Were the 1950s Picklocks made of Carbon steel ?

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Vlad
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Re: Were the 1950s Picklocks made of Carbon steel ?

Post by Vlad »

Bill DeShivs wrote:No- all the Italian knives did not have bad heat treatment.
So only the the stiletto switchblades had this poor heat treatment ?
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Were the 1950s Picklocks made of Carbon steel ?

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Yes- but not all the stilettos were bad.
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JimBrown257
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Re: Were the 1950s Picklocks made of Carbon steel ?

Post by JimBrown257 »

Could the not so hard blades been because of sharpness issues?
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Re: Were the 1950s Picklocks made of Carbon steel ?

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Stiletto blades were not designed to cut, so they were not hardened to the extreme. They were left softer, so the blades were stronger.
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Re: Were the 1950s Picklocks made of Carbon steel ?

Post by Vlad »

Bill DeShivs wrote:Very few of the 1950s picklocks had blades that were not heat treated. That said, very few of them were very hard, either.
Stainless picklocks were made later than the 1950s. In the 1950s, some experimentation was done with nickel plating for rust resistance.
I don't think the book says "stainless steel," but I don't have time to look right now.
I have never seen a Mauro Mario that was not carbon steel.
Sorry to resurrect this thread again , but l made a rather surprising find today. I got my hands on a few more Mauro Mario Stiletto Switchblades. They have M. Italy Inox stamped on the blade. I understand that Inox means " Inoxidable " and so the blades have stainless steel ?
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Re: Were the 1950s Picklocks made of Carbon steel ?

Post by ILikeStilettos »

The best explanation I have seen as these were intended as stabbing weapons, rather than slashing weapons ... pointed, but not necessarily sharp edged. Even in the 50's these were sort of gimmick knives, rather than fully functional EDC pocket knives. When exports began to drive the market, then the makers went to "as cheap to produce as possible" rather than high quality cutlery. Folks like Pat Havlin, Paul Panak and George Cameron went against the philosophy in that they produce knives that look the same, but have high quality blades. Even so, if you make a 1/2" or so wide blade in 1/8" thick or thicker with a center grind line, then the geometry produces an included angle of 30° or more - that's a knife that can't be well sharpened. Flat grind blades, like on German leverlocks, are meant to be sharpened and used.
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Re: Were the 1950s Picklocks made of Carbon steel ?

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Vlad wrote:
Bill DeShivs wrote:Very few of the 1950s picklocks had blades that were not heat treated. That said, very few of them were very hard, either.
Stainless picklocks were made later than the 1950s. In the 1950s, some experimentation was done with nickel plating for rust resistance.
I don't think the book says "stainless steel," but I don't have time to look right now.
I have never seen a Mauro Mario that was not carbon steel.
Sorry to resurrect this thread again , but l made a rather surprising find today. I got my hands on a few more Mauro Mario Stiletto Switchblades. They have M. Italy Inox stamped on the blade. I understand that Inox means " Inoxidable " and so the blades have stainless steel ?
Let me rephrase that- I have never seen a picklock marked "Mauro Mario" that was stainless steel.
The M.Italy knives were made by MM, and many were stainless.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
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Factory authorized repairs for:
Latama, Mauro Mario, LePre, Colonial, Kabar, Flylock, Schrade Cut Co., Presto, Press Button, Hubertus, Grafrath, Kuno Ritter knives, Puma, Burrell Cutlery.
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