23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

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Corvus
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23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by Corvus »

Hey guys. I'm hoping the experts here can shed some light on this B.Svobody. The carbon steel blade and backspring have obviously been cleaned with metal polish at some point, but the kick spring looks pristine. I'm pretty sure the knife hasn't been apart, but the drop-in spring is either stainless, a nicely-finish replacement, or it just miraculously aged at a different rate than the rest of the steel.

I believe the scales and brass pins are original. They certainly look sufficiently aged, and I've seen quite a few wood-handled stilettos with more or less flush pins. Any idea what kind of wood this might be? The seller thought it was cherry, and it sure look like it, but I dunno which reddish woods were used on older Italian knives.

Any idea as to the approximate birth date? I'm guessing late '50s based on the carbon steel swedge blade.

How about that hole at the top of the safety slot? I assume it's a pilot hole. I don't recall seeing a B.Svobody with a red dot, but what do I know?

Anyway, it's a well-built knife; straight, tight, and wobble-free. Pretty beefy in the spring department, too (4mm).

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JulesVane
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by JulesVane »

Really nice Rick! I can't provide much info on it, other than I've read B Svobody is the European spelling of B Svoboda. But, I sure know a good looking piece when I see it. Nice!
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Probably juniper wood.
It's unusual to see it on a knife with a flat-ground blade. I'm sure it's original, and not a rescale.

You are correct- the hole in the safety slot is a pilot hole for sawing the slot with a jeweler's saw. It didn't have a red dot.
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Corvus
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by Corvus »

Thanks, guys. I'm pretty sure that Chris knows where this one came from. I've had very good luck with the seller as far as vintage knives are concerned.

Bill, any thoughts on the kick spring? Do these drop-in/two-piece jobs literally just drop-in with no disassembly required? The pic may not capture it, but the spring looks brand spankin' new and basically has a satin finish.
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texans123
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by texans123 »

Very nice vintage Italian auto!
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JimBrown257
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by JimBrown257 »

That is incredibly rare to see a vintage pl with original wood scales.

That does look like a new (or cleaned more than the rest) kickspring. That could have been done just by removing one of the backspring pins.

And I've noticed that most of the picklocks with swedge blades have the B. Svoboda stamp.
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Generally, these springs don't "drop in." Sometimes, they can come out. It looks like someone just stuck a spring in. If so, it should easily come right out. It appears that the backspring pin MAY have been removed. Either way- the spring looks to have been replaced.
Juniper wood scales are not uncommon on older Coricama-type picklocks with steel liners and chromed bolsters.
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JimBrown257
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by JimBrown257 »

Is that one of the ones that has the external rocker holder or does it have normal D-stamps?
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Corvus
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by Corvus »

D-stamps (and a closer look at the spring).

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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Spring is definitely not original.
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boblees812
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by boblees812 »

The spring looks like it has been replaced ,, still looks like great knife . Thanks for posting
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Corvus
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by Corvus »

Thanks for the info and comments, guys.
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JimBrown257
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by JimBrown257 »

Is that a round spring?
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by sammy the blade »

Looks round to me, maybe someone made a replacement when the original spring broke. I've never seen a round kick spring.
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Corvus
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Re: 23cm B.Svobody Picklock in Cherry(?) Wood

Post by Corvus »

Nah, it's flat, but it does have a subtle radius and a nice satin finish. Far as I can tell, it was either upcycled from another knife or someone put a little extra effort into the fit and finish when they made the replacement. It kicks a bit hard for my tastes, but it gets the job done. Pretty sure it's stainless, judging by the silvery shade. Carbon steel tends to look grey-ish when they're compared side-by-side.
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