Why doesn't Campolin make a light horn picklock?

[whippersnapper]

Father's switchblade was damned useful and saved him from losing his arm (and probably his life) at the Bremerton Naval Ship Yards in 1946 before being shipped off to Antarctica during Operation "Highjump" with Admiral Byrd for hydrological studies.

Need I go on?

Did your Dad ever talk about what really happened in Antarctica?

[Fishtail Picklock]

Yes, Dad told me that while there they used to take a plywood sheet, hook it to a Navy tractor and jump crevasses as you would with a toboggan. He also told us that he would buy fifths of "Three Feathers" whiskey for $2.00 and sell them for $40.00 each on the "white continent". He related stories of Antarctica's "dry valley" and the bare ground areas there. The story of men that came in from outside and eating ice cream instead of drinking hot liquids. One sailor came in and drank hot coffee, shattering his teeth due to the drastic temperature differential. (They shipped that poor ba$tard back to the states where he was discharged for health reasons).

SecNav had given standing orders. "NEVER, under any circumstances, molest the indigenous fauna!" Well, one ensign didn't "get the word". This fool insisted on putting his arm around an Emperor Penguin while posing for a photograph. The bird promptly craned its head around and bit through the officer's Navy Issue arctic glove, taking three of the fingers from his left hand with that mouthful of material. As if that wasn't enough, the idiot promptly drew his Navy-issue S&W Military & Police .38 Special revolver and put a 130-grain FMJ bullet through the animal, killing it instantly. The ensign was immediately flown back to the States where he summarily lost his commission due to destroying native fauna and violating a direct order.

Are these the kind of stories you wanted to hear?

[Luke_of_Mass]

Well, after all, modern picklocks are more or less an homage to the past, and, I suppose it would only be natural to at least have products like this in mind to allude to:

Wait just a minute, junior. Dad owned his Carbon steel Fishtail Picklock long before gang members were using their "toad-stabbers"/"pig-stickers" came into vogue. I believe father had his as early as 1936-1938. Hell's Angels came into existence in 1946. They were disgruntled WW2 Veterans that rode motorcycles and began using drugs and raising Cain.

Father's switchblade was damned useful and saved him from losing his arm (and probably his life) at the Bremerton Naval Ship Yards in 1946 before being shipped off to Antarctica during Operation "Highjump" with Admiral Byrd for hydrological studies.

Need I go on?

Sorry, I don't quite follow... Neat story and all, but I'm not sure how this relates to what I said ... I'm suggesting is that darker horn is perhaps more commonplace in modern throwback 'lettos due to its popularity on older picklocks, like the "black beauty" and those seen in the movies, most notably "rebel without a cause".

[JulesVane]

Agreed Luke...A thread on scale material, turning into "motorcycle clubs", "WWII" and "Naval History", though interesting topics (I'm sure), I don't quite get the relevance.

[Gunhawk]

>>Father's switchblade was damned useful and saved him from losing his arm (and probably his life) at the Bremerton Naval Ship Yards in 1946 before being shipped off to Antarctica during Operation "Highjump" with Admiral Byrd for hydrological studies.<<

Was it a "fishing emergency"?

Actually, growing up in New York City in the 1950's-early 60's, in one of the toughest neighborhoods, I rarely saw a stiletto. Because if you got caught with one it meant a quick non-stop trip to Juvie Hall. So the guys that had them squirreled them away and only showed them off to friends. Not only that, they were expensive and losing one meant a significant blow to the wallet. Just about everyone in my gang carried a K55, because they were cheap and easily hideable in the change pocket of your jeans behind your garrison belt, because they were flat. Nobody worried much if they had to ditch one down a sewer, because you could get another one the next day in any hardware store. IIRC they only cost about a buck and half in the early 60's. I don't think that anyone would ditch a prized stiletto. So those knives stayed at home. In the late 1950's I had a little switchblade that I think was a Shur Snap. And even *that* stayed at home, because it was just as illegal as a stiletto. Anyway, i don't think that i would have had a "fishing emergency" on Delancy Street.

[Fishtail Picklock]

>>Father's switchblade was damned useful and saved him from losing his arm (and probably his life) at the Bremerton Naval Ship Yards in 1946 before being shipped off to Antarctica during Operation "Highjump" with Admiral Byrd for hydrological studies.<<

Was it a "fishing emergency"?

Actually, growing up in New York City in the 1950's-early 60's, in one of the toughest neighborhoods, I rarely saw a stiletto. Because if you got caught with one it meant a quick non-stop trip to Juvie Hall. So the guys that had them squirreled them away and only showed them off to friends. Not only that, they were expensive and losing one meant a significant blow to the wallet. Just about everyone in my gang carried a K55, because they were cheap and easily hideable in the change pocket of your jeans behind your garrison belt, because they were flat. Nobody worried much if they had to ditch one down a sewer, because you could get another one the next day in any hardware store. IIRC they only cost about a buck and half in the early 60's. I don't think that anyone would ditch a prized stiletto. So those knives stayed at home. In the late 1950's I had a little switchblade that I think was a Shur Snap. And even *that* stayed at home, because it was just as illegal as a stiletto. Anyway, i don't think that i would have had a "fishing emergency" on Delancy Street.

