Lets talk GEC!

HFinn said:
Today I got my first GEC, a #78 American Jack two blade with stag covers. I am really pleased with this knife. Opening the blades is a bit difficult as I feared, luckily I have strong and short nails. I found a video how somebody had ground the kick on the pen blade slightly lover to make more room. I have no idea what kind of warranty policy GEC has so doing this mod might not be good idea?

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Filing or grinding the kick is routine part of sharpening maintainance, and should be no more a warranty issue than sharpening.

Just go SLOW, and keep checking on it. You can't add it back, after all!

I wish I'd known about kicks and their function when my Buck 110 was proud from sharpening. Like a fool, I cut the swedge instead, and it was really never the same.
 
HFinn said:
Today I got my first GEC, a #78 American Jack two blade with stag covers. I am really pleased with this knife. Opening the blades is a bit difficult as I feared, luckily I have strong and short nails. I found a video how somebody had ground the kick on the pen blade slightly lover to make more room. I have no idea what kind of warranty policy GEC has so doing this mod might not be good idea?

20180321_095159_zpswuuxwj2i.jpg

20180321_094957_zpsluqg8cl1.jpg
Click to expand...

I wouldn't file anything until that main blade gets some patina. The #78 is a bear to pinch new but once it gets some patina you can get a decent grip on that swedge to pinch it open. I assume if your willing to file it you'd be willing to use it so I'd go that route first. YMMV.
 
If you file the kick it will void the factory warranty.

This practice lowers the spring as well and will have negative results, in that the back of the knife is not going to be nice and flush.

If you would like to raise the master blade to make access to the nail nick easier, I suggest a small piece of wood friction fit under the master blade kick. You can use leather, but make sure it is VEGETABLE TANNED as other methods leave corrosive agents behind.
 
gunstockjack said:
If you file the kick it will void the factory warranty.

This practice lowers the spring as well and will have negative results, in that the back of the knife is not going to be nice and flush.

If you would like to raise the master blade to make access to the nail nick easier, I suggest a small piece of wood friction fit under the master blade kick. You can use leather, but make sure it is VEGETABLE TANNED as other methods leave corrosive agents behind.
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The kick of a blade is an intended consumable, just as the blade itself is. By design, it's meant to be adjusted once in awhile as the tip grows proud of the blade well with sharpening. It's also necessary if a blade is sold with the tip sticking up too proud.

You're correct that the operation changes the spring position. However, your proposition of putting material under the kick raises the spring out of flush, which is worse than lowering, because not only is a proud spring more apt to catch on things, but it also puts the spring (and pins) under more tension, as opposed to filing the kick, which puts it under less tension. As it exerts a stress that the knife wasn't designed for, I would think your suggestion would be more liable to void the warranty.
 
Altering the mechanics of the knife will void the GEC factory warranty. If you are removing enough material to expose the tip of the blade, I suggest using a finer hone. Most blades will last for years if proper sharpening technique is maintained, the kick of the knife may at some time require filing the blade tang to bury the tip, but I would imagine well after the factory warranty expires.

So whatever, file away if you like.
 
gunstockjack said:
Altering the mechanics of the knife will void the GEC factory warranty. If you are removing enough material to expose the tip of the blade, I suggest using a finer hone. Most blades will last for years if proper sharpening technique is maintained, the kick of the knife may at some time require filing the blade tang to bury the tip, but I would imagine well after the factory warranty expires.

So whatever, file away if you like.
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I'd call this altering the mechanics.
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You're absolutely right that grinding the kick shouldn't happen too often, and that a fine hone will prevent the blade being consumed quickly, the way a coarse stone and frequent sharpenings will do. I recall reading a study done by a knife company on the average lifespan of a pocket knife, and it was something like two years. Most users weren't very careful with their blades, buying stockmans primarily for the extra blades to snap off before buying a new one, and sharpening the holy hell out of the blades until they were all mini recurved fillet knives with no kicks left, and sunken springs. My knives and your knives will last longer than that.

