corrosion resistance. However, it will take considerably more than acidic food to cause it to corrode.

There is an oxiding kit that you can buy that will blacken stainless.
Google "black oxide stainless" and you'll find some.

Can't say how it well it works. Why on earth one would go to the expense of buying 440C stainless and then turn it black is beyond comprehension to me.
 
knifeswapper said:
OK, so just playing devils advocate. What if Queen gave up the ghost and GEC bought components / equipment? Or vice-versa for that matter - what if Queen bought all the GEC trademarks?

:D
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Not to disparage Queen, because they can make some good knives....

I would probably stop buying GEC knives if Queen bought them. They just can't match the quality presently. Does GEC actually purchase the rights to any of the shields or brands they use? My understanding is that all of them are from long defunct manufacturers where any trademarks or copyrights are long since expired.

Devils advocate or not, I just don't see that happening. No keystone shields on the Beer Scouts..... PLEASE!
 
Buzzbait said:
So it's official. The mystery barrel is from Barton 1792 Bourbon.

If this is being used on the Beer Scout run, they so need to make special Boilermaker shields.

Barrel-4-1-1024x768.jpg
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Thank you for the info!
 
knarfeng said:
In the realm of corrosion resistant steels, Martensitic stainless does not rank high in corrosion resistance. However, it will take considerably more than acidic food to cause it to corrode.

There is an oxiding kit that you can buy that will blacken stainless.
Google "black oxide stainless" and you'll find some.

Can't say how it well it works. Why on earth one would go to the expense of buying 440C stainless and then turn it black is beyond comprehension to me.
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Absolutely! The whole notion is bizarre, I like stainless BECAUSE it doesn't blacken and impart flavours :thumbup: Be like buying a carbon knife and then having it plated or coated :D Been done I'm sure...:eek:

However, D2 certainly goes quite grey if you cut acidic fruits with it. Not a very satisfying or even colour mind like carbon goes, but grey enough. A great steel for pocket-knives in my experience and that's a place Queen has the whip hand over GEC.

I'm certainly pleased about this 15 stainless run et al. I like all the handle options, maybe the wood least. But, being abroad I can't see myself getting in front of the feeding frenzy, not paying inflated after price either, I'd just like to use it.:rolleyes:

Thanks, Will
 
knifeswapper said:
OK, so just playing devils advocate. What if Queen gave up the ghost and GEC bought components / equipment? Or vice-versa for that matter - what if Queen bought all the GEC trademarks?

:D
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Then GEC would have more components/equipment. Or Queen would own all the GEC Trademarks. You can make up scenarios all day. I stand by my statement.
 
Well, it'd certainly be a terrible thing to see the demise of either maker. However, if GEC bought Queen... it could potentially turn out quite well for knife nuts. With Queen's machinery and Bill's guidance we could see high quality knives in more tool steel and high quality stainless. :D The mind boggles at the possibilities.. Can you imagine a Grinling Whittler in CPM154?! Not to mention that GECs production capacity would be doubled. It could really be the dawn of an era.

Conversely if Queen bought GEC, that would really crush a lot of people. Old GEC prices would skyrocket. Some of these collectors would be really rolling in it! Perhaps, some GEC employees would find work at Queen and help keep QC in check. With the expanded market for Queen's products perhaps they'd be able to bring more of their high quality product lines to market and find more demand. They could then kill off the 420HC and work solely in better steel. It would be rough but hopefully they'd capitalize on the chance to be the company we all want to see them become.
 
It's too horrible to think about. Hopefully both companies will successfully operate for a long time... until knives become obsolete and everyone uses light sabers to cut stuff. :p

Knifeswapper, something more important to consider is upgrading my status from "standby" ;) :D

The "boilermaker shield" was just a joke in response to another joke. I like the plain "scout" shield or maybe "beer scout" for the shield but I suspect these will have the large "this is a beer scout knife" shield like the prior run. ;)
 
Here's another vote for the return of the "scout" shield. They would make a great addition to the upcoming boy's knives.
 
I wouldn't mind seeing more regular patterns run without shields. Partially the reason I enjoy the looks of GEC's barlows so much.
 
Will Power said:
However, D2 certainly goes quite grey if you cut acidic fruits with it. Not a very satisfying or even colour mind like carbon goes, but grey enough. A great steel for pocket-knives in my experience and that's a place Queen has the whip hand over GEC.
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I love the fact that D2 takes a subtle patina. Everything I read about it early on indicated that the high chromium content would make it act "like stainless, effectively". I was pleased to discover that wasn't really the case. It has caused me to add more of my D2 knives to my carry rotation.

A Queen "workhorse" #26 (in D2, which I understand is rare for this line -- often wondered if using the wrong blade is why it was seconded) which started out untouched. After a week of exclusive carry, the master took on a nice grey coloration. The original finish can be seen on the sheepsfoot blade peeking out of the frame:





supratentorial said:
It's too horrible to think about. Hopefully both companies will successfully operate for a long time... until knives become obsolete and everyone uses light sabers to cut stuff. :p
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Hear hear!
 
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jrawk said:
I wouldn't mind seeing more regular patterns run without shields. Partially the reason I enjoy the looks of GEC's barlows so much.
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I'm not a big fan of shields or etching as a rule. Subtle etching and a really classic well fitted shield are okay on some patterns.
 
Oh man, the #15 Boy's Knives in stainless are popping up. There's some pretty wild burnt orange bone in the mix -- I hope the #74 has bone just as interesting as these!
 
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