2020 GEC #62 Easy Pocket Congress and Pocket Carver Thread

I had a small black spot like that on my #25. It never bothered me, and it has gotten a bit better after carrying the knife. That said, it was minimal, like r8shell r8shell 's. That looks like a lot more on your knife, hornetguy hornetguy .

Still waiting on my Unicorn Ivory #62. I'm hoping it'll arrive tomorrow (according to the tracking number it's in Minneapolis, only about 20 miles away), but the estimated delivery is still for Wednesday.
A fellow Minnesotan!
 
The black spots are a natural defect like stripes and hollow spots etc in ebony and other wood covers and random lumps called popcorn on stag covers. Should be a feature not a defect! (Sarcasm button pressed) :confused:
 
Tried to reply earlier, but Forum went down for some reason (seems to be quite common since the year changed :rolleyes:)

Black buffing marks are more or less endemic on White knives, notably bone, but Micartas often show it too. These materials have pores so I suppose that's why buffing compound etc adheres, or bonded on by heat. General use and handling seems to get rid of them. You could try buffing it yourself but be careful of scraping or scratching at it, could end up worse and having re sand the whole thing:eek:

As for spring flush on half-stops, (another reason for not having half-stops at all;)) it's rarely found in production knives. So long as the spring is flush open/close I'm pleased, non flush springs do affect the handling, but not at half stop. My Custom knives are all flush in 3 as are the CASE Swaybacks. and Lionsteel Roundhead, nor do any of these suffer from weak snap or tame springs.

Oiled the 62 today and the snap is very sound, still say it's a 6 pull. just right
 
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but Micartas often show it too.

this brings up a question that's been niggling around in the back of my mind about the unicorn ivory.... I've heard all the knowledgeable folks call it "acrylic"... but with the pattern in it, it almost makes me think it's some form of micarta. Does anyone know for sure? In my limited knowledge, an acrylic is a solid plastic, which would not have any "pores" as we know it. Micarta, being layers of some type of paper or cloth, saturated with a resin and cured, could very easily have pores.

enquiring minds, and all that.....
 
this brings up a question that's been niggling around in the back of my mind about the unicorn ivory.... I've heard all the knowledgeable folks call it "acrylic"... but with the pattern in it, it almost makes me think it's some form of micarta. Does anyone know for sure? In my limited knowledge, an acrylic is a solid plastic, which would not have any "pores" as we know it. Micarta, being layers of some type of paper or cloth, saturated with a resin and cured, could very easily have pores.

enquiring minds, and all that.....

I won’t call it acrylic because I don’t know anything about the specific chemicals that make it up but it’s perfectly smooth and the pattern is just two slightly different colors. It’s definitely not micarta. It’s acrylic
 
this brings up a question that's been niggling around in the back of my mind about the unicorn ivory.... I've heard all the knowledgeable folks call it "acrylic"... but with the pattern in it, it almost makes me think it's some form of micarta. Does anyone know for sure? In my limited knowledge, an acrylic is a solid plastic, which would not have any "pores" as we know it. Micarta, being layers of some type of paper or cloth, saturated with a resin and cured, could very easily have pores.

enquiring minds, and all that.....
I think it's solid plastic material, but with swirls of different coloring layered in. It's just more subtle than some of the bolder acrylics like dead skunk or tortoise shell.
 
I'd call it a light pull, maybe a 4 or 5 out of 10, but still solid and snappy. Not sluggish feeling at all. (if that makes any sense)
What say you, Mayonardo Mayonardo ?
Yes, a light but (for me) just right. Firm, but not too hard and a solid stop half stop and fully open. Spring a bit proud at half but fully flush at the open position. Closing is just as nice. The blade will close firmly on its own from about 30° up. Interestingly, I compared the 62 to my micarta Eureka Jack and the pulls are very similar.

I kind of feel like mine's a solid 5 if not a 6. Any tighter and I don't think I would like it on the smallish blades. They're nice and snappy, not quite flush at half open however fully open and fully closed are perfect.
I’d call mine “solid” instead of “snappy” but that may be only terminology. When my unicorn ivory arrives I will see how it compares with my bone version and the Eureka Jack.
 
