Prioletta Retrospective
Moderators: tr4252, The Motley Crew
Forum rules
There are a few things you should know before posting in these forums. If you are a new user, please click here and read carefully. Thanks a lot!
There are a few things you should know before posting in these forums. If you are a new user, please click here and read carefully. Thanks a lot!
- ILikeStilettos
- Posts: 1576
- Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 3:36 pm
- Location: Norman, Oklahoma, USA
- Contact:
Prioletta Retrospective
In the beginning, April, 2015, there was Lelle Floris and this 14" monster from Cagliari, Italy. It was my first Sardinian knife, which I later learned is more properly called a Molise Prioletta. Molise is the area these come from, and Senior Prioletta was a famous builder of these deadly art pieces. It has a ton of pins including a blade stop, a huge pivot, no safety, bottomless, picklock. While this is a reproduction, it represents our starting point on this journey.
In July of 2015, and after that first hit, I wanted more of the drug. Luckily, the phenominal Renzo Pascotto had built twenty-odd prototypes in two sizes and after many back room deals, bribes, and an effort to make my collection GREAT again, I got these two beauties. The 10" Frosolone grind was the only one available with a bottom bolster and the 14" was the only nickel-silver dagger offered.
Then I REALLY went on a bender! In August, 2015, I recruited Straydog to mangle some Frank B. 11" swingers into a pair of pseudo-priolettas. Like all of Ron's knives they came out beautiful, but no amount of shiny abalone acrylic or handsomely wrought nickel-silver was going to give me the high I was craving. One is a bayonet, and the other is a semi-dagger (or extended bayonet, if you prefer that terminology.) They're still lockbacks, but they no longer have swinging guards. They're more Prioletta homage than Prioletta.
And after that hit wore off, there was nothing left to do but to go to the modern master. It took a while for Lucio to chase down the perfect set of Brazilian scales, but it all came together in November, 2015, with this Havlin masterpiece. It's a 14" picklock, with swedges on both sides. Pat wasn't wild about the idea, but he allowed my craziness to reign. He built it with a cool football shaped safety.
Now this has been an interesting road trip, dear friends, and you are probably asking yourselves, "Where is he going with all this?" The point is I have tried to add every possible modern rendition of the Prioletta to my collection. However, none have given me my ultimate high. I always wondered, where would the Prioletta be if it had continued to evolve and pass through that era of juvenile delinquents and West Side Story. You may very well ask that ... but watch this space.
In July of 2015, and after that first hit, I wanted more of the drug. Luckily, the phenominal Renzo Pascotto had built twenty-odd prototypes in two sizes and after many back room deals, bribes, and an effort to make my collection GREAT again, I got these two beauties. The 10" Frosolone grind was the only one available with a bottom bolster and the 14" was the only nickel-silver dagger offered.
Then I REALLY went on a bender! In August, 2015, I recruited Straydog to mangle some Frank B. 11" swingers into a pair of pseudo-priolettas. Like all of Ron's knives they came out beautiful, but no amount of shiny abalone acrylic or handsomely wrought nickel-silver was going to give me the high I was craving. One is a bayonet, and the other is a semi-dagger (or extended bayonet, if you prefer that terminology.) They're still lockbacks, but they no longer have swinging guards. They're more Prioletta homage than Prioletta.
And after that hit wore off, there was nothing left to do but to go to the modern master. It took a while for Lucio to chase down the perfect set of Brazilian scales, but it all came together in November, 2015, with this Havlin masterpiece. It's a 14" picklock, with swedges on both sides. Pat wasn't wild about the idea, but he allowed my craziness to reign. He built it with a cool football shaped safety.
Now this has been an interesting road trip, dear friends, and you are probably asking yourselves, "Where is he going with all this?" The point is I have tried to add every possible modern rendition of the Prioletta to my collection. However, none have given me my ultimate high. I always wondered, where would the Prioletta be if it had continued to evolve and pass through that era of juvenile delinquents and West Side Story. You may very well ask that ... but watch this space.
Dave Sause
oldandfat@cox.net
(405) 694-3690
"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"
"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
oldandfat@cox.net
(405) 694-3690
"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"
"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
- whippersnapper
- Posts: 8395
- Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 12:39 pm
- Location: Michigan
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
Just an awesome group, Dave!
- ILikeStilettos
- Posts: 1576
- Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 3:36 pm
- Location: Norman, Oklahoma, USA
- Contact:
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
Thank you, Terry.whippersnapper wrote:Just an awesome group, Dave!
Dave Sause
oldandfat@cox.net
(405) 694-3690
"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"
"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
oldandfat@cox.net
(405) 694-3690
"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"
"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
Good luck on your search for the ""ultimate high". We look forward to your upcoming Indiana Jones like installments.
DonC
DonC
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
Those are Amazing knives dave,that dagger blade w no bottom bolster is especially beautiful,.the smaller one is something too!! Its like comparing victoria secrect models!! Thanks for shareing!!
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
I agree here Lance
These are staggering knives.
I love the picklock pat best ,its just so sleek and mean with beautifulky chosen horn ,and 14" in length to top it all off.
Id be proud to own any one of these beauties.
Thanks for sharing these knives and Keep em coming as i learn each time from these informative posts.
Ian
These are staggering knives.
I love the picklock pat best ,its just so sleek and mean with beautifulky chosen horn ,and 14" in length to top it all off.
Id be proud to own any one of these beauties.
Thanks for sharing these knives and Keep em coming as i learn each time from these informative posts.
Ian
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
Wow, no words for how amazing these knives are.
Ron's work continues to blow me away.
Ron's work continues to blow me away.
