Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

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arlen
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Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by arlen »

Just ordered a Renzo Beltrame 11", swivel bolster, bayonet blade, imitation pearl switchblade. I was very pleased with the Frank Beltrame knife with faux ivory scales that I received a few weeks back and am very curious to see what type of knife Renzo creates. Hopefully, this will not be a regretted purchase.
Last edited by arlen on Sun May 20, 2018 7:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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arlen
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john
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by john »

I can only speak for myself. All of my Renzo Beltramre knives have never disappointed me.
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DonC
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by DonC »

Like John, no complaints with any of my Renzo Beltrame knives. They've always been very nicely done.
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Luke_of_Mass
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by Luke_of_Mass »

Renzo Beltrame makes a beautiful stiletto, and any serious Beltrame collector should have at least 1 of his pieces in their stash to compliment the work of Frank and Armando. I haven't found many 11'' Renzo Beltrame knives, so I'd say whatever you got sounds like a real score.

From what I've heard through the grape vine, Renzo Beltrame mainly tends to produce/sell stiletto parts to guys like Frank and Armando Beltrame, making a limited amount of his own stilettos which trickle out through a few dealers who he happens to be friends with - Bernie, Alajon, Wackysharpboy and the fellow behind the sharperdeal websites are the ones I know of/have bought his stuff through in the past.

As far as I've found, Renzo Beltrame neither has his own website nor are his pieces sold through anybody from the Maniago crowd (3knives, SKM, F.lli Beltrame), so naturally if anyone who reads this thread has a reliable source for his pieces that I haven't mentioned here, please shoot me a PM about it! :D

Here's a few of my Renzo Beltrame pieces from a limited Brazilian Horn run contracted by Bernie/Folgore (they are the crown jewels of my Beltrame case):

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Hope you dig your new Renzo Beltrame piece, and be sure to share some pics when it arrives! :)
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JulesVane
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by JulesVane »

Great collection Luke. Really nice horn on those. The makers (and tang stamps) are still very confusing to me. I have pieces from sellers that deal directly and supposedly exclusively with Frank B. One piece is stamped FRANK B over ITALY, the other MADE over IN over ITALY. As Luke stated, if Renzo B creates parts for the other makers, it's hard to say who's knife it actually is. This only "matters" when someone is looking for a FRANK B, yet the blade is not stamped as such. Quality on both is fine, no issues. Question being: If Renzo produced the blade and Frank put it together, is it a Frank B, or Renzo (stamped: MADE IN ITALY), coming directly from Frank B? Again, doesn't matter (to me), just when someone requests one maker specifically. It's easier to just say they were made in Maniago lol.
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Luke_of_Mass
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by Luke_of_Mass »

Thanks Jules!

I haven't seen a knife stamped "MADE IN ITALY" that was said to be by Renzo Beltrame, but SKM knives bear this stamp most recently and according to some folks, Renzo makes Armando's 13 inch blades so... :roll:

But as I said in another post, even if someone else makes specific parts, I tend to be of the opinion that who puts the knives together is key to the identity of the knife itself - even while sharing parts with each other, you can tell a Frank from an Armando, from a Renzo, and vice versa. They each have their own little quirks - I often to point to the rogue pin to the right of the safety slot sticking up higher than the others as a key indicator of Renzo's work.

I've gotten a couple duds by Renzo, but then again I've gotten some from everyone else, too. It comes with the territory I guess :P
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JulesVane
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by JulesVane »

I'm sorry, I did neglect to mention mine were both 13" Stilettos. The White Perlex being the FRANK B over ITALY stamp. The Dark Imitation Horn stamped MADE over IN over ITALY. Possibly Luke can take a look at the dark imt. horn (sorry no close-up) and maybe identify the maker better. Thanks!

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arlen
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by arlen »

Received my Renzo Beltrame 28cm bayonet blade, swivel bolster, imitation pearl stiletto today. It is stamped "Stiletto" over "Italy". I purchased this stiletto from Adams International Knifeworks. It is a handsome knive. I will post some pictures whenever I get a chance.
Thanks to JulesVane for his input on this purchase.
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arlen
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JulesVane
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by JulesVane »

That's great arlen! Now, as you take a pic of your new piece, also take one of your wallet, as it will never look the same as it once did lol. You've caught "Stiletto Disease" lol. Welcome to the official club!
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arlen
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by arlen »

Chris, I am still in the research stage with switchblades. I have been acquainted with the collecting bug. I collected Luger 1900 American Eagle pistols for years. I had some pristine examples. They financed my two daughters through graduate school. i also collected hunting/training sporting dog books from the 19th century. I had quite the collection of 1st edition books. I have quite a few gun safes full of unique rifles and pistols.
I am fortunate to have an understanding wife.
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arlen
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Luke_of_Mass
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by Luke_of_Mass »

Jules, the white pearlex is definitely Renzo Beltrame - did you get the darker one from autoknife.com? He's the one saying Renzo makes all the blades for the 13 inch AB/SKM knives, then lists them as a straight-up Renzo Beltrame piece. This goes back to what constitutes the justification for assignment of credit for a given piece, ect. Not to mention taking whatever he says with a grain of salt...

I've never seen a Renzo Beltrame knife with an etched stamp, only "Stiletto Italy" or no stamp at all. But all SKM pieces I've come across that do not say INOX have an identical etched stamp just like that "MADE IN ITALY".

semi-unrelated, but notable: Frank Beltrame used "Stiletto Italy" in the '90s but it is easily differentiated from Renzo's in the picture below (Renzo is on the Left):

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JulesVane
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by JulesVane »

Thanks for the look & ID Luke! See? Confusing to me. The White Pearlex being stamped FRANK B, yet a Renzo. The Imt. Horn, that I thought possibly a Renzo came along with the White Pearlex a couple years ago from switch.rick who was also under the impression they both came from Frank's workbench. Again, this only comes into play when someone is looking to collect a certain maker and doesn't have the experienced eye in telling the difference (like I lack). I've heeded all warnings to refrain from the "auto knife" site. Regardless of the maker's of the two 13" examples, I was "lucky" that they are both in fine working and visual order for inexpensive pieces. The "Cottage Industry" reminds me of a neighbor asking to borrow a blade or scale, rather than a cup of sugar lol.
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Luke_of_Mass
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by Luke_of_Mass »

I didn't see the stamp up close for that white one, I thought it read "stiletto italy" :oops: tell me does the pin to the right of the safety slide stick up a bit? The blade has softer edges at the bayonet much like Renzo's pieces, maybe there's something to what JB said. SKM is the only maker where I've found 13 inch knives at prices comparable to that of a 9'' from the other guys.
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arlen
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by arlen »

Here are some amateur pics of my Renzo Beltrame.

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arlen
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JulesVane
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Re: Renzo Beltrame 28cm, bayonet, swivel bolster

Post by JulesVane »

Another beauty arlen! You sound happy and I'm so glad! You got me thinking about white pearlex enough to pay a visit to Walt's site last night. One less there than before lol. Congrats on yet another great choice and purchase arlen!
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