The second half of the GEC 86 Oily Sucker Rod knives arrived this afternoon.
I like the pattern of the 86 as it’s not only comfortable in the hand but the size isn’t uncomfortable in your pocket. It’s kind of a nice blend between function and form. In fact, it would make a great knife for someone in the oil fields.
The Oily Sucker Wood is an interesting handle material. Today’s ‘sucker rods’ are steel, but in the day they used wood. Think of a piston on the end of a connecting rod (the sucker rod). As it’s lowered in the casing it allows the displaced air to flow past the piston. When the rod is retracted, it forms a vacuum drawing the oil up the casing and a valve in the casing opens, allowing the oil to flow out of the casing. That wood rod would end up getting pretty well saturated with oil before it was retired.
Now that’s a pretty simplistic explanation and no doubt some engineer or oil worker is rolling on the floor laughing right now. The fact is, in simple terms I can verbalize, that’s what’s happening. And that’s where the sucker rod came from. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it!!!
Next week we’ll discuss aerodynamics and explore the mystery of winged aircraft. Is it the air flow under the wing or the air flow over the wing that creates lift?