My Perfect GEC Traditional Knife Combo & Lessons Learned

experimentjon

experimentjon

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
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135
This month, I found the only two traditional knives I have ever wanted. I first became interested when I realized that I would probably be moving to NYC in the near future where knife clips are taboo. I’ve been collecting knives for about five years now, and this is my first and only venture into traditional knives…partially because I’ve found that I’m not a good traditional knife owner.


TC Beerlow (based on a 153113 STL Antique Yellow Sawcut)
Scout (153113 EO STL Rust Red Jig Bone)

They truly are perfect for what I was looking for and I’m very glad that people on BladeForums were able to help get these into my hands. I had fallen in love with the Scout from the first time I saw it on the USN and had looked for several months to see if it’d show up at dealers at ~$80. Of course, no such luck…and I eventually figured out that traditionals aren’t like your regular Spyderco productions. But someone helped me find a NOS version—albeit at a premium price. But I hadn’t wanted a knife so badly since my first Sebenza…so I paid the price. The only other traditionals I cared for were a Tom’s Choice variant and a Radio Jack cap lifter. In a great stroke of luck, I found both combined into a single modified TC Beerlow and scooped it up immediately. #Winning.

Then, tonight, all of the signs came that I shouldn’t own any more traditional knives.

  1. Patina. I noticed that a bit of rust was forming on my Scout and heard that a protective patina was the solution. I got the apple cider vinegar, poured it into a decorative shotglass (that I don’t drink from) and microwaved it. Then I dipped the TC blade in first because I purchased it used and it had a bit of a patina already. I saw the bubbles form… and when I pulled the blade out 45 seconds later, there was a dark line across the blade about 2/3 of the way up where the vinegar stopped. #Fail. It worked way more quickly than I had imagined. Easily fixed though. Later, I left some vinegar on the blade without wiping it off immediately and it left some silly looking stains. Also easily fixed, but at the end of day, I just got lucky that those weren’t permanent fails. Still, issues were caused including…
  2. Rust. About 30 minutes after my patina fun, I discovered that orange rust rapidly was forming on the bottle opener and part of the blade…yikes. So I responded with…
  3. Oil. I tried to flush out the rust with some of the regular industrial lubricant that I use on all of my “tactical” folders. At this point, every experienced traditional knife owner is probably cringing. Yup. I soon had red and yellow dye leeching out of the bone material and onto tissues. The damage wasn’t so bad, but it was still a stark reminder of the differences between traditional and tactical knives.


And in addition, I’ve had trouble figuring out a good carry method. This is something that I struggled with from the beginning I wear slacks at least every weekday, so don’t have a watch pocket. I didn’t want my knife scratching my iPhone, so the right pocket was out. And I didn’t love my keys scratching the natural materials in my left pocket. So I was never able to figure out a good way to carry these. (Suggestions accepted because I really do want to carry these more frequently!)

Conclusion: I’m not a great traditional knife owner…and don’t make the same mistakes I did.

Note: These pictures were taken before I made the aforementioned mistakes. The good news is that I still love these knives even after screwing up in virtually every possible way.



 
Top is a KFS pocket sheath, next a leather sleeve. Both solve problems of clashing with other stuff in your pocket. KFS back pocket, sleeve front.

Bottom is a cross draw (can be either left or right) leather sheath. I use this a lot as its discreet on the belt.
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I like to wear a vest. I have a bunch of them ranging from light weight indoor use to thick wool outdoor winter wear. I like a vest because of the extra pockets they provide, not all vests, you have to find ones with bigger pockets.
In the vest pockets i carry: knife, keys, wallet, etc. all of these are easier to get at than in pants pockets and by getting vests with deep pockets with a horizontal top (not angled), things do not fall out regardless of my body position.
kj
 
Oh man, you really screwed that up. You took years off of those knives, and now they'll only outlive you by 100 years or so. :p

Honestly, your little adventures did nothing but add character to the knives. Their scars will serve as a reminder of your learning process. I'd like to see some after pics, if you are able. If you're worried about adding more character in the way of pocket scuffs, Mike's suggestion of a pocket slip is the way to go. Personally, I'd say you've already gotten rid of that pesky mintyness so you might as well just throw them in your pocket and enjoy watching them mature. I carry a TC in the same pocket as my phone every day, and neither has shown any ill effects. Either way, spend more time enjoying them and less time worrying about them and things will run much smoother. You've got two beauties there for sure. Nothing you've done to them sounds like it would have changed that at all.
 
The purpose of oil is to create a barrier to prevent oxidation. You just need to use a little bit of oil. Wiping down the blades with an oil dampened rag is sufficient. Waxes will also create a barrier and last longer. ...carnauba wax, paraffin wax, bees wax. You might consider using a wax on knives that are being stored or used infrequently. As with oils, there are waxes that are food safe if that's a concern. Waxes will wear off but they can be removed quickly with xylene. Be careful not to get any xylene on the handles or your hands (wear gloves).

I have a leather pocket sheath with a clip from Buck that works well to keep my knives in good condition.
 
