UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

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jim d,
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by jim d, »

button_man,

They are fairly common.

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whippersnapper
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by whippersnapper »

Yes it is most common and deliberately done on the Herbertz stilettos. I have also owned them that were stamped Molleto.
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by Bill DeShivs »

German law specified a specific handle to blade size ratio.
It was not done for aesthetics.
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by button_man »

.

I had never heard that a ratio was legally mandated -- ! Very interesting.... thanks to all.... perhaps some kind soul could
take a quick detour over to 'Blade Pictures' and shed a little light on an old Italian (manual, alas) picklock that I just got this morning......
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by jim d, »

button_man,

You may also see it with Hubertus leverlocks. Older ones of a given size (11cm provides a distinct visual) have much narrower blades.

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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by Panzerfaust »

Bill DeShivs wrote: Thu Jul 15, 2021 6:03 pm German law specified a specific handle to blade size ratio.
It was not done for aesthetics.
Eight-inch stilettos are legal in Germany and I think they just decided to put a short blade in the handle made for a 9-inch knife in case someone wanted a longer handle.
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by button_man »

.

"German law specified a specific handle to blade size ratio."

If this requirement resulted in a blade being installed in an oversize handle, then why are German leverlocks proportionate?
Shouldn't this law force ALL knives for sale in Germany to have blades put into oversize handles also?
My "Baron" and "Schloß" knives (which I believe were made for domestic sale in Germany) don't have oversize handles -- see photos --

For some reason, I don't seem to be grasping whatever is going on with the mismatched blade/handle scenario.....
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by Bill DeShivs »

I don't pretend to understand the German law, but it's common knowledge that these short bladed knives were made to comply with it.

I don't know why the lever locks seem more proportionate.

BTW- your 2 lever locks may have been sold in Germany, but they were made in Italy.
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by Luke_of_Mass »

My assumption is that during the 80s and 90s when a lot of German market stilettos were made, not a ton of 8'' stilettos were being made to begin with, if you think about it most modern stuff to this day is 9 and 11 inches. Of course there are outliers and gimmicks that are larger and also miniscule but those are a minority and production doesn't seem very regular.

So it would make sense for producers to, rather than re-tool to produce a more obscure size for moderns, just continue with 9 inch production and put a different blade on it. no need to cast smaller bolsters, produce thinner scales, the whole 9 yards.

Again - Just an assumption
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Certainly, 8" knives were common in the 80s and 90s.
If the Italians had blades for 8" knives, why wouldn't they have the handles, too?
Strangely, 8" stilettos don't appear to have been sold in Germany during that time frame. Off the top of my head, I don't remember any other than those sold for export. Look at and read the Crowley Cutlery catalogs on my web site. There is reference to the restrictive law there.
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by jim d, »

I made a reference to the difference in blades on 11 cm Hubertus knives in a previous post on this thread. Here is the visual.

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Panzerfaust
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by Panzerfaust »

Bill DeShivs wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 5:58 pm Certainly, 8" knives were common in the 80s and 90s.
If the Italians had blades for 8" knives, why wouldn't they have the handles, too?
Strangely, 8" stilettos don't appear to have been sold in Germany during that time frame. Off the top of my head, I don't remember any other than those sold for export. Look at and read the Crowley Cutlery catalogs on my web site. There is reference to the restrictive law there.
I bought two eight-inch stilettos in Germany in 1991 so they were available during that time frame. I do not know if they are still sold there and I didn't come across any switchblades during my last visit to Germany in 2015.
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by frank2104 »

Those leverlocks may have been made by massaro.some tang stamps say GOM
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by JulesVane »

This Italian made for Germany blade to handle ratio would only involve the maximum sized knives of 8.25"? I mean, a 7" Italian stiletto switchblade intended for Germany wouldn't require a shorter blade to handle ratio, correct?
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Re: UNUSUAL FINDS at the flea -- Group A

Post by Bill DeShivs »

I don't know.
I do know the law was complicated.
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