Dad carried his Fishtail Picklock in a holster on his hip along with his marlinspike with an adjustable end wrench silver soldered on to its end. Father had a line passed around his arm and the other end was passed down through the planks of a dock, then up and around a pair of bitts on ship. Another ship passed in the travel lane next to the docked vessel, it's wake pulling the docked hip away from the slip, nearly pulling dad's arm off. Dad snapped open his picklock and cut the line. Was that an emergency? You're damned right it was! (Of course, Daddy was a warrior Not some kid concerned about whether or not he was screwing Mary Lou on Saturday night after the dance).

I have a nice, K55 in pristine condition. It is a rather useful knife.

[Gunhawk]

>>Of course, Daddy was a warrior Not some kid concerned about whether or not he was screwing Mary Lou on Saturday night after the dance).<<

Good old Mary Lou. She was something else. Thanks for the memory.

[Fishtail Picklock]

>>Of course, Daddy was a warrior Not some kid concerned about whether or not he was screwing Mary Lou on Saturday night after the dance).<<

Good old Mary Lou. She was something else. Thanks for the memory.

You knew her girlfriend "Gina StatutorI" didn't you? (She was the one that passed out discount coupons to the VD Clinic).

[Luke_of_Mass]

Jesus fishtail way to completely derail the entire topic..

I had written back & forth with Angelo a short time ago, asking if he could basically re-scale a current item that he had in stock with a material he was using on another item. In my simple mind, and we discussed it, all that had to be done was a simple cut (since the new material was obviously available) and re-scale the item I wanted scaled in that material. I wouldn't think that a difficult request for the Campolin workshop. I naturally offered to pay in advance. Well, the end result of the entire conversation was that he could/would do it, but when they did an entire new production run of the item they already had in stock. I just don't know why he couldn't take a less expensive scale off an existing knife, add the requested scale material and sell me that knife at a higher price.

Honestly this doesn't sound as unreasonable as Bill made it out to be... Changing a picklock to a swivel-bolster would be more akin to changing out the engine in a car than anything else here. If anything asking for new scales would be more like asking for a re-paint job which would be more tedious than impossible on their end but of course if the buyer is willing to pay the extra money

the second maker that used brazilian horn was Renzo Beltrame on 7" 8" 9" 11" and 13" stilettos i had custom made

Bernie, these Renzo Beltrame un-stamped's have got to be the most beautiful "standard" modern stilettos I own... X-ing my fingers here that you do another run like this... or even some 9'' FB Picks with Brazilian horn! That sure would be the best of both worlds! If I may be so bold, I would even say the quality of Frank's 9'' "BEF" picklocks are comparable in quality to the Walt's Latamas he makes in 11''.

Here's some pics of the Renzo Beltrame Brazilians for everyone/anyone who may be curious about Renzo's work...

Maybe Bernie could have better luck at getting it done than I had.

I tell you what, Jules, if anyone can finagle a special order out of the Maniago crew, it's probably Bernie lol

[Bill DeShivs]

Special orders would be done in batches. Interrupting existing production to rebuild a knife simply wouldn't normally be done.
They are set up to MAKE knives, not disassemble them.

[Luke_of_Mass]

Frank Beltrame had no issue putting together a Brazilian horn kriss for me last year, sure it took a long time and I probably way overpaid for it, but, it can be done. This project took more than 3 months and was likely shelved for when he made a batch of Kriss knives, but like Bernie said Frank isn't doing much Brazilian horn and I've only seen one other like it. Perhaps Campolin functions differently than Beltrame, but the bottom line is that it can only be done for those with the patience (and money) to get it done. These people are not exactly Chris Reeve, and in my experience they are happy to take any worth-while order that comes in, so long as it will work on their timetable and they wear the pants in the relationship with the clients.

[ILikeStilettos]

It's probably easier to just buy the knife and have Rick do a rescale, he's a whiz at this.

[JulesVane]

I was truly surprised when Bill shared that Knife handles are made by an independent supplier, and ordered in quantities. One set of handles is not available. I honestly had no idea of that.

[Luke_of_Mass]

I was truly surprised when Bill shared that Knife handles are made by an independent supplier, and ordered in quantities. One set of handles is not available. I honestly had no idea of that.

I have heard that most are made by a man named Lucio Di Bon who supposedly has one of the more extensive switchblade collections in Maniago.

[JulesVane]

...just seems to me that the independent contractor ought to receive a lot of credit toward building the knives.