OFC006 13" No name bayonet stiletto by Duke Charlesworth

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ILikeStilettos
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OFC006 13" No name bayonet stiletto by Duke Charlesworth

Post by ILikeStilettos »

A few years ago I purchased a 13" bayonet without tang stamps and scaled in purple. When I got the knife, I was pretty disappointed. First the blue and purple acrylic the mangler had used was garish and I didn't care for it. Even worse, it was one of the poorest jobs I'd ever seen. I even sent it to DonC on approval, and he quickly sent it back.

Where it was pinned, and a few other places there were big gouges like someone had gone after it was a Dremel. Maybe someone, or the original guy, was trying to take it apart again. I don't know, it just looked awful.

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As if this weren't bad enough, the scales had been cut too short and it left some gigantic caps between the end of the scale and the top bolster. This was way beyond what the pivot bolster needed to operate.

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It laid around for a long time and I finally sent it to Duke to mess with and familiarize himself with the mechanics of the knife. I had acquired three 1" X 1" X 8" chunks of stabilized black ash burl and provided him one of those. We did talk over some of the details, but since I'd given up on the knife early on, it never quite came back on my radar screen. I didn't have great expectations when Duke said he was sending it back, little did I know what a masterpiece he'd created! He kept telling me that it looked "a yard long" and once I saw it, I agreed.

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I think the bottomless, no safety, earless approach is just about perfect. It really made a sleek knife.

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I gave Duke two pieces of guidance. First, to orient the yellowish part of the material to the bottom of the knife, and second to not worry about all the little voids and gaps which I though would give it character. Duke did leave a few of the divots in place, but mostly he filled them and polished everything to a high sheen.

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The yellow only held through one slab, but other things appeared, like the brown inclusion. I think Duke did a superb job and the scales now have great character.

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The knife is straight and true and performs flawlessly. It's got a great snap for a big knife.

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Duke has done some lovely filework on the spine and then wrapped it around the pommel.

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The knife looks wonderful from any angle.

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Take note of the details in this closeup. He made a two piece solid NS bolster, and where it steps down the geometry is concave rather than flat or slightly convex. It's subtle, but it's really unique and beautiful. The pivot is a two piece threaded affair so that the blade can easily be removed for polishing and the action can be adjusted. These are the little things you might miss, but they speak volumes about the mangler's talent and knowledge.

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This is the knife I alluded to earlier and it's going in my collection. I'm just not letting go of this beauty. Great job, Duke. This one is just about perfect.
Dave Sause
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"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"

"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
Fishtail Picklock
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Re: OFC006 13" No name bayonet stiletto by Duke Charlesworth

Post by Fishtail Picklock »

Nice job, Dave
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john
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Re: OFC006 13" No name bayonet stiletto by Duke Charlesworth

Post by john »

Hi Dave,
I like the new look. Duke did a really nice job on your knife.
John
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daddyloko
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Re: OFC006 13" No name bayonet stiletto by Duke Charlesworth

Post by daddyloko »

This new look has taken an ugly duckling into being a swan. Great looking work Duke has done again.
sammy the blade
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Re: OFC006 13" No name bayonet stiletto by Duke Charlesworth

Post by sammy the blade »

SAWEEET!
2024 candidate for president
Fishtail Picklock
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Re: OFC006 13" No name bayonet stiletto by Duke Charlesworth

Post by Fishtail Picklock »

Let me get this straight: It was a Swivel release auto, but has been converted to a picklock. Is that correct?
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ILikeStilettos
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Re: OFC006 13" No name bayonet stiletto by Duke Charlesworth

Post by ILikeStilettos »

That's correct, and, by the way, that's been done countless times. Recreating the pivot bolster in solid NS is difficult and rarely aesthetically pleasing. Despite the smaller tab, they're generally fine as picklocks. In the rare case where the back spring is too heavy, some judicious thinning corrects the issue.

Here's another:

http://www.talkblade.info/viewtopic.php ... 8&p=264879

and another wild modification, this time with ears:

http://www.talkblade.info/viewtopic.php ... 6&p=264865
Dave Sause
oldandfat@cox.net
(405) 694-3690

"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"

"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
Fishtail Picklock
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Re: OFC006 13" No name bayonet stiletto by Duke Charlesworth

Post by Fishtail Picklock »

Dave: Is the bolster release a "better" design, or is it just more convenient for manufacture? Seeing as most Italian knives are hand-made in the "old world" tradition, the "swivel bolster" seems as if it's more difficult to engineer. What's the history (back story) about the difference between the two, and which is stronger?
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ILikeStilettos
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Re: OFC006 13" No name bayonet stiletto by Duke Charlesworth

Post by ILikeStilettos »

Fishtail Picklock wrote:Dave: Is the bolster release a "better" design, or is it just more convenient for manufacture? Seeing as most Italian knives are hand-made in the "old world" tradition, the "swivel bolster" seems as if it's more difficult to engineer. What's the history (back story) about the difference between the two, and which is stronger?
You ask the question as if it had an absolute black and white answer, and that the answer Is understood and documented. I have some clues and opinions, but that's all they are, just guesses really.

Think about 200 years ago when everything came in glass bottles with corks. This gave way to porcelain plugs with cork gaskets and wire mechanisms as found on "flippie" beers and Mason jars, then it diverged into zip tops, regular cans, all sorts of metal and plastic screw lids and milk cartons with tear tabs. Things change over time because someone figures out a better mousetrap or a cheaper or faster way to do things.

At one time they thought square button mechanisms would replace picklocks, and these quickly evolved to pivot bolsters. It's not that pivots are better or worse, they just seemed like a good answer to the knife manufacturers, along with liner locks, lever locks, lockbacks, and all kinds of goofy ones like the LePre mechanism.

Picklocks remain popular because they are sort of "vintage" - but it's largely personal preference.
Dave Sause
oldandfat@cox.net
(405) 694-3690

"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"

"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
Fishtail Picklock
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Re: OFC006 13" No name bayonet stiletto by Duke Charlesworth

Post by Fishtail Picklock »

Having been a "student of the picklock automatic" since the age of 7, I'm inclined to view the picklock as "better" only because the design requires fewer moving parts (fewer parts that can/will fail). Daddy's Latama 1940 10.75 OAL carbon-steel Fishtail Picklock, held a scalpel sharp edge. I wish I had that knife again. This is what had me interested in replicating father's old clip-point auto. The picklock design seems to be a bit less prone to breakage, accidental closing, etc. This is why, to this very day, I prefer a picklock over a bolster release Italian auto knife.

I prefer "working knives" to "safe queens". "Play pretty" (display) knives are expensive fun, but when you reach my age, their attraction fades and the "working knife" is just as much fun and actually serve a purpose. (I may be wrong, but that's just me).

IMHO, you have the best of both worlds!
Fishtail Picklock
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