Imperial candy stripe with broken spring

[Mario]

So I picked up an Imperial candy stripe knife with a broken spring yesterday for $25. There was no way I could pass it up for that price, whether it worked or not. The button and the safety function well. I cleaned it up yesterday and got some of the dirt and rust out of it with some vinegar and rubbing alcohol. I oiled it up with some mineral oil and stropped the blade. It has a helluva lot of side to side and up and down blade play, but I don’t want to risk messing it up by hammering it or putting it in my C clamp.

Next big project will be coming up with a replacement for the spring. Right now there’s a piece of broken spring stuck behind the pin inside that I can’t seem to get out with the tools I have. The needle nose pliers and tweezers I have are too big so I might need to get ones that are smaller. Once I finally pry that loose and have a clear path for a new spring, I was thinking of straightening and bending up a spring from my spring assortment or using a spring clip from a hair beret, which is a fix I saw someone do on one of these at one point. The piece of broken spring inside looks like it’s made from the same material.

Look forward to hearing any suggestions. Thank you!

[Bill DeShivs]

First, I suggest you understand how the knife works.
The spring is pinned in. To remove it, you have to remove the covers (handle halves.) Once you remove the pin holding it, the spring will drop out.
You can not tighten the blade unless you remove the covers.
Removing the covers is done by GENTLY bending the tabs at the front of the knife that hold them on. Do not bend these tabs any more than is absolutely necessary to clear the liners. Slide the cover off toward the rear of the knife, as there is a tab holding the rear on.
Make sure the repair is done correctly, as once you get the handles back on you will likely break the tab removing them a second time.

The second suggestion is have a pro do the repair unless you are willing to sacrifice the knife to your education.

[Mario]

So it will require more than simply slipping in a new spring? Okay. I may just leave it as is and try to find another one that works or I’ll send it somewhere to have a professional fix it. I wouldn’t feel comfortable prying it apart myself. I’d be worried about breaking something.

[Fishtail Picklock]

So it will require more than simply slipping in a new spring? Okay. I may just leave it as is and try to find another one that works or I’ll send it somewhere to have a professional fix it. I wouldn’t feel comfortable prying it apart myself. I’d be worried about breaking something.

Mario,
Send it to Bill and have the job done right.

[button_man]

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I have (2) of these Hammer candy-stripes: one has a broken tip but is otherwise pretty nice..... the other has quite a bit of rust in the blade channel,
will just barely stay closed, has blade peek, and the blade has been sharpened. Both of quite a bit of S2S and U&D blade movement when open.
Both are the slanted-stripe version.

I'm surprised at the recommendations for professional restoration -- I never thought that it would be worth the money to have anything done.
The broken-tip knife cost me $40 and I can't find records for the other one right now but it was so sketchy that I think I only paid $10 or so.
Are these really worth having them restored....???

On a somewhat related note: a flea contact of mine informed me yesterday that he has recently prurchased 60 (!!!) switchblades specifically because he knows that I am a serious collector and would be very interested. I asked about COO (country of origin) and he said that some are Italian but a lot of them are from Spain. If they are the little cheesy "tourist knives" then I assume that the current market value is pretty low, right? Maybe $25 or so...?
But I'm not familiar with much else from Spain; are there any knives (that are better) that I should be watching for?

The guy is supposed to contact me in another two weeks or so..... as you might imagine, I am counting the minutes.....

.

[jim d,]

button_man,

I totally agree with you about the Hammer candy stripes. I have a couple that, like you, I bought for next to nothing and view them as worth as little as a paid for them. Having written this, I realize that they are collectible to some. Perhaps it is analogous to Rizzys. Some years ago they were the subjects of ridicule, and sold for literally a few dollars. Then, despite their cheap materials and construction, they became collectible as they were the first switchblade for many who later became collectors. The nostalgia factor is at play and you have seen some of the prices they have commanded.

Keep us in the loop regarding the collection. Some decent leverlocks were (are?) made in Spain, as well as the tourist knives.

Jim

[button_man]

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jim ~ Yeah, and not only the Rizzies.... also those laughable "NATO Military" and "Super Automatic" OTFs!
Still, if I ever get a chance to recoup my fifty bucks out of the two Hammer knives, I'll sell them in a heartbeat.

Rest assured that I will create a new thread and post photos if/when I actually get my hands on anything out of this collection.
Supposedly they all came from one guy, who had them all rolled up in those fabric knife rolls. My contact doesn't know enough
about switchblades to tell whether they are old or not; and I take care not to educate others about my hobby.... the more they know,
the better they will be able to assign higher prices to whatever they find. So for now, I have no idea whether any of these knives are
70 years old or whether all of them were made last year. Stay tuned..........

.

[Mario]

Can’t wait to see the collection of Italian and Spanish switchblades you obtained, button man! Sounds cool!

