All About Pocket Knives

kj, I don't disagree that GECs will, regardless of their intentions or machinations, hit a point of diminishing returns on the secondary market -- eventually. I just don't know if I'm going to be able to wait out the coming price drop before I grow tired of the wait. There are a lot of other absolutely wonderful knives, even Barlows, out there. Considering I've been carrying my new #54 for the better part of a week straight with a mid-century I*XL Barlow, I'm able to live without a TC or NF in lots of different ways.

Ivoryman wrote:I hope you're right, I would love to see the price drop so I can afford a couple.

You and me both, sir. I feel like such a prole having only one from each of the last two runs, the #15 and the #77 single-clips. My only #25 is a short-bolstered EO jack and I don't have any #14s in any configuration -- they vanished pretty quickly leaving the variations I wasn't much happy with.

But as a man of (at least some) principle I will kiss a Georgia Bulldog's rump before I spend $350 on a pattern that has maintained a 150-year following as a workin' man's folding knife. Do you know how many minty boxed Schrades I could buy from that HET'n feller?!? Just read the tube on Charlie's latest #15s from late last year for a hint of the ethos behind the Barlow.

Ok, I went a little crazy. I just ordered both of these. I could not pass on the wood grain on these two. Should have them this week. Now I'm going to have to take a break from knife shopping for a bit

There will certainly be no buyers remorse over that 48 Improved Trapper.

Great looking wood on those 2 GEC knives, every bit as attractive as jigged bone or even stag.
kj

J1890 wrote:Ok, I went a little crazy. I just ordered both of these. I could not pass on the wood grain on these two. Should have them this week. Now I'm going to have to take a break from knife shopping for a bit
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Hilarious sentiment. I've quit buying knives so many times it's not even a joke anymore. Need some knifeaholics anonymous chapter around here for certain.

Thanks guys. I'm going like that two blade in bloodwood for sure. The single blade in Mexican bocote has some great grain

Iman, that's funny stuff! I'll take a break from buying as I make some more things and sell them off. That way I don't take money from the house. We have got some projects to get done this summer.

J1890 wrote:Thanks guys. I'm going like that two blade in bloodwood for sure.

Especially once you get it in hand. It's a fantastic knife.

Two GECs Beer Scouts. One handle acrylic, the other bone.

I have just received a new "Diamond Jack" which is a #48 pattern trapper with a slender clip blade. The handles are chestnut jigged bone. These are a GEC SFO for Charlie Campagna.
I also have an original "Diamond Jack" from 2013, also a Charlie C. SFO. It is a 2 blade Trapper Jack on the 48 frame. This one has "old tan jigged bone handles.
Both have a slender clip blade. The 2013 blade has a larger swedge and has a high saber grind. The 2017 blade is full flat ground with a less dramatic swedge and seems more thinly ground to me.
Both could shave hair on arrival.
kj

Thanks for posting the pictures, Roland!
That new jigging came out pretty nice, IMO!

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