Show off your 15's

This thread has been killing me for weeks now!!!! I'm normally just an auction site bargain shopper these days, but I couldn't help myself. I got to thinking today that I have a pretty large knife collection, and out of all of the traditionals that I've purchased over the years, my GEC #73 (my only GEC) is easily the best made traditional in my entire collection. Why the heck do I own only one GEC? So I pulled the trigger on a #15, antique yellow bone with sheepsfoot and pen. It was a REALLY hard choice between the yellow bone and the Gabon ebony, but the gorgeous jigging won my heart. It isn't every day that you get to buy a knife with a sheepsfoot for a main blade, which I can truly appreciate, being both a whittler and a leather crafter. Add in the long pull on the main blade, and it's a match made in heaven. I'm totally blown away by what I've seen of this whole #15 pattern thus far.
 
GEC has us all hooked on this knife and its many variations. I'm always complaining that it is just too small for my large clumsy hands. Yet I now own more of these than I care to admit. I can't stop.
 
You and me both, Scott! I currently have around 7 or 8 with more coming in the next couple weeks.
perry
 
Love the natural canvas micarta on the one-armed radio knife! I am anxiously awaiting another run of these or similar #15s.

RobbW said:
And another (sorry, I've posted this before. I just don't get tired of looking at it or the fine detail in the etch):

Click to expand...
What was the wood called on this Rendezvous special? It was the wood from the rods used in pumps on oil wells... I can't remember the kind of wood. I wonder if it was exposed to crude oil or water or something else that affected the color. This is another that would be great for a re-release. Is it serialized? I never noticed the numbers on the bolsters in the past. Didn't know they were serialized.

Great knives Robb!
 
Hey Scott, I THINK...Oil Sucker Rod? Whatever I agree for a re-release.

Sorry Scott I believe I mis-read your question:o long day with family issues...a complete drain for me mentally today:o
 
Last edited:
Dr. Scott said:
GEC has us all hooked on this knife and its many variations. I'm always complaining that it is just too small for my large clumsy hands.
Click to expand...

That was the one thing that kept me from ordering one last week. I really wanted it to be TL-29 sized, but the specs make it sound like it's a bit smaller. Does anybody have a picture of an HBK next to a TL-29 for size comparison?
 
Thanks for the comments everyone! I don't know production numbers on the razor Crown Lifter, but they were low. There were some Clip Points made as well. Don't know about any other blade shapes with that run.

Oil Sucker Rod is right. They were used locally in the PA oil industry until steel replaced wood. Drake's Oil Well, the first commercial oil rig, is just a couple of miles away. The wood was used for decades and then abandoned. GEC employees said it was all around the woods of Titusville ,and was a great handle material choice because it was free for GEC to salvage. It helped keep Rendezvous knife production costs low.

Because it is impregnated with petroleum, the wood hasn't rotted or degraded even though it has been lying on the ground for decades. GEC doesn't know what type of wood the sucker rod is--maybe alder or ash or oak? Probably whatever was cheaply available at the time. Curiously, the wood doesn't feel oily or smell any different from any other GEC knives, which come with a thin coat of 3-in-1 oil on the metal.

I have a Canal Street Half Moon Trapper made with Chestnut wood reclaimed from a derelict barn in upstate NY. I like the idea of giving wood a 2nd or 3rd life. :)
 
Relatively new guy here. I just acquired my first a) GEC knife, b) #15, and c) sheepsfoot blade (all in one knife!). Antique yellow covers, 2-blade; suffice to say I'm in love. I haven't taken pictures but there's already 100 pictures of the same knife in this thread.

I have a question regarding pulls in general but it relates to this knife. The sheepsfoot blade has the long pull while the pen blade has a nail nick. Is there a practical reason why both blades aren't long pull? I think it would look better if they matched, not that it doesn't look good anyway. Just wondering.
 
I've never seen a long pull pen blade. Not to say someone doesn't make one, I've just never seen one.
 
A long pull makes the spine of the blade a bit thicker or wider. This is helpful if you are pinching open the main blade. But a small pen blade might look out of proportion if it had a thick spine required for a long pull. And that extra thickness might cause a rub against the main blade, unless the knife were made a little wider. We are talking fractions of millimeters here, and a real bladesmith might be able to give us a more educated explanation. But the secondary pen blades are usually so small that a nail nick is more aesthetically pleasing. A long pull might work on a larger pen blade.
 
OK, that makes sense. Actually, in looking at the relative thickness of the two blades, I'd already considered that as a possible explanation. As I'd said, no biggie. I never even noticed the difference in the pulls until I had the knife in my hand, and then only after a couple of days.

All that aside, I have to say that I'm really enjoying the knife. The heft of it, the fit and finish, etc., are all wonderful. I get a kick out of things that are well made with premium materials and that are beautiful to boot, and this knife checks all the boxes for me. I'm pretty sure it won't be my last GEC.
 
Camel%20Bone%2015%2001%201_zps73meyshc.jpg

I just bought this from a forums friend on the exchange, my first Huckleberry Boy's Knife. I love single blade sheepfoots, and I could not resist the blue-green camel bone.
 
Dang it Scott! Many times I watched as GEC was making these, still feel like owning one but too many others in the works.
Perry
 
I thought about it and watched it on the exchange. After no one else bought it, I pulled the trigger. If I could sit there and wait a whole 60 seconds, and it was still available, I figured it must be a sign. It was meant to be mine!😜
 
Yep, that's what I would've done too! Kind of has that ocean blue color to it, I like it!
Perry
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top