Long term use and care of a GEC boys knife

M

mudguard

Joined
Aug 2, 2013
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309
So these have been out for a while now. Could someone give me some insight on how well they hold up and also how dificult can it be to maintain the 1095 steel liners from rusting? I would also love to see some overall pictures of a well used boys knife (or charlow). I am contemplating a boys knife but I have never owned a knife without brass liners (or stainless).

Cheers,
 
I've been carrying mine pretty often, clip/smooth bone. So far all I've done is make sure it's dry and sharp. Maybe a drop of oil in the joints every now and then, and a little oil on the blade when I'm going out in the rain/snow just to be on the safe side. I'll go take a couple pictures here and edit them into my post...:)

Edit,

I love the way GEC marks their knives.

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I had a #15 for a little while, it was the perfect size. Not huge but not too small that it couldn't handle ordinary tasks. The liners and blade held up well to wet tasks, like cutting apples or opening up soaking wet boxes. :)
 
I've got a few steel framed GEC's, all started to rust inside. I live in Wales, it rains! Average humidity sits at 80%, my guitars sit in a humidified room. I recently opted to clean up the rust with fine grit wet and dry paper folowed by a generous splash of 3 in one oil. Literally let it run from pivot down to the butt of the knife. Since then a bit more fluff but no rust problems:)
 
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Here's mine after some months of use. The blade and bolster have stained a bit, but no rust. A drop of mineral oil in the joint weekly goes well, and I just wipe the blade down each evening. No problems so far.
 
No problem here. These knives all feature steel bolsters and liners. I love this feature. I will force patina in the blade wells to prevent problems or wipe with Tuf Glide if I want to keep it shiny.

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Ive carried my charlow very often for the past 6 months it so. I've had to sharpen it a few times but other than that, it's been flawless! Still tight as a drum!
 
I have several steel framed knives and the only one to give me rust issues was a spearpoint charlow. I cleaned it up and forced a patina with some lemon juice in the bolster and liners.
 
I really love polishing the steel bolsters on my Eureka jack. They have a subtle blue color compared to the yellow color of nickel silver bolsters.
 
What all these fellers said. PS, I don't think the liners are 1095, they should be just low carbon cold rolled steel, 1010 or 1020 I bet.
 
blademan 13 said:
No problem here. These knives all feature steel bolsters and liners. I love this feature. I will force patina in the blade wells to prevent problems or wipe with Tuf Glide if I want to keep it shiny.

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I couldn't agree more! I've had two 15's that I have used constantly since they hit the market. After applying a cider vinegar patina all I do is wipe them down with a Tuf Glide cloth once a week. I did end up snapping the pen blade on my ebony 15, so don't go too heavy on the smaller blade if ya get a 2 blade version. Perfect EDC for most daily applications and a great GEC pattern!
 
stevomiller said:
What all these fellers said. PS, I don't think the liners are 1095, they should be just low carbon cold rolled steel, 1010 or 1020 I bet.
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Yes, the two steels (bolster vs blade) are different and seem to color/patina differently. Don't know what the steels used in bolsters are though.

As said above, sweat definitely attacks the steel hard, so be sure to wipe it down if exposed to that.

The humidity/climate of your region has alot to do with it of course. Here in the desert it's 5%-30% humidity most of the time, so almost a non-issue here (sweat is our problem here). But those in humid climates it's a different story.

As to the OP's question of steel liners? I suppose it depends on all the factors above. Monitor the knife with a quick inspection each day and if a problem is starting up then use a pipe-cleaner with some mineral oil and apply a light coating whereever it may be needed if the liners seem to be showing signs of rust. Not a big deal. These knives need a little TLC and maintenance, but that's part of the charm. :)
 
arizonaranchman said:
Yes, the two steels (bolster vs blade) are different and seem to color/patina differently. Don't know what the steels used in bolsters are though.
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Isn't it 1050? I do remember Charlie saying, it's in my head somewhere! :D
 
Jack Black said:
Isn't it 1050? I do remember Charlie saying, it's in my head somewhere! :D
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Jack,

Not sure but in my experience at least the BOLSTER steel is less prone to coloring/staining than the 1095 blade. Is this your experience in the humid climate where you reside? Others chime in here also as I'm curious about the bolster vs blade differences in their reactions to the environment and use.
 
They are well-made knives designed to stand up to the rigors of what is reasonable use to expect from a moderately-sized slipjoint. My #15's are probably my most carried pattern.

Use 'em, wipe 'em down every now and then, and repeat. :D

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I've got an all-steel #15 as well, a clip/pen Charlow. The bolsters, scales, and blade have all taken patina, but no problems with rust (despite sweaty summertime jeans pocket carry, and all). I just keep it clean-ish, and oil the joint once in a while.
 
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