Need info on my new Rizzuto Estileto Milano

[Jeff_75]

gunner that is just an awesome collection! You really are the Rizz king.

[Grim]

Nice selection of rizzys guys .Bt 60 is definately a fair price for rizzy

[BTB0923]

I bought another rizzuto that was delivered today, and I've got another one coming in the mail. I guess I'm hooked The one that showed up today is actually very similar in size and color to the first one, but I like the blade, guard style, and handle thickness on this one much better. In addition to the Rizzuto Estileto Milano stamp is also has "Pastor Aleman" written on the tang with a little dog's head in a circle....does that mean anything to anybody?

NEWKNIFE.jpg (82.12 KiB) Viewed 639 times

NEWKNIFE2.jpg (68.78 KiB) Viewed 637 times

NEWKNIFE3.jpg (83.88 KiB) Viewed 644 times

[gunner]

Great snag BTB!! Once you get the rizzy bug... I think I saw that one on ebay. Those flat grind/swedge ones are the nicest of all the button o/c rizzutos. The ones I've seen have had kick springs from nicer square stock instead of round piano wire, slimmer trimmed scales and a better finish. Pastor Aleman is Spanish for German Shepard and I've seen several rizzutos and other various auto and non-auto pocket knives (mostly Japanese) from the 60's & 70's with the marking. Don't really know anything about them though. It's a mysterious sub-genre. Happy Hunting!!

[BTB0923]

Great snag BTB!! Once you get the rizzy bug... I think I saw that one on ebay. Those flat grind/swedge ones are the nicest of all the button o/c rizzutos. The ones I've seen have had kick springs from nicer square stock instead of round piano wire, slimmer trimmed scales and a better finish. Pastor Aleman is Spanish for German Shepard and I've seen several rizzutos and other various auto and non-auto pocket knives (mostly Japanese) from the 60's & 70's with the marking. Don't really know anything about them though. It's a mysterious sub-genre. Happy Hunting!!

Thanks Gunner! This one does have the squared off kick spring and the slimmer scales like you described. The only thing is that the blade peeks the tiniest bit when the knife is closed....barely noticeable at all though. Now I must find a black one!!! I'd also love to be able to find a lockback like yours but I'm under the impression those are VERY hard to come by. The one I have coming in the mail is more similar in style to the first pics I posted, but it is 8 1/2" and black....I'm looking forward to its arrival.

[gunner]

You mean like one of these?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjSTQ3ujCEY

[Fishtail Picklock]

I guess that the two Rizzuto "clones" that I bought in Tijuana were "step bolster" knives. They are cool in their own right. While they may not have been manufactured in Korea, they are still a lot of fun. These knives hearken back to a simpler, carefree time of the 1960's.

Scott

[Jeff_75]

I guess that the two Rizzuto "clones" that I bought in Tijuana were "step bolster" knives. They are cool in their own right. While they may not have been manufactured in Korea, they are still a lot of fun. These knives hearken back to a simpler, carefree time of the 1960's.

Scott

Fishtail, that is a good observation. If yours were purchased in Mexico they most likely are the "step bolster" style made in Japan. Those were the only Rizzis I'd ever seen ( besides in movies) before these forums.
Cool clip gunner

[BTB0923]

You mean like one of these?? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjSTQ3ujCEY

Yup, just like one of those. It arrived in the mail today. Blade sits deep in the handle and fires perfect every time, but it looks like it has been sharpened before. For 30 bucks I've got no real complaints though. The guy who sold it to me is the original owner of the knife. He's 63 years old and said that hes had this knife since he was a kid. Here are some pics of the new addition to my rizzy collection....

4.1.jpg (72.32 KiB) Viewed 635 times

4.jpg (82.46 KiB) Viewed 634 times

5.jpg (66.53 KiB) Viewed 634 times

[Fishtail Picklock]

I just LOVE the older "Rizzuto Estletto Milano" automatics from Bell in Korea. While not exceptional in quality, they always seemed to turn up in young men's "sock drawers" all over America throughout the 1960's and 1970's. The newer examples can occasionally be encountered in a number of Tijuana shops.

Last May, I saw what I believed to be a couple of old Bell knives in the shopkeeper's case.They seemed to have the "Rizutto Estilleto Milano" rollmark on their blades. When the Mrs. and I head back down to Avenida Revolucion, I'll see what I can locate and tell of our exploits. We'll be bringing back more photographs from the bullring and more exciting tales from south of the border.

