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***EDIT***
"Formerly known as A Month With an Allegheny (GEC #97) in my Pocket"
I have decided to turn this thread into an "All about Coke Bottles" thread - a topic that encompasses the quintessential Coke Bottle frame and its history, providing a place for enthusiasts to come together and share their experiences and knowledge."Formerly known as A Month With an Allegheny (GEC #97) in my Pocket"
If you are just now tuning into this thread, it is good to note that this began as an experiment - an exercise of sorts where I wanted to experience the pattern as interpreted by GEC in an EDC capacity. Below this, you will find my documentation as well as the input from others here.
My exercise has lead me to a great appreciation for this pattern in its various forms and has motivated me to dig deeper into its history.
First, I'd like to include a link that is long dormant but also helped in my research somewhat.
Thus far, my understanding is that the large Coke Bottle (otherwise known as a swell center hunter or simply folding hunter) has its roots in late 19th century America. I have not found it in any old European catalogs but I do see it making its appearance in American ones. The knife seems to have good popularity up until the early decades of the 20th century where it seems to be somewhat scarce until it begins to make more appearances in later decades.
All in all, I'd like this thread to encompass the coke bottle frame in general, despite my interest and experiences being with the large variant so far. "Stabber jacks", small, medium, and large - all are most welcome to be discussed here.
***END EDIT***
Good day, folks.
I have largely been a bit apathetic when it comes to threads like these. Lacking the discipline to stick with but one knife over any significant length of time, I've generally just accepted my weakness and carried on with my knife enthusiast ways. Like you all, I like knives - of all sorts - and I have no shame when it comes to enjoying this hobby and interest in the myriad of ways that are offered to us.
However, my collecting has settled down to a rather steady pace and I feel that I might be able to pull this off - with a couple of stipulations of sorts. After all, going on a rather strict diet without allowing yourself to relax from time to time is simply setting yourself up for failure (in my opinion, of course).
This brings me to the subject knife.
When GEC announced the #97 Allegheny pattern, I recall it being met with a somewhat lukewarm response. Concerns regarding its size, Northfield trim options, and the curated covers all made for some rather cautious buyers. Since I am generally of a mind that I want to try just about any pattern from GEC at least once, I opted to scoop one up at the time (a Northfield in Ebony). Upon receiving it, I was rather disappointed - I didn't like the saber grind, the secondary nail nick, or the extremely anemic pull/W&T. I couldn't see myself really putting it to much use so not long afterwards, I moved it along to a new home.
Fast forward to last week and I found myself in the middle of some conversations that involved the #97 pattern. It compelled me to maybe look at the knife through a different lens and perhaps give it a second chance. Because of the initially tepid reception, there are still plenty of these knives sitting on shelves so I went ahead and got while the getting is still good. This time, I chose a Tidioute with a full flat grind, thinking this might be far more suitable to my uses going forward.
Once out of the tube, it was immediately apparent that the weak pull and lackluster walk-and-talk were a bit of a repeat - less than stellar, though admittedly a bit better than my previous example (the tiniest bit). Aside from the action, everything else was pretty excellent - beautifully jigged bone with that wonderful autumn hue, excellent blade geometry, and the F&F is overall up to GEC's usual standards.
Recalling previous discussions regarding methods that were implemented to try and improve the action, I went ahead and got the WD-40 and Dawn out - it was time to give this knife the best possible chance at being as awesome as possible.
I gave it a good squirt or two of the WD-40 and started working the blade back and forth. Immediately, I started seeing black crud working its way out of the backspring and even started seeing quite a few metal shavings working themselves loose (I've heard of this but this one would be a first for me). I continued this for about 10 minutes and then took it to my sink to give it a hot bath with the Dawn soap. I continued to work the action until the water dripping out was no longer black or even gray. After letting it dry, I put a couple drops of mineral oil in the joint and worked it some more.
Even though the pull is still a bit lighter than I might care for, the action is remarkably improved. It practically sings now when snapping it open and closed - I'd compare this to some of my 15s now, very satisfactory.
It was at this point that I thought, "You know what? Why don't I give this a good month of honest use and see what happens?". It sounded good to me and the concept for this thread was born.
First, I wanted to compare the 97 to some of my most carried users. As one can tell, there is a noticeable size difference. This is going to be an interesting exercise for me but I think it will prove to be enjoyable.
It's a Big 'Un (or the H40 is simply that small...)!
It is my plan to carry this knife everyday until around this time next month - posting a pic of sorts each day to keep me honest and show the journey in a sense. Because I do not want to set myself up for failure, I will allow myself to be accompanied by one other blade each day with the idea that the 97 gets reached for first.
Today, I have the #33 (also new) as well. I think they make for a nice looking pair.
I treat factory edges a bit differently than some folks here. Unless it is egregiously dull, I will not put my own edge on a blade until I have used it a few times. This is mostly because I want to get a feel for the factory edge and make a mental note of each thing that I might be inclined to change about it. In this case, the edge was nice and sharp and I am very pleased with the thinness behind the edge - this is going to make for a nice slicer.
First task that I am putting this to - slicing up an apple. This is usually how I eat my fruit - having a very full beard and mustache, anything that I can do to make my eating neater makes me happy as well as my significant other.
It performed the task quite efficiently and admirably. In fact, the knife did way better than the apple tasted... too long in the fruit basket, I think. The long blade is going to be rather ideal with regards to my daily eating habits.
The patina begins!
I hope that I will not bore you all with my ongoing exercise. I will try and post here everyday and will hopefully make it somewhat interesting.
In the interim though, I would love to read your 97 user stories and see any accompanying pics!
Sláinte!
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