Will GEC be able to fix this?

Vanguard41xx

Vanguard41xx

Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
3,135
Some how, my 2011 forum knife managed to pit the worst I have ever seen overnight. I wasn't screwing around with it or anything either. The backsprings are the worst, but the cap lifter and blade still have some around the surface. I sent Christine Tucker an email just incase, but is there any possibility it can be fixed even though it is a special knife.
 
They can try to buff it out but I don't think you can expect much. Surely you don't think they should fix it gratis. Can't see how it would be GEC's fault. What did you have the knife stored in and where was it stored? Had you been using it outdoors?
 
Modoc ED said:
They can try to buff it out but I don't think you can expect much. Surely you don't think they should fix it gratis. Can't see how it would be GEC's fault. What did you have the knife stored in and where was it stored? Had you been using it outdoors?
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I stated in the email I wold gladly pay any fee to attempt to fix it
It has been my regular carry since I bought it. I carry it is my bag along with my medical instruments and such.
Only time I really used it outdoors was when I went to Lake Erie last weekend.
 
Hmmm, maybe ya got it a little wet/damp at Lake Erie and didn't realize it. Anyway, I'm sure GEC will try to help you out. Maybe a little going over by you with crocus cloth or 1500 grade sandpaper would take care of it.
 
Everybody sees these things differently. This is my view, which may not be your view. I'm just sharin' to provide the chance that this may be helpful.

I expect and want something very different from my experience with 1095 blades and stainless blades. I have a Buck 500 with a polished 425MOD blade that will blind airline pilots on a sunny day. Open it up and *POW* that thing shines.

With 1095, I dig patina and, yes, even pits. I grew up with old Ulster BSA knives that looked like crap but cut like the dickens. What I end up digging with these knives is a nasty looking (to a point) grey blade with lots of patina and then the sharp contrast of a well polished and stropped edge.

The least intrusive fix I could think of would be to try something like Blue Magic polish on it. I use Blue Magic on old bike parts and the stuff is amazing. I find it does wonders in bringing sparkle to 1095 blades. Buff with some pressure.

The real fix I think is to sand down and polish the blade. I do this with my Opinels by hand and can bring those crude blades to a mirror polish despite the huge grind marks in them. I've done the same with pitted knife blades and bike parts. Super deep pits are tough and demand removal of a lot of material.

Post pictures. I suspect you have surface rust, not truly deep pits, and that Blue Magic would clean it up quickly. Just a hunch.

NOTE: Blue Magic isn't food safe. Clean with soap and water and wipe down with mineral oil or something like that.
 
Modoc ED said:
Hmmm, maybe ya got it a little wet/damp at Lake Erie and didn't realize it. Anyway, I'm sure GEC will try to help you out. Maybe a little going over by you with crocus cloth or 1500 grade sandpaper would take care of it.
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That is possible, but I doubt it would take effect a week after.
I'll just have to wait and see what they say.
 
pinnah said:
Post pictures. I suspect you have surface rust, not truly deep pits, and that Blue Magic would clean it up quickly. Just a hunch.
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Thanks for the insight. Right now I cannot even take decent pictures, because it is storming very badly outside and the power keeps going on and off.
The puts on the blades are not very deep, but the backsprings are terrible.
 
I've never seen steel pit super deep super fast. Not saying it can't or doesn't happen.

Blue Magic is amazing stuff. I find it at some car parts stores.

My kid wrecked his bike last year. Left a nice asphalt scar on his belly. Cyclists call it "crayoning". Told him, "Scars are stories written on our skin."

My 1095 knives tell more stories than my shiny Buck does. Both are good.

Here's the stuff I use:
http://bluemagicusa.com/index.php/blue_magic/products/210/blue_magic_metal_polish_cream_jar/
 
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I was admiring mine Saturday and found a real bad pit spot on the screwdriver near the tang. It had to form in just a few days as it was not there less than a week ago. The springs and main blade on mine are fine (very, very slight patina that I will Flitz off), just this pencil eraser size, rough black spot on the screwdriver.

No other GEC 1095 knife I have/had has any spots like that, and a few are 4 years old now and have been well used.
 
Interesting... Mine had a single pit on the main, which I normally wouldn't care about, but it was right in the middle of the EO cut-out. I took it down a touch with the Dremel and some buffing compound. Didn't completely erase it, it was pretty deep, but enough that it wasn't staring at me. Now with a patina forming on it, I don't notice it at all.
 
Ive had a similar experience with my 2011 forum knife, but only the cap lifter was affected. About a dozen or so tiny rust/pitting spots appeared over night. I store my traditionals in a drawer on top of a microfiber cloth and clean/oil them regularly. I use it, but not often and not hard, so it's mysterious.
 
I tried 1500 sandpaper, didn't do much other than shine the blade up. :D
I think I am going to stop messing around with it for now. If they cannot repair it, I don't want it to look like even more of a monstrosity.
 
Well, I'll admit I've scarred up a few knives out of laziness, but nothing too bad that I couldn't use the knife. I'm not saying that you left the blade go to it's own demise, I'm just saying I have.
Also, I've experienced that "Ahh Crap" feeling after waking up to a deeply pitted CV knife and I was left wondering what happened?

I have to agree with Pinnah though, that as long as the function isn't at risk, then it's just a little added character.

Hopefully GEC can get you fixed up, I know they'll look at it for ya.
 
Hearing the multiple stories of sudden pitting causes me to pause.

Could variations in either the composition or heat treatment of metal cause some batches of 1095 to be more prone to this?
 
I think maybe so Dave, I have a bunch of GEC's 1095 blades and some are just better than others.
I have a toothpick that was extremely tough to sharpen and yet I have others that are easy as pie.

I think it has a lot to do with the different processes the blade goes through and seeing a difference from blade to blade, even though your using the same steel, is not that uncommon.
 
Vanguard41xx said:
I tried 1500 sandpaper, didn't do much other than shine the blade up. :D
I think I am going to stop messing around with it for now. If they cannot repair it, I don't want it to look like even more of a monstrosity.
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If, at some point, you do decide to sand it some more, anything in the 400 - 800 grit range should work pretty well, and they'll leave varying degrees of 'satin' finish on the steel. Start at the higher grit, and see if it works for you. If not, only then step down in grit.

Another alternative is to just leave the pitting, but scrub the blade & springs with some #0000 steel wool and baking soda. If there's anything acidic left in the pits themselves (maybe what caused the pitting in the first place), the baking soda will neutralize it. Then finish washing/rinsing the knife, dry everything out and flush out the joints with WD-40 or isopropyl alcohol (either will displace residual moisture).
 
pinnah said:
Hearing the multiple stories of sudden pitting causes me to pause.

Could variations in either the composition or heat treatment of metal cause some batches of 1095 to be more prone to this?
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I am curious about this myself.

This didn't happen in a vacuum, I have no doubt I left either some water, or other fluid, or maybe a little piece of fruit or something on the spot and just didn't know it. I am also sure I have done the same thing with other carbon steel blades (Schrade, Case, GEC, Camillus, etc..) and this is the fastest, ugliest pitting yet.

I put an old 125OT away "as is" once and left it in the garage for years (like 10 years) and while that took it's toll, there wasn't anything quite as "angry" as this spot is.

Curious.
 
Disturbed by this. My 11 knife gets no preferential treatment, has a patina, has been left damp, polished, plenty of oil on the joints. No pitting, so far....

Is this due to the nickel-siver liners causing a reaction that brass doesn't???
 
Awwwkkkkk!!!! I am going to go look at mine just to check it. I haven't carried it in weeks now. This worries me a bit.

Ed J
 
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