- ILikeStilettos
- Posts: 1576
- Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 3:36 pm
- Location: Norman, Oklahoma, USA
- Contact:
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
Thank you, gentlemen. Please note that the Sardinian, the big Renzo and Pat's knife are all 14's, 35 cm, it seems to be a tradition for Priolettas. That's not to take anything away from Ron, he had to work with what I provided.
Dave Sause
oldandfat@cox.net
(405) 694-3690
"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"
"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
oldandfat@cox.net
(405) 694-3690
"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"
"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
In the first four pics do the scale pins have full brass tube sleeves? Also I love the detail of the rim around the main pivot pin.
Rustic metal etching yet incredible overkill on other aspects. Pure knife art. Again wow, superb old world and the pyramid file work is stellar.
Gotta give that knife my highest rating, no amount of polishing and perfection can top that almost primitive finish on the Sardinian.
Cheers Dave, you've outdone yourself, with that one you can say your collection is complete- the epitome of switchblade bad-assery.
Intense people the Sardinians.
Rustic metal etching yet incredible overkill on other aspects. Pure knife art. Again wow, superb old world and the pyramid file work is stellar.
Gotta give that knife my highest rating, no amount of polishing and perfection can top that almost primitive finish on the Sardinian.
Cheers Dave, you've outdone yourself, with that one you can say your collection is complete- the epitome of switchblade bad-assery.
Intense people the Sardinians.
- Attachments
-
- Sardinian p.jpg (231.1 KiB) Viewed 8929 times
-
- Sardinian_woman.jpg (224.86 KiB) Viewed 8929 times
-
- sardinians sardinian people woman (3).jpg (73.2 KiB) Viewed 8929 times
-
- sardinians.jpg (120.68 KiB) Viewed 8929 times
- ILikeStilettos
- Posts: 1576
- Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 3:36 pm
- Location: Norman, Oklahoma, USA
- Contact:
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
Thank you, Dave, for your kind words and detailed response.Viking45 wrote:In the first four pics do the scale pins have full brass tube sleeves? Also I love the detail of the rim around the main pivot pin.
Rustic metal etching yet incredible overkill on other aspects. Pure knife art. Again wow, superb old world and the pyramid file work is stellar.
Gotta give that knife my highest rating, no amount of polishing and perfection can top that almost primitive finish on the Sardinian.
I'm not sure what you mean by "full" brass tubes. There are brass tubes around many pins on both the Sardinian and Pascotto varieties and I sometimes think this is functional and not just ornamental. The scales are very thin, so the tube may act to remove stress from the scales that would lead to cracking and splitting. When the pins are peened, the pressure is absorbed by the tube and not the brittle scale - just a thought.
The rim around the main pin is mostly ornamental, but it is a heavier pin than on most moderns. To me this makes more design sense than a roller bearing or some of the other things I have seen.
The blade is not etched that way, it's almost like it is forged into shape and only the bottom part has any shine at all, because they ground an edge on to it. Once it was smooth and SHARP, they quit, no pretty boy polish here. The blade is not real fast, but it is definitely going to open and lock. I was sitting behind my desk with my ample gut in repose when I fired it one day. The problem was I didn't have the knife at a perfect 90° to my body and I felt it tug my t-shirt as it went by. Not only did I put a 1-1/2" slash in the shirt, but I put a nice big scratch on me. It wasn't deep, but it was cleanly cut and the blade never hesitated a bit.
The rest of the knife looks like black Parkerized, the finish you see on military fire arms. I don't know about bad-assery, but this thing is total seriousness. There is a certain coolness about something made the REALLY old way, 4 through pins, not 3 and another 5 pins to hold things together. Renzo only got rid of one pin, but he added that shouldered bolster and polished it beautifully. Pat's is definitely another generation as the species improves by natural selection.
There is a very interesting book, The Sicilian Blade, by Vito Quattrochi - it's about how to fight with a stiletto, and why stiletto's in the first place. While it's not about Sardinian's per se, it seems to describe the particular outlook of these uniquely self-reliant and honor-bound people. You don't mess with these guys, because they definitely won't take a joke.Viking45 wrote:Intense people the Sardinians.
Dave Sause
oldandfat@cox.net
(405) 694-3690
"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"
"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
oldandfat@cox.net
(405) 694-3690
"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"
"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
....Yet more reasons why your collection has to be one of the finest out there.
Congrats, Dave!
Congrats, Dave!
- ILikeStilettos
- Posts: 1576
- Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 3:36 pm
- Location: Norman, Oklahoma, USA
- Contact:
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
My, what a nice compliment!omega wrote:....Yet more reasons why your collection has to be one of the finest out there.
Congrats, Dave!
Dave Sause
oldandfat@cox.net
(405) 694-3690
"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"
"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
oldandfat@cox.net
(405) 694-3690
"And you're telling me this because, somehow, I look like I give a shit?"
"Let a smile be your umbrella and you're gonna get your dumb ass wet."
- natcherly
- Connoisseur dei Coltelli
- Posts: 6340
- Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 3:59 pm
- Location: Baghdad by the Bay
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
For an old, fat guy, you have some very nice knives, said another old, fat guy. Great stuff....
I only have one "Prioletta" made by Renzo the Magnificent. They are really hefty pieces.
I only have one "Prioletta" made by Renzo the Magnificent. They are really hefty pieces.
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
Those are incredible! Probably the most menacing looking designs I've ever seen. So cool!!!
-
- Posts: 4038
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2016 7:18 pm
- Location: Indiana
Re: Prioletta Retrospective
They don't look menacing to me, more like a piece of rare art. Looking at the barrel of a 44 from the business end, that's menacing!!!
2024 candidate for president