"Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

A growing number of collectors customize their automatic knives by changing scales, bolsters, blades, doing fileworks, ... Wether you're a guru or just a wannabe knife modder, this is the place to discuss it!

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JulesVane
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"Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by JulesVane »

Hi Bill, and Happy New Year to all! Here's one of my last impulse buys of 2022 from a rather less than clear picture supplied by a seller. I must admit, I had hopes of a possible vintage Maltese Flatguard, but...too new, too clean, etc..Regardless of my disappointment, it's still a pretty knife in my opinion. My question: With these fully lined, maltese style bolsters, does that indicate someone had to start from the bottom up, as in change the entire brass liners? Or, did they just mangle an existing knife by making new bolsters? I guess I just don't know how they got brass lined with the rest of the knife. Though not well captured in the photos, the bottom bolsters seem a bit more oblong in length/shape than stock as well. There's no D cutouts and apparently only a 1-piece kick/backspring. Light scratch of ITALY left visible in the tang stamp. I hope these pics will help in your assessment of mangle or complete build. Thank you!

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"By accepting you as you are, I do not necessarily abandon all hope of your improving"- My Wife (1963-Present)
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Don't know. Whoever did it was pretty talented.
The pinning is sub standard, though.
Interesting they were able to grind the backspring down to remove the lines-but that comes with making it a picklock.
The liners and flat guard bolsters are new. The button and safety look to be nickel silver.
I'm going to say the blade and backspring are new factory parts, and the rest is rebuilt.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
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LD57
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by LD57 »

Bill:
Why is the pinning sub-standard? (honest question here).
What am I missing?
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Looks like the pin headss are not polished down. See if they catch on stuff.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
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Factory authorized repairs for:
Latama, Mauro Mario, LePre, Colonial, Kabar, Flylock, Schrade Cut Co., Presto, Press Button, Hubertus, Grafrath, Kuno Ritter knives, Puma, Burrell Cutlery.
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JulesVane
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by JulesVane »

Thanks for looking, Bill. The bolsters do really look well done. Hard for me to know what "original" is, in this case.
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"By accepting you as you are, I do not necessarily abandon all hope of your improving"- My Wife (1963-Present)
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Me, too.
It's well done-especially the bolsters.
Did you buy it as an antique?
PM me the seller, if you will.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
http://www.billdeshivs.com
Factory authorized repairs for:
Latama, Mauro Mario, LePre, Colonial, Kabar, Flylock, Schrade Cut Co., Presto, Press Button, Hubertus, Grafrath, Kuno Ritter knives, Puma, Burrell Cutlery.
rithvich
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by rithvich »

It's a nice knife. I swear I have seen it before. Is it an early Tony Sandoval? Back when he was a custom maker and mangler, before he became a faker? This one could have been in Jerry Skelton's collection.
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JulesVane
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by JulesVane »

rithvich wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 2:27 pm It's a nice knife. I swear I have seen it before. Is it an early Tony Sandoval? Back when he was a custom maker and mangler, before he became a faker? This one could have been in Jerry Skelton's collection.
Thank you for the input, it could prove very valuable. I've read both those names, but they were apparently before my time. I've probably only caught the negatives of Tony Sandoval, and will start looking into searching Jerry Skelton. Was/is he a good guy, or bad guy? :lol:
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Can you tell if the blade is stainless?
Is it a 9" knife?
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
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JulesVane
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by JulesVane »

Bill DeShivs wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 11:55 pm Can you tell if the blade is stainless?
Is it a 9" knife?
Bill, it appears to be 8.75" (I guess that counts as a 9"). No INOX or ROSTFREI on the blade, and otherwise, I can't tell if it's stainless.

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Highspeedsteel
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by Highspeedsteel »

There it is!
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by Bill DeShivs »

Are you familiar with "tabbed" brackets?
They work like a "D" stamp, but are peened into holes in the liner. You have to look closely, because they are peened flush with the inside of the liner. See if you can spot anything like that.
Also, can you get a well-lighted shot of the kickspring, near the rear of the knife?
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
http://www.billdeshivs.com
Factory authorized repairs for:
Latama, Mauro Mario, LePre, Colonial, Kabar, Flylock, Schrade Cut Co., Presto, Press Button, Hubertus, Grafrath, Kuno Ritter knives, Puma, Burrell Cutlery.
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JulesVane
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by JulesVane »

I'm really not seeing anything other than smooth brass liner and 1-piece spring. Looking very modern.

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"By accepting you as you are, I do not necessarily abandon all hope of your improving"- My Wife (1963-Present)
rithvich
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by rithvich »

The spring looks like it's dovetailed. That could be an original handle that's been taken apart and then a replacement blade put on the knife. I know I've discussed this knife with someone before, probably Charley.
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Re: "Maltese Mangle", Or Build?

Post by rithvich »

Jules...Jerry Skelton was one of the best. True southern gentlemen that loved high end knives. Spending time with him at the shows was always a highlight for me.
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