The Italian Stiletto
The Italian stiletto switchblade is the knife you see mostly in the older mafia and street gang movies. Its the one the "bad guy" pulls out and flips open and then tries to stab someone with. Since Hollywood movies put all those images into my head, for me the Italian stiletto is the first knife that comes to my mind when I hear the word "switchblade."The Italian stiletto was produced primarily back in the 1940's and 1950's. Having their origin from Italy and then imported into the U.S. where they were stamped with names like LATAMA, EDWIN JAY, CORICAMA, MARIO MARIO, FABICO, RAIMONDO, M. ITALY, E.I.G., to name just a few. The mechanisms of the knives were built to support a "thrust" motion... a stab. They did not lend themselves to the normal demands of the average pocket knife or made for everyday cutting like a Case or Buck knife. The knife was designed thin and sleak, just press a button for the immediate release of a long sharp blade for self defense or intimidation. You could say the Italian stilettos have a sadistic nature or intent. At least thats what Hollywood gave to them (amazingly enough Hollywood's image of the knife led to its dimize). They were quickly classed as the "hoodlums" weapon by the public. The Italian stiletto is the knife that brought the ban on automatic knives in 1958, making them illegal to import from Italy. It is also the knife responsible for making it illegal to carry a switchblade knife in most states today (check your state for legalities on possession and collecting). Long before todays Tactical auto's and hand made customs sat the sinister Italian stiletto........ the "Devil's Advocate." You could say its the switchblade that started and has ended it all. Me personally? I have NO intentions of using a stiletto for what it was made for. Its history and the fact that its a vintage "violent weapon" give it a WANT-SOME appeal. The acoustics they make when you press that button is just way cool! And don't forget the INTIMIDATION FACTOR when you hit that button! Its the very same reason why white color working professionals by Harley's or Hot Rods....... its all about ATTITUDE.
I've collected them since I was a young kid. They are still my favorite knife. Since the INTERNET has opened up and made information available so fast and easily, I learned how to repair and customize them. I even restored the antique ones professionally for several well known antique stiletto dealers. Restore and repair enough of them and you to would begin to notice a few of the flaws they were built with by the Italian designers. For instance, most of the antique stilettos never had heat treated blades, the lock ups weakened after many cycles, and the springs were built entirely to strong for the soft brass liners. Ever wonder why a lot of the antique blades sit proud? Its because those strong carbon springs would push the sear right into the brass, causing the sear to wear prematurely. I've taken the classic design of the stiletto, removed those flaws and added a few things that today's knife makers have improved upon since the mid nineteen hundreds. Apprenticing underneath one of today's top custom knife makers, JERRY RADOS, I've learned how to hammer forge those thick picklock tabs and improve the Italian stilettos lock up by incorporating a slip joint mech. Manipulating the original Italian design, my custom picklocks have a viscious snap with wonderful acoustics that won't eventually destroy the knife with repeated firing (these are a few things the vintage Italians never possessed). It is a gratifying feel to fire a 5 1/2" hollow ground stiletto blade that nearly jumps out of your hand......... metal music!
You won't find any CNC machines inside my shop. All of my hollow ground knives are hand made and produced one at a time. I do all my own finishing, grinding, polishing and heat treating. I also stand behind my work with a lifetime guarantee under normal use (with the exception of natural scale materials like the moving, shrinking, and cracking of ivory, horn, and others over the period of time or extreme climate changes). I've received a lot of influence "one-on-one" training from world class custom makers like William McHenry, Reese Weiland, and Jerry Rados. My Italian skills were fathered, developed and honed by Don Hall (Merlin). I learned the art of hollow grinding under the tutoring of maker George Cameron. I owe a lot of gratitude and respect to the above mentioned and appreciate the time they've taken to spend and share with me.
