Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

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MarkR
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Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2022 1:37 am

Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by MarkR »

Hello, new member here and need some help on this knife . It's a 11" frank beltrame stiletto. It was sold to me as a pick lock but when I received the knife the bolster on the button side looks like a swivel bolster. The bolster won't move at all it solid. And to close the blade you have to raise the picklock. My question is did frank b make suck a knife or is this a modification made to it.
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MarkR
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by MarkR »

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JulesVane
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by JulesVane »

Took me a bit to figure out it wasn't a left-handed knife :-)
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MarkR
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by MarkR »

The knife is beautiful, no liner gap on the brass and the honey horn is very nice. It has stainless bolsters . This is not a limited edition knife. I had a hard time getting pics sized down to load so I lost some detail in the picture. I had to use the front camera ( selfie camera) to get pixel size down low enough. I guess that's why the pics look backwards lol
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by Bill DeShivs »

It's a bolster release knife. If the bolster won't move, there is something wrong with it.
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NorthCarolinaDude
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by NorthCarolinaDude »

I have both a Frank B pick as well as a swivel bolster...actually, lots of swivel bolsters. I wish I had more of his picklocks. I think I just have 2 picklocks in horn, a 9 and an 11. It does look like a swivel model as Bill noted, but it's a nice one. Looks tight and straight. But I notice the curvature in the horn and less of a flaring on the lock tab sides which usually means swivel bolster. That said, I have a couple of other picklocks that have less pronounced tabs and have also seen picklocks that I'd swear the scales were cut for a swivel bolster. It's not hard to see an assembler doing just that depending upon what they may have available.

Sorry, I know this isn't very helpful. But you've got a good looking knife!

Also worth noting, last year I bought a used swivel bolster that was being marketed as a picklock on the company's website. The price was fair, and it had some features I was looking for at the time...primarily the Rostfrei stamp on a nearly 8 inch stag made for the German market. Anyhow, I thought at the time that maybe the seller really did believe it was a "picklock" and was just one of those cats who's logic is that the swivel raises the lock-tab picking the lock. It's almost as though there's a segment of folks who believe there are two types, lock-backs and picklocks, and that a swiveling bolster is just a type of picklock. I'm just trying to give the seller the benefit of the doubt instead of writing it up as they were intentionally misrepresenting the knife.

Now, of course a swivel bolster isn't a picklock but if you think about it people who have less experience may not notice that distinction.

Nevertheless, now I'm curious as to what's going on with the knife. Did somebody peg that swivel somewhere along the line? I've seen "converted" picklocks where just that is done. It becomes a picklock once a mangler does this sort of "conversion", obviously to make the knife more attractive since so many hold the picklock in high regard. Hell, I'd have a few more of Frank B's picklocks if I could find them but that's just the issue, everybody wants a picklock, swivel bolsters are for the casual stiletto fans. :D Joking, of course.

Please update us if you get to the bottom of this mystery! Was it "converted", jammed or broken?? And again, it really does look like a nice example!

Peace. Scott.
MarkR
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by MarkR »

The bolster won't move at all even pushing pretty hard. I have a Frank B 11" with a kriss blade and it's smooth and easy to move the bolster. The only pics I see on the internet on picklocks show left and right top bolsters looking the same shape. This knife looks like a swivel bolster on one side. 'm looking for glue or maybe someone pinned it . I might send it back to Arizona knife.
MarkR
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by MarkR »

Here is another picture when I first saw this knife
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LD57
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by LD57 »

The bolsters look solid, is that right?
MarkR
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by MarkR »

The bolsters are hollow stainless
MarkR
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by MarkR »

Well I found someone glued the swivel bolster down at the base , that's why it won't swivel and they are calling it a picklock. Trying to get a refund now. Thanks guys for all your help. I have some close up shots of glue but file size is to large to load here
Erik131065
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by Erik131065 »

It's the newer line of Beltrame knives according to the hole completely going through the blade. They are invented and made by Frank's son. I think Frank is giving all his efforts to the Walt picklocks now. Your knife isn't that old but very wel made to my opinion with a very good snap to it. There must be a thread here where his son talks about his new design.
sammy the blade
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by sammy the blade »

From the look of the scale and bolster I gotta say picklock.
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whippersnapper
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by whippersnapper »

sammy the blade wrote: Sun Nov 06, 2022 3:26 pm From the look of the scale and bolster I gotta say picklock.
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MarkR
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Re: Help on id a frank b 11 stiletto

Post by MarkR »

A update on this ,the knife was a swivel bolster that some one glued down the bolster with hot glue from the inside .it was listed as a picklock at Arizona custom knife. I sent it back and got a refund for the knife I did have to eat the shipping both ways though. picklocks have the same shape bolster on both sides but on a swivel bolster it's shorter on that side. Thanks Bill on the help to i.d this
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