Lets talk GEC!

[Ironbut]

Good job, we can't let our wives get too comfortable. My wife has grown used to me watching TV with a GEC on the end table and a shotgun on my lap, the poor thing.

Sounds kinda' familiar. When I come in the house for the night, I take off my handgun & lay it on the end table beside my chair, and I'm usually fiddling with a knife doing something.

Years ago whenever I bought a new gun or knife, my wife would say, "What did that cost?" Or "How many of them do you need?" Now she just wants to know how much she can get for it when I die.

 

[huelsdonk]

What else are we supposed to do during commercials, John!?

Exactly. .

Sounds kinda' familiar. When I come in the house for the night, I take off my handgun & lay it on the end table beside my chair, and I'm usually fiddling with a knife doing something.

Years ago whenever I bought a new gun or knife, my wife would say, "What did that cost?" Or "How many of them do you need?" Now she just wants to know how much she can get for it when I die.

That gave me a good chuckle. Yeah, my wife has pretty much given up as well. She no longer bothers with the perfectly reasonable question of "don't you have a bunch just like that one". She knows that she'll be subjected to an answer detailing the subtle but oh so important differences in handle materials and secondary blade shapes...

 

[AlwaysTomboy]

Just start carrying it and it will start buffing off the darker edges . At least my Old Red did.

Harry

That's one way, but it might take a little time. If you want more immediate results, you could use a loaded polishing drum on a dremel. GEC's jig bone ages beautifully as the outer dye slowly wears off. That spring green will reveal a beautiful green over time.

Great choices all around but I think the bone on that Navy is my favorite of those. :thumbup:

Edited to add: DO NOT SAND YOUR KNIFE! That's a quick way to loosen up those pins and pretty much wreck it. If you want to change out the covers, have one of the experienced modders around these parts do it for you.

Thank you both. :thumbup:

 

[Old Engineer]

AlwaysTomboy :Maybe this picture will better show you how a 77 Barlow will wear around the edges from normal pocket wear . Please excuse me using an older picture with other knives in it too .


Harry

 

[shadowram]

Old Engineer, thanks for the the pic of what can be expected from aging, and "Rock of the Marne" to you!

 

[AlwaysTomboy]

AlwaysTomboy :Maybe this picture will better show you how a 77 Barlow will wear around the edges from normal pocket wear . Please excuse me using an older picture with other knives in it too .



Harry

Oh, awesome. Thanks much for the visual. I didn't know what to expect but I really like that.

I did do a little buffing on the corners of the darker side. Doesn't look as good as the side that was lighter straight out of the tube but I like it better now that the pattern is more symmetrical.

I'll let her wear naturally from here on out. I gave her some gentle guidance but now she needs to develop on her own.

 

[Camillus]

I am convinced my one has had the dye re-applied to the edges, and perhaps the faces too.





I think I would have preferred these edges left just light green, but I am not too bothered- i expect this will wear off easily enough.

 

[BigBiscuit]

I really doubt GEC would take the time to try to re apply dye to the bone after the fact. It's way too time consuming and probably have extremely limited results. In fact, If you closely examine the two covers (mark and pile side), they are most likely opposites of each other. ie; The top edge of the mark side might be light and the bottom edge dark. Then on the pile side you often find the opposite where the top edge is dark and the bottom light. The two pieces may have been cut along the same edge of dyed bone and flipped for the opposite side. So one edge may have been the edge of the bone where dye penetration was the greatest and just the opposite for the other side of the cover. You will also often notice a slight variation in the angle of the cut between top and bottom and the pile side will be just the opposite again where the angles match the mark side, but they are reversed.
Hopefully that little rambling makes sense, but that's my observations.

 

[Camillus]

It does make sense and makes more sense than my ill informed guess as to why there is one dark edge when clearly a lot of material has been removed from that edge. If you zoom right in on the bolster transition in the bottom photo you will see it is really bad.

This knife was sold as a second probably due to that bolster transition.

 

[BigBiscuit]

Keep in mind also that true traditional Barlows were very rarely "perfect". Now I know we pay a much higher premium than back in the day, but that's somewhat relative to cost of living, cost of manufacturing, etc. I think as people get into collector mode, they start looking and demanding for perfection when way back when, much worse imperfections were the norm.

 

[supratentorial]

Barlows were inexpensive patterns compared to other patterns but collectors changed everything. There are folks who pay $100 for knives and use them (I wouldn't pay $100 for a modern made traditional knife unless I intend to use it) but it is not typical for most folks to spend $100 on a knife. It does seem to be a nice niche for a small manufacturer though.

