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How to determine Italian stiletto bolster material?
Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 6:21 pm
by Dorsey
Hello,
I understand that Italian stilettos transitioned after the "golden age" from nickle-plated bolsters to stainless steel along with other transitional features. If the nickle-plated bolsters are steel, they'd be magnetic, but if they're plated brass or stainless, they won't be. Is there a reliable, non-destructive way to tell which is which?
Thanks for any and all help.
Dorsey
Re: How to determine Italian stiletto bolster material?
Posted: Sat May 24, 2025 8:08 pm
by Bill DeShivs
Your understanding is flawed.
Vintage stilettos used nickel silver bolsters, not nickel plated. Some very early knives used brass bolsters.
Some modern stilettos did use nickel plated steel.
Most stainless is magnetic, and most modern steel stiletto bolsters are not stainless-they are low carbon steel.
Learn to tell which is which by looking at examples. Once you know-it's easy.
Re: How to determine Italian stiletto bolster material?
Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2025 3:05 pm
by ManleyHermiston
If you could send a close up photo of the heel pad or a more detailed description I would be able to give a more appropriate answer, I'm starting to understand what you're talking about.
Re: How to determine Italian stiletto bolster material?
Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2025 3:16 pm
by CountryBoy77
Like Bill says its easy to tell once you know differences to look for, handling different examples will show you and some stainless is magnetic so thats not a way. I have also seen nickel plated brass on really old knives.
Re: How to determine Italian stiletto bolster material?
Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2025 5:51 pm
by Bill DeShivs
It's pretty difficult to see the differences in pictures-especially pictures of one item.
While I can set up and post pictures of several items of various finishes, it may not help you. While you may be able to spot the difference when the metals are pictured together, pictures and actual items may look different.
There is only a slight difference in coloration of: nickel silver, plain steel, nickel plating, chrome plating.
Most modern Italian stiletto bolsters are steel. Most pre-1970 models are nickel silver. Brass is obvious-usually.
Nickel silver is basically brass with added nickel content. Modern NS usually contains 18% nickel. There is no silver in nickel silver.
There are even different tints of nickel silver depending on the nickel content.
Re: How to determine Italian stiletto bolster material?
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2025 10:47 am
by Folgore1
pictures would help you alot so that you can learn the difference in the different materials they used , i will try help you out best i can i will post pictures in next few days so you can see first hand the difference in materials they used but here a little history on them. the older Italian stiletto knives from 1940's and 50's used nickel/silver bolsters and sometimes brass these knives you had to pick/pull the lock tabs to close , the transitionals (swivel bolster) from 1960's up to maybe early 70's had nickel/silver bolsters and around this time (late 60's ) is when they started to switch over to stainless steel for bolsters so some late 60's stiletto's had stainless bolsters but most had nickel/silver , nickel/silver is non-magnetic and stainless is magnetic a simple magnet test will tell you if its nickel/silver or stainless steel . almost all your modern stiletto knives from Italy since late 1960's have stainless steel bolsters not just regular steel. there were in fact few Italian makers who did plate regular steel like 1950's Coricamas some of their bolsters and liners were made with steel and then chrome plated ,steel lined coricamas are very hard to find and rare, coricama also made stiletto knives with brass liners and nickel/silver bolsters just like all the other Italian makers of the 1950's , i have examples of all these knives and can show you the differences
Re: How to determine Italian stiletto bolster material?
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2025 11:41 am
by BestVintageKnives
Folgore1 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 30, 2025 10:47 am
pictures would help you alot so that you can learn the difference in the different materials they used , i will try help you out best i can i will post pictures in next few days so you can see first hand the difference in materials they used but here a little history on them. the older Italian stiletto knives from 1940's and 50's used nickel/silver bolsters and sometimes brass these knives you had to pick/pull the lock tabs to close , the transitionals (swivel bolster) from 1960's up to maybe early 70's had nickel/silver bolsters and around this time (late 60's ) is when they started to switch over to stainless steel for bolsters so some late 60's stiletto's had stainless bolsters but most had nickel/silver , nickel/silver is non-magnetic and stainless is magnetic a simple magnet test will tell you if its nickel/silver or stainless steel . almost all your modern stiletto knives from Italy since late 1960's have stainless steel bolsters not just regular steel. there were in fact few Italian makers who did plate regular steel like 1950's Coricamas some of their bolsters and liners were made with steel and then chrome plated ,steel lined coricamas are very hard to find and rare, coricama also made stiletto knives with brass liners and nickel/silver bolsters just like all the other Italian makers of the 1950's , i have examples of all these knives and can show you the differences
Man you sure know your stuff! Can we see some of your treasures. Sound like you have some great knives.
Re: How to determine Italian stiletto bolster material?
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2025 5:10 pm
by Killgar
Just to add to the history of Italian stiletto bolster material- In the 1990's Frank Beltrame introduced solid plated zinc (Zamak) bolsters on his "Switch" line. But the "Switch" line knives are easily identified by the little brass screws used to attach the handle scales, as well as the short lock stem.
As far as "modern" Italian stilettos and nickel silver, the Campolins have been using nickel silver bolsters for quite awhile. Frank Beltrame used nickel silver bolsters on all of their pick-locks. Renzo Pascotto used/uses nickel silver bolsters, and all modern Latama stilettos have nickel silver bolsters.
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Re: How to determine Italian stiletto bolster material?
Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2025 5:55 pm
by BestVintageKnives
Killgar wrote: ↑Tue Sep 30, 2025 5:10 pm
Just to add to the history of Italian stiletto bolster material- In the 1990's Frank Beltrame introduced solid plated zinc (Zamak) bolsters on his "Switch" line. But the "Switch" line knives are easily identified by the little brass screws used to attach the handle scales, as well as the short lock stem.
As far as "modern" Italian stilettos and nickel silver, the Campolins have been using nickel silver bolsters for quite awhile. Frank Beltrame used nickel silver bolsters on all of their pick-locks. Renzo Pascotto used/uses nickel silver bolsters, and all modern Latama stilettos have nickel silver bolsters.
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I think he asked about vintage not modern