But the kick, like the edge, is a part of the knife designed with the idea in mind that the user will, in time, grind them down.

I do imagine GEC would be loath to honor a warranty claim of a slightly sunken spring on a knife with a ground kick. That would be the same as a warranty claim of a misshapen blade that had been sharpened. But I'd be shocked to hear if a ground kick would invalidate a claim for, say, a loose pin, or a loose bolster.
 
Ramrodmb said:
Filing the kick will not change the spring height 1/10 as much as that, imo. When you file a kick carefully you will change the spring height, but just barely.
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Yup. In fact, the blade on the far side of the knife I posted (An old Schrade) has had it's kick filed, and indeed it was because this was one of my early knives that I oversharpened.
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The nearer spring started out low, so it actually evened them out, by accident.

But yeah, if I ground my kick by as much as the thickness of a piece of leather, the blade crash would be epic. It's very fine work, just as you say. A tiny distance close to the pivot becomes a large distance farther out toward the tip.
 
HFinn said:
Today I got my first GEC, a #78 American Jack two blade with stag covers. I am really pleased with this knife. Opening the blades is a bit difficult as I feared, luckily I have strong and short nails. I found a video how somebody had ground the kick on the pen blade slightly lover to make more room. I have no idea what kind of warranty policy GEC has so doing this mod might not be good idea?

20180321_095159_zpswuuxwj2i.jpg

20180321_094957_zpsluqg8cl1.jpg
Click to expand...

If you file the pen kick enough so that the bottom of the pen nail nick is about level with the handle, the amount you will sink the spring is nearly negligible, and based on some knives I've seen come from the factory, probably within factory specs. However, I don't know if it will lower the blade enough to make a huge difference in the main blade's pinchablity.

Signalprick is right, patina will help. Also an EO notch could help, although it would need to be less deep and further down than the standard EO notch. I think working the main blade for a while, then flushing with hot soapy water, then drying, then oiling will help too. You might see a bunch of black gunk coming from your backspring, which is polishing compound and metal dust from hafting.

Sometimes these knives are just tight from the factory and need working a little to get them dialed in. I have a #74 SFO that was so tight I had to push the blade closed at first, and it's gotten better with some opening and closing.
 
gunstockjack said:
Altering the mechanics of the knife will void the GEC factory warranty. If you are removing enough material to expose the tip of the blade, I suggest using a finer hone. Most blades will last for years if proper sharpening technique is maintained, the kick of the knife may at some time require filing the blade tang to bury the tip, but I would imagine well after the factory warranty expires.

So whatever, file away if you like.
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I thought GEC had a lifetime warranty. What is the length of warranty?
 
I filed the kick a touch on my 56 secondary blade. Also took a touch off the spine. Makes a huge difference when using the main. The spring sank just a touch, I knew it would be the case. It is very slight, if I hit it with the buffing wheel you’d probably never know. I also turned the spear into a clip so I’m thinking my warranty might be void anyway :P
 
spyderg said:
I filed the kick a touch on my 56 secondary blade. Also took a touch off the spine. Makes a huge difference when using the main. The spring sank just a touch, I knew it would be the case. It is very slight, if I hit it with the buffing wheel you’d probably never know. I also turned the spear into a clip so I’m thinking my warranty might be void anyway :p
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Well let's see it!
 
I did file away from the pen blade kick with a fine diamond sharpener and yes, the spring sunk. The difference is barely perceptible, it is easier to feel with your my fingers than see. The difference how easy the main blade is to open is bigger, now I get a better angle when pushing my nail in. The bottom of the nail nick in the pen blade is just beginning to touch the handle. So in my opinion this modification is risky, but I'm happy I did it. I feel also that since there is less tension in the beginning of the opening cycle the pen blade might actually be a bit easier to open now?

I also have a leather sheath I never got to finish that fit the GEC, so I glued and stiched it. The leather edges need to be sanded, but the knife fits great. I'm carrying now my first GEC in it's own moose leather sheath.
 
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