The products that I’ve known to be called “acrylic” are clear or colored plastic---like a replacement small ("plexiglas”) window pane. There’s no fabric in what I’ve known to be called “acrylic”--even if the resin used to bond the composite together was acrylic resin. As I look at my Unicorn Ivory 62, I see a very definite fabric weave pattern in the covers. The resin used may well have been acrylic resin, but it looks to me like a fabric-based composite -- possibly an ivory colored linen micarta. I don’t know if that fabric weave appearance is real fabric that I’m seeing or just a visual appearance that GEC somehow got built into the fabric but it definitely looks like fabric. I asked GEC about that this morning, and they stuck steadfastly to the word “acrylic” and told me it isn’t a micarta. They had nothing to say when I described the visually obvious fabric weave appearance. I got a very strong sensation that I was being robotically fed an "official company line” when no response was offered to my description of the fabric weave appearance.

On another note ... I got my Unicorn 62 yesterday and I’m one of the happy ones who. There’s only one tiny little black spot on one edge of my knife. It’s so small it’s hard to find and see. I got a keeper.
 
Unique Horn? :p Showed up late yesterday, so attempts to capture it's uniqueness had to wait 'til morning. Same good W&T, F&F, etc as the red jigged bone has, just nice 'n smooth. :thumbsup:

HQ1hdAg.jpg
 
I won’t call it acrylic because I don’t know anything about the specific chemicals that make it up but it’s perfectly smooth and the pattern is just two slightly different colors. It’s definitely not micarta. It’s acrylic

I think it's solid plastic material, but with swirls of different coloring layered in. It's just more subtle than some of the bolder acrylics like dead skunk or tortoise shell.

Ok, if it is a solid plastic (acrylic), then there should really be no "pores" in it. Which makes me wonder where the black came from. I suppose there could be micro cracks at the edges, perhaps caused by heat from buffing, and the (presumed) black polishing compound was worked into those micro cracks...

It's WAY more likely that I am over-thinking this, and should just shut up and enjoy the knife...:D It IS a very classy looking knife... I already got to use it to cut some nylon air tubing this morning.
 
A fellow Minnesotan!

How long does one have to live in Minnesota for the term "Minnesotan" to be applied? :D We've lived here two years; lived in Arizona for several years before that, but originally from Arkansas. :thumbsup:

this brings up a question that's been niggling around in the back of my mind about the unicorn ivory.... I've heard all the knowledgeable folks call it "acrylic"... but with the pattern in it, it almost makes me think it's some form of micarta. Does anyone know for sure? In my limited knowledge, an acrylic is a solid plastic, which would not have any "pores" as we know it. Micarta, being layers of some type of paper or cloth, saturated with a resin and cured, could very easily have pores.

enquiring minds, and all that.....

I mean, GEC are the ones calling it an acrylic. :D

DWjLHuq.jpg
 
The products that I’ve known to be called “acrylic” are clear or colored plastic---like a replacement small ("plexiglas”) window pane. There’s no fabric in what I’ve known to be called “acrylic”--even if the resin used to bond the composite together was acrylic resin. As I look at my Unicorn Ivory 62, I see a very definite fabric weave pattern in the covers. The resin used may well have been acrylic resin, but it looks to me like a fabric-based composite -- possibly an ivory colored linen micarta. I don’t know if that fabric weave appearance is real fabric that I’m seeing or just a visual appearance that GEC somehow got built into the fabric but it definitely looks like fabric. I asked GEC about that this morning, and they stuck steadfastly to the word “acrylic” and told me it isn’t a micarta. They had nothing to say when I described the visually obvious fabric weave appearance. I got a very strong sensation that I was being robotically fed an "official company line” when no response was offered to my description of the fabric weave appearance.

On another note ... I got my Unicorn 62 yesterday and I’m one of the happy ones who. There’s only one tiny little black spot on one edge of my knife. It’s so small it’s hard to find and see. I got a keeper.
It looks to me more like marbled royal icing, but in white and off-white, giving that basket weave illusion.
xG7LZO3m.jpg
LlT1FxGm.jpg

The area on mine with the black spots feels a little rough when I drag my nail across it, so I'm thinking it's just the coarse scratches from being roughed out. If those areas aren't highly polished, they can hold compound, but will eventually fade with oil and handling. Like scrimshaw. :D Micarta is much more porous.
 
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It looks to me more like marbled royal icing, but in white and off-white, giving that basket weave illusion.
xG7LZO3m.jpg
LlT1FxGm.jpg
You’re probably right. My eyesight isn't what it was in years past and I didn’t look my 62 over with a magnifying glass and flashlight, which I’d need to do to get a really good look at the acrylic.
 
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