All About Pocket Knives

I hope my subject title is sufficiently intriguing. I imagine this is a post-Switchblade Act advertisement. According to the ad, this has no buttons, no springs, opens and closes with "lightening speed" and imported from Italy. Is this a basic Italian stiletto switchblade design converted to a gravity knife? That is what it sounds like to me, but I wonder what kind of locking mechanism it would have, if not a button. Unless it is just a switchblade and the ad is lying. Anyone here have an example of one of these in their collection?

It also says "Closes with Lightening Speed".
Very intriguing.
kj

Many of the post law knives were picklocks. While some automatic parts were used (bolsters) the manual knives did not have much in common with the previous autos. They were not gravity knives.
Later, many of these knives were lock backs.

Bill DeShivs wrote: ↑Mon Dec 07, 2020 4:31 am Many of the post law knives were picklocks. While some automatic parts were used (bolsters) the manual knives did not have much in common with the previous autos. They were not gravity knives.
Later, many of these knives were lock backs.

Thanks for the reply, Bill. So, if this was a non-auto picklock, would it not have had a back spring? Would the blade just swing freely when you lift the lock?

kootenay joe wrote: ↑Mon Dec 07, 2020 1:22 am It also says "Closes with Lightening Speed".
Very intriguing.
kj

It would be something other than intriguing if it closed with "lightning speed" on my fingers!! lol

Nephilim wrote: ↑Mon Dec 07, 2020 5:15 am

Bill DeShivs wrote: ↑Mon Dec 07, 2020 4:31 am Many of the post law knives were picklocks. While some automatic parts were used (bolsters) the manual knives did not have much in common with the previous autos. They were not gravity knives.
Later, many of these knives were lock backs.

Thanks for the reply, Bill. So, if this was a non-auto picklock, would it not have had a back spring? Would the blade just swing freely when you lift the lock?

Most had an extended blade tang that made the knife operate like a slip-joint, but it locked with the backspring.

Bill DeShivs wrote: ↑Mon Dec 07, 2020 4:31 am Many of the post law knives were picklocks. While some automatic parts were used (bolsters) the manual knives did not have much in common with the previous autos. They were not gravity knives.
Later, many of these knives were lock backs.

I don't understand how the blade could open and close with "lightening speed" if not powered by a spring ? A flipper on bearings can open very fast but as far as i know this is a fairly recent design mechanism.
kj

Well, I always assumed the ad copy to be hyperbole one way or the other. Maybe not on the level of "x-ray specs" but print adverts of the time were pretty bold with their claims.

The knives have a backspring to hold them closed.

Here are a few from my accumulation.Some of these have a fake button covering the hole for the real one and some do not. One has a fake spring loaded button.None of these have release tabs on the back spring;they all have to be closed(without,"lightning"speed)by inserting your thumbnail under the tab near the pivot. The two bladed model does not lock open but depends on spring pressure alone. The only one like it I've ever seen.

Ray, you have quite a collection of these so called "Stiletto's". Do they open by depressing one side of the guard ? Is this how the "Wolf Killer" on OP opens ?
kj

kootenay joe wrote: ↑Sat Dec 12, 2020 3:19 pm Ray, you have quite a collection of these so called "Stiletto's". Do they open by depressing one side of the guard ? Is this how the "Wolf Killer" on OP opens ?
kj

Roland;they open as does a regular knife;by inserting a thumbnail in the nick and pulling open. To close the blade requires inserting your thumbnail under the lock on the front and pulling up to release the blade.The later models used either a projection on the rear of the back spring to push down on and lift it up or rotating the side guard.The Wolf Killer ad is a bit deceptive in that I think they altered the original copy where it said,"Opens with lightning speed" to say ,"closes". Why they didn't just eliminate it altogether I don't know;maybe to keep the original balance of the copy and not leave any negative space in the ad.

Thank you Ray. Basically the ad is deceptive.
kj

kootenay joe wrote: ↑Sat Dec 12, 2020 5:48 pm Thank you Ray. Basically the ad is deceptive.
kj

And not quite accurate.It states that the handles are made of bone whereas they are actually horn.