Will a GEC Whittler Rust in the Rain

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midnight flyer said:
Anyone that works outside in the blistering heat will tell you all day long why they love stainless for pocket knives. I sweat all the way through my blue jeans every day I work unless it is really cold, and my pants stay sweaty and moist all day.

If you use a carbon steel knife for a bit and get the oil/protectant off in the morning, you knife will be badly rusted from hours of acid sweat in your pocket by the time you get home.
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jackknife said:
With even a tiny bit of care, it should be easy to keep a carbon slippy in good condition. After all, what did all those soldiers, sailors, cowboys and other outdoor working people in the 1800's do?

They did just fine.
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Provided they didn't sweat too much, I think..;)
 
Modoc ED said:
The handles are almost perfect with no splitting/cracking/shrinking/delamination at all. However, they did swell/stretch a tad. Before this test they matched the frame exactly. Now, they overhang the frame on the spring side by 1/16". A little light sanding will fix that. Probably expected of bone when given a good soak.
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I'd hold off on the sanding for a few days. The scales are liable go back to where they started, once the moisture equalizes.

James
 
Modoc ED said:
I had fun doing this test and hope you guys had fun too. As time goes on and some varying speculation comes up about whatever, I won't hesitate to subject another knife to some type of test.
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It was a blast! :thumbup: You generated a lot of interest here - it doesn't look like a new thread has got this many posts, in this short amount of time, for quite a while - except some of the giveaway's maybe. You sure riled up the natives, and there's nothin' wrong with that. ;)
 
Maybe the blades are stainless steel. for a few years in the '90s, Schrade switched some of the Old Timers from 1095 to stainless, but 'pretended' they were still 1095, marking the blades Schrade, not Schrade+, which indicates their stainless.
Ya never know, eh !
roland
 
i figure they are 1095. mine took a dark patina from one apple cutting. wouldn't expect that with a stainless blade. However they do put a good semi-mirror polish on them which helps prevent rust imo
 
JAlexander said:
I'd hold off on the sanding for a few days. The scales are liable go back to where they started, once the moisture equalizes.

James
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I agree, let it sit and dry a while. Also, I suspected it would not be effected much, because they have a heavy oil applied at the factory.
 
SusAntigoon said:
Provided they didn't sweat too much, I think..;)
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I'm sure I'm belaboring the point, but I can't resist. I've done my time cowboying, building fence, and hauling hay, and except for a couple years in my twenties, I always carried a carbon steel slip joint. Hauling hay in Texas in July will make you sweat more than most things, and none of my knives rusted. Maybe I'm just not that acidic, but I still think that for most people, the danger of rusting is not that great. Those of you who just hate patinas are on your own, though.

James
 
midnight flyer said:
Anyone that works outside in the blistering heat will tell you all day long why they love stainless for pocket knives.
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All summer long, I work outside, sweating my hiney off, in the blistering heat, on or near salt water. My carbon steel blades don't rust. Just so you know.
 
I was nervous there for a minute, the idea of such a nice knife being left outside all on her lonesome in this world we live in didn't sit well with me. Nice to know if my knife drops out of my pocket at the park, it won't turn into dust overnight - they say rust never sleeps.
 
JAlexander said:
..... but I still think that for most people, the danger of rusting is not that great. Those of you who just hate patinas are on your own, though.

James
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+1 on that, and AMEN!!! :thumbup: (......again, with emphasis on most.)
 
JAlexander said:
Maybe I'm just not that acidic, but I still think that for most people, the danger of rusting is not that great.
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As a musician, I've played with numerous guitar and bass players. One guy in particular I remember, had a real problem with his sweating. No matter how much he tried to prevent it, his (new) instrument started to rust after a couple of shows. It became a never ending search for a bass that didn't rust.Not sure if he ever found it, but during the time I played with him, he must've gone through 8 or 9 of 'em. But thats the only guy I've known that had that problem.
The thing is, people that have this problem tend to generalize and say 'oh, carbon steel sucks, it's too much work to keep it from rusting and ,rest assured, it will rust!' I'd say they're missing out on some fine steels that take a nice character (and supersharp edge).
 
"JAlexander" and "joe-bob" gave some good advice on waiting awhile before sanding the expanded handles.

The handles have returned to their original state and they are once again flush with the frame along the backside (spine) of the springs.
 
crossada said:
JK=just kidding:D a slow pipe and a drink! you guys really are a laid back bunch!:cool:
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puukkoman said:
Excuse me, but the term is folksy. ;)
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Yeah, it's FOLKSY, you POS! Get it straight or get the heck out of here! :grumpy:



Just kiddin' ;) .... for a second I forgot what sub forum this is. :D

As to the results of the test - very interesting. Kind of reminds me of when I first got my Case yella trapper. As a way of accelerating a patina, I had cleaned the blades with hot soapy water, then wiped them down with rubbing alcohol before cutting up an apple at my desk during work. I decided to just set down the knife and - without wiping off any of the apple juice and bits of fruit - leave it over night. The next day there was no rust at all and a lot less patina than I'd expected. Sure, the shiny CV blade had gone to that tell-tale blue/gray that Cases get. But all I had to do was wash off the blade and dry it, and the knife was ready to rock. Pretty cool.

Question about GEC knives, guys: Do they have stainless backsprings like Case puts on their knives, or are their backsprings carbon too?
 
mnblade said:
Yeah, it's FOLKSY, you POS! Get it straight or get the heck out of here! :grumpy:



Just kiddin' ;) .... for a second I forgot what sub forum this is. :D

As to the results of the test - very interesting. Kind of reminds me of when I first got my Case yella trapper. As a way of accelerating a patina, I had cleaned the blades with hot soapy water, then wiped them down with rubbing alcohol before cutting up an apple at my desk during work. I decided to just set down the knife and - without wiping off any of the apple juice and bits of fruit - leave it over night. The next day there was no rust at all and a lot less patina than I'd expected. Sure, the shiny CV blade had gone to that tell-tale blue/gray that Cases get. But all I had to do was wash off the blade and dry it, and the knife was ready to rock. Pretty cool.

Question about GEC knives, guys: Do they have stainless backsprings like Case puts on their knives, or are their backsprings carbon too?
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LOL mnblade!

i think the backsprings are carbon too. mine have went a very dull gray color from hand sweat where the bolsters are still shiny. Not 100% sure though
 
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