GEC #46 Whaler

Mine came today. Figured I'd get a family pic as well. The small blade is a solid 9+ for the pull. I nearly couldn't get it open. It's hard to picture the size, so I put a Peanut in for comparison.

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Yea, I get to join the #46 Club! I’m really stoked because I missed all the reserves and thought I’d been skunked.

I’ve been very consumed with starting a business this past year—too busy to get in on Early Reserves or stalk dealers for any type of knife. In fact, my last knife purchase was for last year’s Forum knife. So I was kind of surprised when I got an alert notification that a dealer (that I had an inquiry with from some time ago) had stock and I was able to purchase one before they sold out.

I’m now expecting an Ironwood #46, and would have been delighted with either version. This is a kind of reward for me for a lot of hard work, and because I usually prefer smaller knives, this gargantuan will be a real novelty.

Does anyone know anything about this latest round of #46s? Are they re-works from the original batch or a new run? Are they still very stiffly springed? If mine turns out to be a nail-breaker, I’ll try every trick I know to tame it. It’s such an unusual knife I’m sure to be dilighted no matter how stiff it might be. :)
 
New run this year 2018 stamped. fairly stiff for sure, but i think it goes with the knife.

Russell
 
Having dusted off the pattern and made this run of whalers, I sure wish they would have done some single blade Lumberjacks as well.
I so miss my single blade Frontier #45. Dumbest knife sale ever.
 
I'm not a member of the Allegheny Mountain Knife club, but was curious if anyone knew what the Abalone #46 Whaler club knife order price was, and how many are being made?
 
Rookie82 said:
I'm not a member of the Allegheny Mountain Knife club, but was curious if anyone knew what the Abalone #46 Whaler club knife order price was, and how many are being made?
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I'm a member. I'm not sure if others in the club would want me to advertise the price they're charged club members for it but I'll say it's more than the other two versions but very reasonable. There were 20 made, serialized 00-19.
 
L.H.S said:
I'm a member. I'm not sure if others in the club would want me to advertise the price they're charged club members for it but I'll say it's more than the other two versions but very reasonable. There were 20 made, serialized 00-19.
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Thanks LHS, I think you're right about the pricing. I shouldn't have asked that. But thank you for letting me know about the quantity.

They certainly are stunning looking knives! It would be the center piece of any knife collection.
 
RobbW said:
Yea, I get to join the #46 Club! I’m really stoked because I missed all the reserves and thought I’d been skunked.

I’ve been very consumed with starting a business this past year—too busy to get in on Early Reserves or stalk dealers for any type of knife. In fact, my last knife purchase was for last year’s Forum knife. So I was kind of surprised when I got an alert notification that a dealer (that I had an inquiry with from some time ago) had stock and I was able to purchase one before they sold out.

I’m now expecting an Ironwood #46, and would have been delighted with either version. This is a kind of reward for me for a lot of hard work, and because I usually prefer smaller knives, this gargantuan will be a real novelty.

Does anyone know anything about this latest round of #46s? Are they re-works from the original batch or a new run? Are they still very stiffly springed? If mine turns out to be a nail-breaker, I’ll try every trick I know to tame it. It’s such an unusual knife I’m sure to be dilighted no matter how stiff it might be. :)
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My Desert Ironwood is about a 7 for the pull, but easy due to just pinching the blade. The small blade? It's a 9+. I nearly couldn't get it open. Granted, I have not flushed/oiled anything on it.

The Lava Acrylic is easier, with the small blade probably a 5 on the pull.
 
I received both my Ironwood and my Muscle Bone today. They are very nice. In my opinion the pull on both is about the same - 7 or so for the main blade and at least a 9 for the secondary. The secondary is almost too strong - but I'm one who would rather have too strong than too light, so I'm not complaining.

As others have experienced, there are some rub marks/light scratches on the bolsters and a few other minor imperfections, but nothing that rises to the level of causing me to be dissatisfied. I got home late, and I haven't had time to really inspect and analyze them, but at first glance, both the wood and the bone scales seem to be in good shape and free of any significant issues.

Not all the pins on the Muscle Bone are flush and smooth, but nothing too major. Overall fit and finish does seem to be a little better on my Ironwood example than on the Muscle Bone I received.

Again, I haven't really had time for a detailed inspection as we were out all day and I arrived home late and gave them a cursory, not detailed, inspection. Overall I am satisfied with both - I was a little surprised at how high the tang stands out when closed, but I shouldn't have been, as others have reported this, with photos.

I'm sure this has already been covered, but it's late and I'd appreciate it if someone could just clue me in: are there any pocket sleeves available for these? where?
 
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Thanks for sharing the photo. That is an awesome looking knife! Do you have any details on the history of the knife, or the company? If only our old knives could talk!

You can definitely see the legacy between the Platts knife and the #46 Whaler.

Rusty1 said:
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The raised tang is a trait of the pattern. Here is a picture of a C Platts & Sons Jumbo swell center from between 1900-1905 which is the model knife for GEC’s Whaler.

Russell
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