One of our favorite "haunts" is a little place called "Taco Bell" (not to be confused with the fast-food chain in the United States.) After crossing the foot bridge over the Rio Tijuana, keep walking up Calle Primera another 30 yards to this little "hole in the wall." You'll be surprised to find a full-sized jukebox. Tacos are 3 for $1 and are made from skirt steak (mmmm-mmm!) The soft corn tortillas are gently heated on a comal, while the lightly seasoned beef is delicately laid in them and served with plenty of hot sauce, radishes and limes (for juicing on the tacos) available. Four dollars will buy you 9 tacos and a cold Coca-cola made with cane/beet sugar (instead of the stuff made with high-fructose corn syrup they serve in the U.S..) We can't wait to get back to this little slice of Mexico. You just can't seem to find food such as this here.

The Bullfights are superb! Six bulls in 2 1/2 hours makes for an unbelievable show! When you are less than 50 feet from the action the experience is INCREDIBLE! The spectacle of man against beast doesn't translate very well from the television screen. The sights, the sounds and the smells of the bullring are utterly unique. This is one show that cannot be fully appreciated unless you are there! If you ever have the opportunity to attend the bullfights, you really should. Be advised: this is NOT a show for the "faint of heart." (After his encounter with the picador, every time the bull snorts, a fountain of blood spurts about a foot from the top of his shoulders.) When visiting Mexico, people must realize that it is truly a "third world" country with all of the attendant problems accompanying this status.

[BTB0923]

Sounds like it would be a fun trip Fishtail!

Of the three rizzutos I've acquired so far not one of them has the "step bolster" style that you guys are talking about the japanese versions having. Is it true the step bolster style rizzutos are generally of higher quality? In what way?

[Fishtail Picklock]

Sounds like it would be a fun trip Fishtail!

Of the three rizzutos I've acquired so far not one of them has the "step bolster" style that you guys are talking about the japanese versions having. Is it true the step bolster style rizzutos are generally of higher quality? In what way?

Not really. The "newer"Japanese versions simply have a "step" in the bolster. I like the older knives due to the nostalgia attatched to them. The older knives are a relic of Mexico's "tourist trade." There are other examples of the "tourist knives" from Mexico that were, in fact, made in Japan. One of these is the old "Bullfighter" knives. These consisted of inexpensively manufactured lever-lock knives with a Torero (matador) facing down a bull on the acrylic scales. These were flat sided clip-bladed autos that were better built than the "rizzutos." Today, these are occasionally encountered on the used knife market. I don't believe that they are manufactured any longer. This doesn't make them any better, it just makes them a "collectors item."

If I really could find what I really would like, it would be one of the old "wasp-waisted" Italian swing guards. These were about 10" long and truly unique. The last one that I had was smuggled back from Mexico back in 1978. (I ought to know, I brought it back from Nuevo Laredo that year!)

Our next "Mexican Odyssey" will also take us from San Ysidro CA., over to Tecate BCN (across the border from Tecate, CA.) We'll then drive down Mexican Federal Highway #3 from Tecate BCN 102 miles to Ensenada BCN and then the 77 miles back to Tijuana BCN. The 25 mile stretch of Mex. Fed. Hwy. #3 just before you reach Ensenada is Baja California's wine country. If we are able, we may stop and take a tour of a winery so the we can see how wine is fermented in another country.

[Jeff_75]

Sounds like it would be a fun trip Fishtail!

Of the three rizzutos I've acquired so far not one of them has the "step bolster" style that you guys are talking about the japanese versions having. Is it true the step bolster style rizzutos are generally of higher quality? In what way?

The black one you just got looks identical to my black "step bolster" but yours has no "step". I can't see any other differences, they look like the same knife, guards, stamp and all.
ETA- Mine is 10 1/2" yours looks a little smaller but it might just be the pics.

[Bill DeShivs]

Sorry to piss on this thread, but enjoying blood spurting from any animal is simply barbaric.
I'm not an anti-hunter, but torturing and killing any animal simply for entertainment is wrong.
Anyone that enjoys things of this nature has serious problems.

[BTB0923]

No worries about the thread Bill...I completely agree. I think that is why Fishtail followed his story with "When visiting Mexico, people must realize that it is truly a 'third world' country with all of the attendant problems accompanying this status". On another note, out of curiosity have you ever done any work on a Rizzuto Estileto before (maybe one of the more rare and worth restoring)? Are they hard to restore?