Need help identifying swing guard swicthblade.

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j_vincenzes
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2019 7:34 pm

Need help identifying swing guard swicthblade.

Post by j_vincenzes »

Hi everyone,

I am new to this site, so if there is something that I should have included and/or done and didn't please let me know. I choose this site because it appears there are a lot of people who know what they are talking about and are easy going when explaining things.

Now for the main attraction:

While going through my deceased grandparents attic we came across a swing guard switchblade that nobody remembers my grandfather having. Amazing what can be found in these old attics. I cannot find any kind of markings that would suggest a particular maker.

When you look at the pictures you will see that the blade is longer than the handle when closed! Odd in my book. The handle does fit my hand but barely.

It is pretty beat up but I plan on trying to sharpen it and put new pins in as some are loose and/or missing. It actually looks as though someone may have tried to replace some of the pins in the past. It does not lock closed at this time and I am not sure why. Maybe it actually is not a switchblade. There is a button that needs to be pressed to close it.

If there is any additional info needed to come to a conclusion, let me know and I will try to get the info.

Anyway, it would be greatly appreciated if someone can shed some light on the maker of this knife, what country it may have come from and the approximate date.

Thanks,
Jody
Attachments
With sheath.  Need rubber band to keep closed.
With sheath. Need rubber band to keep closed.
DSCN1851.JPG
Middle pin is button to open/close blade.
Middle pin is button to open/close blade.
samb1955
Posts: 1670
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2018 7:47 pm
Location: Indiana

Re: Need help identifying swing guard swicthblade.

Post by samb1955 »

Never saw one before. Does it open automaticly when you posh the button? Appears to be pretty old and I've seen similar knives with a lever opener on them but they were much larger. Great find though.
Gunsil
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Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2014 5:25 pm
Location: Lower Hudson River valley, N.Y.

Re: Need help identifying swing guard swicthblade.

Post by Gunsil »

The knife is not a switchblade. It is an expandable blade knife most likely made in India in the 1950s. This type of knife was supposedly invented by an Admiral D'Estaing in the late 1700s and they have been made in many countries.
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j_vincenzes
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2019 7:34 pm

Re: Need help identifying swing guard swicthblade.

Post by j_vincenzes »

Samb1955: At the current time it opens by itself. I need the rubber band on it because it does not stay closed. I think it is supposed to stay closed until the button is pushed but I cannot verify that. I would like to take it apart and try to repair it but it may not be in the near future. We will see.

Gunsil: Why is it called an expandable blade? Is it because the blade sticks out the back of the handle until opened?

Thanks to both of you.

Jody
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Need help identifying swing guard swicthblade.

Post by Bill DeShivs »

It is an automatic. They have very weak coil springs.
My bet is they were made in Spain, but India is a possibility.
Unless you are very experienced at working on knives, I don't recommend trying to repair it yourself.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler

Factory authorized repair for:
Latama
Mauro Mario
LePre
Colonial
KABAR
Hubertus, Grafrath, Ritter
Schrade Cut. Co., Geo Schrade, Pressbutton, Flylock
Falcon/AKC/AGA Campolin
Puma
Burrell Cutlery
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