As far as my Imperial Hammer Brand, it seems these knives weren’t really made to have the springs easily replaced. If it’s not truly worth going through the trouble to have restored, I guess I could always plaster a bunch of JB Weld down inside the bottom of the handle, stick a spring in and let it harden. LOL! But personally, I’ve been considering sending something to Bill at some point to have him restore. I’m sure I’ll find something that’s worth it at some point.

[Bill DeShivs]

The Imperial knives were cheaply constructed, but they were actually usable as knives-with properly ground and heat treated blades. Rizzutos and NATOs are really only novelties. If your Imperial is otherwise in good shape, having the spring replaced is worthwhile. It's impractical to completely restore the bad ones, unless they have sentimental value.
JB Weld won't hold a spring in place. The springs are easy to replace if you know what you are doing. The knives are easy to ruin if you don't.

[Killgar]

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I have (2) of these Hammer candy-stripes: one has a broken tip but is otherwise pretty nice..... the other has quite a bit of rust in the blade channel,
will just barely stay closed, has blade peek, and the blade has been sharpened. Both of quite a bit of S2S and U&D blade movement when open.
Both are the slanted-stripe version.

I'm surprised at the recommendations for professional restoration -- I never thought that it would be worth the money to have anything done.
The broken-tip knife cost me $40 and I can't find records for the other one right now but it was so sketchy that I think I only paid $10 or so.
Are these really worth having them restored....???

On a somewhat related note: a flea contact of mine informed me yesterday that he has recently prurchased 60 (!!!) switchblades specifically because he knows that I am a serious collector and would be very interested. I asked about COO (country of origin) and he said that some are Italian but a lot of them are from Spain. If they are the little cheesy "tourist knives" then I assume that the current market value is pretty low, right? Maybe $25 or so...?
But I'm not familiar with much else from Spain; are there any knives (that are better) that I should be watching for?

The guy is supposed to contact me in another two weeks or so..... as you might imagine, I am counting the minutes.....

.

In regards to what Spanish switchblades to be on the lookout for, the one that immediately comes to mind is the "Hellraiser" swing guard. Although they are junky knives, they tend to be highly sought after by collectors. At least they used to be. If you don't know what a "Hellraiser" swing guard looks like, do a search here on Talkblade for pics. It's the switchblade featured in the first "Hellraiser" movie, hence the name.

[button_man]

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Thanks Kilgar !! Yep, here is the thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14868&p=192383&hili ... er#p192383

Great design! As others have said, it would be fantastic if somebody (like Walt, maybe?) could arrange to have high-quality knives produced based on this (and other innovative designs). In the meantime, if I see ANY swinguards in the collection mentioned, you can bet that I will snap them up --if the price is right, of course. Speaking of which.... what is the approximate market value of one of these 'Hellraiser' pieces....?

Mario ~ I haven't obtained them YET...... the next twelve days are going to seem like twelve weeks......

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[Killgar]

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Thanks Kilgar !! Yep, here is the thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14868&p=192383&hili ... er#p192383

Great design! As others have said, it would be fantastic if somebody (like Walt, maybe?) could arrange to have high-quality knives produced based on this (and other innovative designs). In the meantime, if I see ANY swinguards in the collection mentioned, you can bet that I will snap them up --if the price is right, of course. Speaking of which.... what is the approximate market value of one of these 'Hellraiser' pieces....?

Mario ~ I haven't obtained them YET...... the next twelve days are going to seem like twelve weeks......

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I couldn't say what the current value of a "Hellraiser" is. Like any rare, collectable item the value is whatever people are willing to pay at any given time. But I remember a thread here from some years back where a person mentioned paying $750. for one. And I don't recall anyone saying that was a crazy price.

Being a foreign-made switchblade, produced after the US import ban, I doubt many made it into the US. Between that, and the fact that they are cheap, junky knives, it's unlikely that many have survived, making them rare. I assume that there are still people who want them, including people on this forum.

[Mario]

This evening, I thought, “What the heck have I got to lose?” and I took the damn Candy Stripe apart. The bottom tabs weren’t that hard to pry loose but the bottom bolsters got slightly deformed. Guess I can re-shape them with the pliers. Drilled the pin that holds the spring in out. Not sure what I use for a replacement spring. So far all the stuff I’ve tried has been a miserable failure. At least I got the thing taken apart without totally mangling the handles. I give myself credit for that.

[Mario]

Here’s a pic of what I’ve done. Boy this thing was rusty underneath! Sprayed it down with some WD40 and scrubbed it with a brush. Soaked it in a little vinegar afterwards. If you guys have anymore tips, I’d be happy to hear them. Keep in mind I’m still learning this stuff.

[Bill DeShivs]

There was no need at all to bend the rear tabs. You just bend the front tabs up, gently lift the handle from the front, and push it backwards.
Those handles are ruined.