Cory Hess said:
Oh man, you really screwed that up. You took years off of those knives, and now they'll only outlive you by 100 years or so. :p
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You mean like my grandfathers Colonial circa late 1800s - early 1900s?
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It's up to you, and no one else, to decide whether you want to carry a traditional folder or not. But...
There is quite a share of slipjoints made in stainless steel.
And you could get a stainless custom version as well.
And you can carry your knife in a pocket slip.
And you can just drop it in your pocket and decide that scratches will only be signs of use and not real damage.
And any patina evolves with time and use.
And......if you like your knife (and it seems you do), and carry it, all those things that happened so far will just make the knife more yours.
And......you will always find a chair for you on this porch :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
The problem here is quite easy to see and very fixable;

You have angered the Gods of Sharpness by carrying an unnatural Barlow with caplifter abomination.

All you need to do is send those two off to a good cutler and have the caplifter switched to the single blade jack, and return the barlow to its original form - as little mesters intended.

You won't lose out because the blade combo is the same but you'll shed all your bad JuJu ;)

Sorted. :D


Edit: I meant to say, don't be frightened of just carrying them in your pockets. That's how they're supposed to be carried. Your phone and keys and even the knife will survive. Getting a few scratches will make the knives yours, make them good and personal.
 
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Patina is easy to deal with. A good metal polish and a soft cloth will remove it if you don't like it. I keep mine relatively patina-free. Any number of oils or protectants can help with rust prevention. I use WD 40 silicone spray most of the time. It doesn't leave an oily residue. Eezox is a good rust protectant too. I generally don't use carbon steel knives for food preparation so I don't worry about using food grade oils.

I usually carry my traditional knife in one of my back pockets beside or under my wallet or notepad. I carry a Victorinox Alox Cadet in my front right pocket along with my cell phone, whether or not I am carrying any other knife.
 
My knife is either in a KSF slip case or my coin pocket.Do not like patina ,so it’s kept at bay with flitz polish.You seem happy with your knives and that is all that matters.Welcome to Traditional’s.
 
Flitz will remove patina and polish the blade. It's pretty gentle as far as polishes go. I wouldn't apply any to the bone and try to avoid getting it in the joints.
 
Jon, two nice knives, good suggestions above from other members. No bad luck coming your way with either knife as both are great:thumbup:
 
I'd say a slip sheath is in order. I don't typically use my carbon pocketknives for food prep. If you want a bit of protection, you might give Renaissance Wax a try.
 
If you're having trouble with artificially inducing a patina why not make one the old fashioned way? Buy yourself a bag of apples and use your #15s to slice one every day. You'll get to eat a delicious treat each day and by the time the bag is gone you'll have a beautiful patina on your blades.
 
Cory Hess said:
If you're having trouble with artificially inducing a patina why not make one the old fashioned way? Buy yourself a bag of apples and use your #15s to slice one every day. You'll get to eat a delicious treat each day and by the time the bag is gone you'll have a beautiful patina on your blades.
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I think Cory's suggestion is one that I identify with the most. Simply using the knife and allowing a natural patina to develop is probably the easiest and one of the best ways to preserve the integrity of the blades. Another aspect that I think often affects peeps moving to carbon steel pocket knives for the first time is that it's easy to become very precious with them. Personally, I really like it when I see a well loved and well used knife.



My father carried this for just over 50 years before he gave it to me. I think it's beautiful, probably more so than when it was bought in 1962.

Paul
 
Hey Jon, don't sweat it. A little scrubbing and elbow grease can remove the patina, even the "line" you mentioned. Use the right stuff, do your homework, use flitz, I use Bon Ami kitchen cleaner sometimes, carefully. You had the courage to post this, that is something right there! Even if you did nothing other than use them, they would be really, really great knives. Acid in the pivot area is not good, so get it cleaned out of there, just a tiny drop of oil on the pivot area. And put it in your pocket with your keys! Heck yes.
 
Thanks everyone! Sounds like these are going back in the pocket with keys! I've had a Leatherman Squirt on my keys for the last five years which has actually held up quite well, so I suppose I was getting paranoid with the traditionals. It's funny because I typically don't baby my stuff in particular--all of my knives are users, watches all pick up scratches quickly, etc--which is why I wasn't afraid of experimenting with patina etc. Perhaps it was just something special about taking care of unique knives. Looks like these are going to pick up many more scratches now. :D

Edit: Here's an after pic:



Really not too bad! The covers are a bit lighter, but overall, after a night's rest it wasn't as terrible as I had feared last night with pink and yellow dye all over my fingers. And with a light polish some of the uglier spots of patina came out. Looks almost natural now! These will have fun with me for many years to come like the Leatherman Squirt, I guess.
 
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Oh - you put the entire KNIFE into the vinegar?? No wonder you were worried. Only dip the blade in, and keep the level right even with the end of the tang and don't let it get up in the joints. If using hot vinegar it only takes about 15 - 30 seconds to turn the blade black (though about half that wipes right off).

Edit: Never mind, reading comprehension issues - I see the dye bleed came from the lubricant, not the vinegar.

I specifically bought a couple of inexpensive Case knives for the purpose of experimenting with forced patinas. Don't go straight for stuff like that on your grail knives. Though at least you've knocked the "new and shiny" off of them and you won't have to worry about messing them up. My favorite knives that get most of my carry time are the ones that aren't the perfect specimens that I'm afraid to mess up. Took me a while and a lot of knife purchases to realize that.

As far as forced patinas go, both of those look like exactly the effect one is looking for. In other words, looks like you did it right.
 
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