The Italian stiletto is the knife you see mostly in the older mafia and street gang
movies. Its the one the "bad guy" pulls out and flips open and then tries to stab
someone with. Since Hollywood movies put all those images into my head, for
me the Italian stiletto is the first knife that comes to my mind when I hear the
word "switchblade."
The Italian stiletto was produced primarily back in the 1940's and 1950's.
Having their origin from Italy and then imported into the U.S. where they were
stamped with names like LATAMA, EDWIN JAY, CORICAMA, MARIO
MARIO, FABICO, RAIMONDO, M. ITALY, E.I.G., to name just a few. The
mechanisms of the knives were built to support a "thrust" motion... a stab. They
did not lend themselves to the normal demands of the average pocket knife or
made for everyday cutting like a Case or Buck knife. The knife was designed
thin and sleak, just press a button for the immediate release of a long sharp blade
for self defense or intimidation.
You could say the Italian stilettos have a sadistic nature or intent. At least thats
what Hollywood gave to them (amazingly enough Hollywoods image of the knife
led to its dimize). They were quickly classed as the "hoodlums" weapon by the
public. The Italian stiletto is the knife that brought the ban on automatic knives in
1958, making them illegal to import from Italy. It is also the knife responsible for
making it illegal to carry a switchblade knife in most states today (check your
state for legalities on possession and collecting). Long before todays Tactical
auto's and hand made customs sat the sinister Italian stiletto........ the "Devil's
Advocate." You could say its the switchblade that started and has ended it all.
Me personally? I have NO intentions of using a stiletto for what it was made
for. Its history and the fact that its a vintage "violent weapon" give it a
WANT-SOME appeal. The acoustics they make when you press that button is
just way cool! And don't forget the INTIMIDATION FACTOR when you hit that
button! Its the very same reason why white color working professionals by
Harley's or Hot Rods....... its all about ATTITUDE.
I've collected them since I was a young kid. They are still my favorite knife.
Since the INTERNET has opened up and made information available so fast and
easily, I learned how to repair and customize them. I even restored the antique
ones professionaly for several well known antique stiletto dealers. Restore and
repair enough of them and you to would begin to notice a few of the flaws they
were built with by the Italian designers. For instance, most of the antique stilettos
never had heat treated blades, the lock ups weakened after many cycles, and the
springs were built entirely to strong for the soft brass liners. Ever wonder why
alot of the antique blades sit proud? Its because those strong carbon springs
would push the sear right into the brass, causing the sear to wear prematurely.
I've taken the classic design of the stiletto, removed those flaws and added a
few things that todays knife makers have improved upon since the mid nineteen
hundreds. Apprenticing underneath one of todays top custom knife makers,
JERRY RADOS, I've learned how to hammer forge those thick picklock tabs and
improve the Italian stilettos lock up by incorporating a slip joint mech.
Manipulating the original Italian design, my custom picklocks have a viscious
snap with wonderful acoustics that won't eventually destroy the knife with
repeated firing (these are a few things the vintage Italians never possessed). It is
a gratifying feel to fire a 5 1/2" hollow ground stiletto blade that nearly jumps
out of your hand......... metal music!
You won't find any CNC machines inside my shop. All of my hollow ground
knives are hand made and produced one at a time. I do all my own finishing,
grinding, polishing and heat treating. I also stand behind my work with a lifetime
guarantee under normal use (with the exception of natural scale materials like the
moving, shrinking, and cracking of ivory, horn, and others over the period of time
or extreme climate changes). I've received alot of influence "one-on-one" training
from world class custom makers like William McHenry, Reese Weiland, and
Jerry Rados. My Italian skills were fathered, developed and honed by Don Hall
(Merlin). I learned the art of hollow grinding under the tutoring of maker George
Cameron. I owe alot of gratitude and respect to the above mentioned and
appreciate the time they've taken to spend and share with me.
movies. Its the one the "bad guy" pulls out and flips open and then tries to stab
someone with. Since Hollywood movies put all those images into my head, for
me the Italian stiletto is the first knife that comes to my mind when I hear the
word "switchblade."
The Italian stiletto was produced primarily back in the 1940's and 1950's.
Having their origin from Italy and then imported into the U.S. where they were
stamped with names like LATAMA, EDWIN JAY, CORICAMA, MARIO
MARIO, FABICO, RAIMONDO, M. ITALY, E.I.G., to name just a few. The
mechanisms of the knives were built to support a "thrust" motion... a stab. They
did not lend themselves to the normal demands of the average pocket knife or
made for everyday cutting like a Case or Buck knife. The knife was designed
thin and sleak, just press a button for the immediate release of a long sharp blade
for self defense or intimidation.
You could say the Italian stilettos have a sadistic nature or intent. At least thats
what Hollywood gave to them (amazingly enough Hollywoods image of the knife
led to its dimize). They were quickly classed as the "hoodlums" weapon by the
public. The Italian stiletto is the knife that brought the ban on automatic knives in
1958, making them illegal to import from Italy. It is also the knife responsible for
making it illegal to carry a switchblade knife in most states today (check your
state for legalities on possession and collecting). Long before todays Tactical
auto's and hand made customs sat the sinister Italian stiletto........ the "Devil's
Advocate." You could say its the switchblade that started and has ended it all.
Me personally? I have NO intentions of using a stiletto for what it was made
for. Its history and the fact that its a vintage "violent weapon" give it a
WANT-SOME appeal. The acoustics they make when you press that button is
just way cool! And don't forget the INTIMIDATION FACTOR when you hit that
button! Its the very same reason why white color working professionals by
Harley's or Hot Rods....... its all about ATTITUDE.
I've collected them since I was a young kid. They are still my favorite knife.
Since the INTERNET has opened up and made information available so fast and
easily, I learned how to repair and customize them. I even restored the antique
ones professionaly for several well known antique stiletto dealers. Restore and
repair enough of them and you to would begin to notice a few of the flaws they
were built with by the Italian designers. For instance, most of the antique stilettos
never had heat treated blades, the lock ups weakened after many cycles, and the
springs were built entirely to strong for the soft brass liners. Ever wonder why
alot of the antique blades sit proud? Its because those strong carbon springs
would push the sear right into the brass, causing the sear to wear prematurely.
I've taken the classic design of the stiletto, removed those flaws and added a
few things that todays knife makers have improved upon since the mid nineteen
hundreds. Apprenticing underneath one of todays top custom knife makers,
JERRY RADOS, I've learned how to hammer forge those thick picklock tabs and
improve the Italian stilettos lock up by incorporating a slip joint mech.
Manipulating the original Italian design, my custom picklocks have a viscious
snap with wonderful acoustics that won't eventually destroy the knife with
repeated firing (these are a few things the vintage Italians never possessed). It is
a gratifying feel to fire a 5 1/2" hollow ground stiletto blade that nearly jumps
out of your hand......... metal music!
You won't find any CNC machines inside my shop. All of my hollow ground
knives are hand made and produced one at a time. I do all my own finishing,
grinding, polishing and heat treating. I also stand behind my work with a lifetime
guarantee under normal use (with the exception of natural scale materials like the
moving, shrinking, and cracking of ivory, horn, and others over the period of time
or extreme climate changes). I've received alot of influence "one-on-one" training
from world class custom makers like William McHenry, Reese Weiland, and
Jerry Rados. My Italian skills were fathered, developed and honed by Don Hall
(Merlin). I learned the art of hollow grinding under the tutoring of maker George
Cameron. I owe alot of gratitude and respect to the above mentioned and
appreciate the time they've taken to spend and share with me.
