All About Pocket Knives

While I couldn't really justify getting more than my preselected two trappers out of this recent 48 run, putting the single-blade variants out of consideration, I did manage to cash in a coupon and secure two single-blade muskrat clip knives from a recent GEC run, and I have to say that as much as I love my bloodwood 48 improved, the new 38 Special jack is quite a knife! I'm tempted to grab some back stock in that hawkbill jack GEC ran on the frame last time, too.
The bocote in particular is really checking some boxes. It has absolutely outstanding grain on both sides and F&F is excellent even with the sunken handle pins some GEC buyers loathe. It is among the top 5 or so of beautiful wood handles in my collection, and for the post-discount price I paid for both I feel like I got away with legal robbery.

CollectorKnives was even so nice as to send me a spare tube end-cap to replace the mangled one that came wedged into the tube of one of my 54s (thanks Mike & crew!). As long as they keep it up with keeping the sure thing reservations, they've got a customer for life in me.

Quote Charlie C. in reference to my 2017 #48 Diamond Jack: "That new jigging came out pretty nice".
Absolutely first rate actually. My pictures were taken without the correct lighting and do not show the jigging well.
kj

Tsar Bomba wrote: The bocote in particular is really checking some boxes.

Truly exceptional. A knife of real distinction. Congrats!

Here's a pair you won't see every day

My latest from GEC and I'm very happy with it. Beautiful matching stag and a perfect fit and finish. Not as strong of snap as I'd like on the Spey and sheepsfoot blade, but still a quality piece of work.

Quick Steel wrote:Two GECs Beer Scouts. One handle acrylic, the other bone.

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A tad late in responding to your above post from June 2, 2017 Quick Steel.
I normally prefer Bone handles over Acrylic, but if I had only one choice of your GEC Beer Scouts I would have that acrylic in my pocket.

OH, Thank you for your comment. [Never too late.] Like you I am normally not much drawn to acrylic but in this case I thought they made a nice pairing and did think the acrylic was attractive.

This is a recent arrival, but the color is brand new. Wanted the color darker like Sunknife did on his, so I bought dye, used a cue tip to put yellow on first, let the yellow dry, then put on smudges of red in the middle in the low spots of the jigging and here and there. Let red tack up, not totally dry, then I puddled some medium brown in the red spots and other jigging looking for a mottled look and let that stand until dry. Then a couple more coats of the same for darker color. Pretty close to the color I was looking for which was sort of old Rogers bone with the darker caramels and the lighter butterscotches, hint of dark red. Here's before and after. Easy mod that's fun to mess with and I already dyed two other knives that I always wanted darker. Had some fun with it. Tickled pink with the outcome.

Is the top picture the 'before' the dye ?
Looking pretty 'rich' in the bottom picture.
Does the dye come off on your hand if you use it ? (meaning more than 1 or 2 cuts)
kj

Here is my just arrived Northwoods Hawthorne with burnt stag handles. Made by GEC on the # 48 frame, same as the Diamond Jack & others. I tried to buy one when first released but they disappeared with minutes of going on sale. I bought this on ebay from a 'flipper' for $230, which is the max i would pay. He sold another one the following week for $300 so i did o.k. even at original price + $80 ( ? not sure if $150 was original price)
The Hawthorne came either with a clip blade as on mine or with a Wharncliffe like blade which is nowhere near as useful.
kj

Gorgeous stag on that Hawthorne. Great knife. Congrats, congrats, congrats. Slap yourself on the back for me.
Top two pics are no dye. Bottom two after dye.
Once the dye is cured, totally dried, hard and buffed up, no the dye does not come off in your hand. I'll let you know if I ever get it sweaty or wet, but I can buff it with a white cloth and none comes off. Haven't used it hard yet, just opened mail, carried, played with. I'll let you know though if it starts coming off.

kootenay joe wrote:The Hawthorne came either with a clip blade as on mine or with a Wharncliffe like blade which is nowhere near as useful.
kj

I beg your pardon!!! "Wharncliffe like blade" ??? "...nowhere near as useful" ???

What manner of blasphemy is this?

Beautiful Hawthorne, Koot. Of course, the one thing that would make it even better is...you guessed it: a Wharncliffe blade!

~Q~

The Northwoods Little Bay with bone covers cost $189.00 so I imagine $230 wasn't much above original cost.

Quote: "I imagine $230 wasn't much above original cost."
Oh good. I wanted the knife but i did not want to encourage flipping by paying the seller an excessive profit.
kj

Nice looking Hawthorne KJ, looks like a good one to carry.

Picked up several at the Rendezvous, they had a bunch of stag knives from 2012 and 2013, don't know where they found them. Besides the stag got a 36 Sunfish parts knife, a 74 Mustang ebony, the 38 Rendezvous knife with the higher grade Abalone and a 92 Eureka jack in black acrylic that I think is a one off knife. Also bought a Whaler from someone that was attending and selling some knives.

John, wow, 9 new GEC knives. Quite a haul. I sure like the Whaler with Kingwood (?)
kj

Thank you KJ, the tube is marked ebony wood, I think this is Macassar ebony with the streaks.

JohnR wrote:Nice looking Hawthorne KJ, looks like a good one to carry.

Picked up several at the Rendezvous, they had a bunch of stag knives from 2012 and 2013, don't know where they found them. Besides the stag got a 36 Sunfish parts knife, a 74 Mustang ebony, the 38 Rendezvous knife with the higher grade Abalone and a 92 Eureka jack in black acrylic that I think is a one off knife. Also bought a Whaler from someone that was attending and selling some knives.

Hey John-
What a great score at the Rendezvous! I'd love to have that whittler pattern shown in the first pic, top left. Can you tell me the number/name of that one? Any other info? Thanks!

I am not John but also like the 3 blade equal end knife in top picture. I think it might be a 3 spring Cattle knife ?
kj

Thanks guys, it's a 79 Workhorse Whittler, it really is a great knife, I hope they do another run of these, they are 3 spring. this was the only one of the store knives I bought where you could find any type of defect, there is a slight gap between one of the springs. What really impressed me is how nice and equal the pulls are on the 3 blades.

John, GEC, or anybody can call it a whittler, but by accepted definition it is not a whittler.
A whittler is a 2 spring, 3 blade knife in which the thicker master blade abuts both springs.
Cattle knives often have a large equal end frame like your # 79, but usually have 2 springs and 3 blades.
A 3 spring knife with only 3 blades is i think a rather new 'invention' and as yet has no generally accepted name as far as i know.
If anyone has a vintage 3 blade, 3 spring knife i would like to see it.
kj

Just going by the name GEC gave it, also called the Montana pattern, its also a sleeve board, main blade end larger than the other although my pictures don't show it well.

Sleeveboard ! Whoa, i didn't see that. In degrees of sleeveboardiness, this one would be a Slight Sleeveboard, opposite end from Jumbo Sleeveboard.
kj

QTCut5 wrote:

kootenay joe wrote:The Hawthorne came either with a clip blade as on mine or with a Wharncliffe like blade which is nowhere near as useful.
kj

I beg your pardon!!! "Wharncliffe like blade" ??? "...nowhere near as useful" ???

What manner of blasphemy is this?

Beautiful Hawthorne, Koot. Of course, the one thing that would make it even better is...you guessed it: a Wharncliffe blade!

~Q~

Sounds like you don't have many Wharncliffes? Or don't know how to use them.