What was the original problem that GEC had with this run? Did they say? I did pick up one of the seconds-- it has sort of an odd but small blemish. Nothing that affects its function. Mechanics and grinds are great.

 

[Ironbut]

Keep in mind also that true traditional Barlows were very rarely "perfect". Now I know we pay a much higher premium than back in the day, but that's somewhat relative to cost of living, cost of manufacturing, etc. I think as people get into collector mode, they start looking and demanding for perfection when way back when, much worse imperfections were the norm.

I grew up in the 1950's & everyone carried a Barlow. They were popular because they were cheap & if you lost it, you'd just get another one the next time you were in town. They got used hard & held up well. That's why the Barlow is probably my favorite pattern. The current $5-15 Chinese made Barlows, with cheap steel, plastic covers & poor fit would most likely handle the light chores that I require of a traditional pocket knife. Do I have any of them? NO! I have to have something that costs at least 10 times as much. Time & tastes change.

 

[knarfeng]

The current $5-15 Chinese made Barlows, with cheap steel, plastic covers & poor fit would most likely handle the light chores that I require of a traditional pocket knife.

A number of the current imports don't meet that description. Their blades hold up better than those currently made by Case. And the fit and finish is at least as good as that of the Camillus and Schrade knives I used in my youth.

 

[Ramrodmb]

A number of the current imports don't meet that description. Their blades hold up better than those currently made by Case. And the fit and finish is at least as good as that of the Camillus and Schrade knives I used in my youth.

To me, they still lack 'something'. Though hard to describe, its still there.

Lets talk GEC!

 

[Will Power]

To me, they still lack 'something'. Though hard to describe, its still there.

Lets talk GEC!
View attachment 672808View attachment 672809

They lack a Spear master that's for sure and to me that's the Barlow blade. The GEC's while being superior in finish and aesthetics (plus a large price-tag) the R.R. still manages to tap into the spirit of an inexpensive proletarian work-tool, which is what the Barlow really IS about.

 

[knarfeng]

Back on the GEC topic please.

My apologies for the excursion into non-GEC territory. I addressed a specific comment, because I considered it to have incorrect information.

 

[Ramrodmb]

They lack a Spear master that's for sure and to me that's the Barlow blade. The GEC's while being superior in finish and aesthetics (plus a large price-tag) the R.R. still manages to tap into the spirit of an inexpensive proletarian work-tool, which is what the Barlow really IS about.

Spears in the first pic.
Barlows come in many (more than 2) blade profiles.

 

[Will Power]

I know, I have both Northfield and TC Spears......

 

[supratentorial]

Barlows were inexpensive patterns compared to other patterns but collectors changed everything...

Just to clarify... collectors and enthusiasts have created a new market for knives in general, not just barlows. It's not a bad thing. I happen to be one of the shoppers in that market. Sometimes we can be a bit particular though. It's good to keep grounded and keep a perspective on how the knives are made.

On these sawcut bone covers, the bolsters are usually ground flush with the bolsters and that is why the color is lighter. It's a very traditional way of making knives. But there are knives (old and new) with covers that aren't ground flush with the bolsters. As one example, some of the old barlows had slabs that weren't ground flush. On knives from GEC, the smooth materials are usually ground flush with the bolsters. On a knife with a winterbottom type jigged bone that runs the entire length of the cover, the surface is not continuous at the bolster. The recent run of GEC 15s is an example.

Some folks want character like "ragg bone" or camel bone with lots of cracks. Some folks don't want a lot of character. Sometimes the difference between a flaw and character is subjective.

 

[BigBiscuit]

Just to clarify... collectors and enthusiasts have created a new market for knives in general, not just barlows. It's not a bad thing. I happen to be one of the shoppers in that market. Sometimes we can be a bit particular though. It's good to keep grounded and keep a perspective on how the knives are made.

On these sawcut bone covers, the bolsters are usually ground flush with the bolsters and that is why the color is lighter. It's a very traditional way of making knives. But there are knives (old and new) with covers that aren't ground flush with the bolsters. As one example, some of the old barlows had slabs that weren't ground flush. On knives from GEC, the smooth materials are usually ground flush with the bolsters. On a knife with a winterbottom type jigged bone that runs the entire length of the cover, the surface is not continuous at the bolster. The recent run of GEC 15s is an example.

Some folks want character like "ragg bone" or camel bone with lots of cracks. Some folks don't want a lot of character. Sometimes the difference between a flaw and character is subjective.

This, in bold print is very true and somewhat my point earlier.