Sa Pattadesa & other sardinian knives

[jon_slider]

The knife above is not a Sardinian resolza;

Yes, the knife is not traditional, but it has one feature that is traditional, the point sticks out past the handle. This was the only part of the knife I was curious about, in relation to tearing up a pocket. Thanks for the European cultural lessons, I really enjoy threads like this one.

(humor)Thanks for letting me know that in Sardignia, men are men, their hands are leather, and their pockets are too (/humor)

 

[quattromori]

Yes, the "protruding tip" feature is something that always caught my attention as well...it's a sort of old style one hand opening
Nowadays, to be honest, most resolzas are made without this feature, unless the buyer asks for it. My father owns many knives in this pattern, and only one has the protruding tip, which is usually more towards the center of the end of the handle (not sure I'm making myself clear), compared to the knife in the picture. Personally, I don't care about it very much, but just like Jon I think it's an interesting feature, and something that I have never seen on any other traditional pattern.
As for Sardinian men, considering the vast number of shepherds here, it's not easy to find leather hands actually

Fausto

 

[Âchillepattada]

Hello everybody ,

About this traditional and historical specification ( the "protruding tip" ) : of course it's not anymore necessary. But as a passionate of historical sardinian cutlery I'm very attached to theses things who link the tool and its origins.
Asking it to my knife-maker is also to me a way to help the tradition live.

Â

 

[Âchillepattada]

Hello ,

Two more ;-)
One small from Andrea Melis, with a horseshoe handle:




Another bigger from my friend Davide Steri with a mouflon horn handle :













I would like to show you two beautifull creations from my friend Roberto Serra .
It's not a pattadesa but it has been inspired by another traditional sardinian knife : sa logudoresa .
Both are small knives with a 8.5 cm blade. One has a liner-lock system and the other has another security sistem but I don't know its name in English.

Enjoy

 

[Gevonovich]

Masterful knives. I am falling in love with these beautiful knives. Its like watching a lineup of Enzo Ferrari creations

 

[jon_slider]

Thank you for posting all the beautiful pictures.

Could you show us a photo of the the lever on top of the blade pivot please. Does it lift to unlock?

relatives?:
Spanish Navaja 1891, similar blade shape to Resolzas Pattadesas Logurense

My GoogleFu says:
Resolza means folding knife.
Pattada is a Village in the "State" of Logudoro

here are some parts for a version of a Resolza made in Pattada

It seems this knife has a back spring. Help me understand. Are there Resolzas that are friction folders with no back spring, or is that not a spring? Forgive my ignorance.

The Spanish navaja started out as a friction folder, like an opinel, with no back spring. Then they developed a back spring, after which they developed a lock at the pivot. Do Resolzas follow similar evolution?

Google says:
"According to the tradition the origin of Pattada handmade knife is attributed to the brothers Mimmia (Giovanni in Sardinian language) and Giuseppe Bellu. Betwwn the 19th and the 20th century they gave birth to “Sa Resolza” as it is known today.
Pattada, a village in “Logudoro” in the centre of Sardinia…"

 

[quattromori]

Ok, so a little extra info for Jon and anyone else
First, that thing is not a backspring: it has no tension. It's called "arch" and only acts as spine for the handle, between the two scales; some resolzas are built on a single piece of horn in what is called "monolythic construction".
Unlike Spanish navajas (which obviously share some ancestor, but had a different evolution, so to speak), traditional Sardinian knives are always friction folders. The one pictured by Achille and reposted by Jon is a sort of modern take or hybrid which has exactly the same lock/backspring seen on modern navajas (it lifts to unlock), but it's quite a drift from tradition (some young knifemakers here like to experiment such changes from the traditional pattern, and I do appreciate it, although personally I tend to prefer the "real thing" ).
Resolza actually means "folder", and these knives were born two centuries ago in a region of Sardinia named Logudoro (actually, Pattada is not exactly in Logudoro, but I'm not going to bore you with details of Sardinian geography). Before that, Sardinian shepherds used to carry a fixed blade knife with a similar blade shape, just a little longer, named leppa (but that's another story).
Now, some pictures to contribute to the thread. First is about the "extended tip" used for one hand opening. Unless you look very carefully, you can't really see the tip of the knife protruding from the handle, but it does, just enough to "catch" on my jeans when I open it with one hand.

Now, an old resolza wrecked from who knows where and when, found in a drawer in my father's house, carbon steel, made by F. Canu in Pattada:

And now, eye candy: a couple of resolzas, made by R. and S. Careddu in Pattada (the "family feeling" is quite evident ). I put my Oeser (which is a little bit less than 3,5" closed) for size comparison.

Fausto

 

[Âchillepattada]

Hello ,
Jon, here is a picture of the lever :



On this modern version, you're right this is a back-spring ( as far as i understand this name that I didn't know) .

About the logudoresa and the Pattadesa.
The two knives have the same blade shape. But the handle change.

You can find logudoresa without security system as this one made by G. Galante another great maker from the south of Sardegna



and you have some ( beautifull ) versions with security sistem. Unfortunatly I've not (yet) such a knife
Here another from the same G. Galante:





Another beautifull one from Paolo Manca :





Enjoy

Âchille

 

[puukkoman]

Now, some pictures to contribute to the thread. First is about the "extended tip" used for one hand opening. Unless you look very carefully, you can't really see the tip of the knife protruding from the handle, but it does, just enough to "catch" on my jeans when I open it with one hand.

The knife that Fausto helped me to commission also has this feature. It is almost invisible to the naked eye, and so tiny that it does not damage any clothing, but yes! The blade does protrude past the end of the handle a little bit (maybe only 1mm or less), and it does allow me to open the knife by catching it on the side seam of my jeans. I wouldn't do it too often with a pair of thin slacks or chinos, though, since the fabric is not as robust.
I will try to capture a photo of this feature of my Rezolsa when I get home from work this afternoon (assuming I make it home while the sun is still up...).

Fantastic knives, gentlemen! I am in love! These Italian ladies are bewitching!

 

[quattromori]

Alex,
I wasn't sure that your knife had this feature, so I'm curious to see your picture
The protruding tip is usually less than 1 mm, just enough to catch on fabric or wood (a table for example).

Fausto

 

[puukkoman]

Sorry for the delay, but here it is (I did my best to capture it). Mine protrudes a little less than some of the others here, and I fear that with a few more sharpening sessions it may disappear altogether. It is definitely noticeable, though, if you drag your fingertip over it, or if you drag the pommel across a piece of fabric. The knife will open if you catch the tip with a fingernail, or with a large seam in your jeans, but not just by swiping it across a smooth cloth surface.

I find it endearing.

 

[jon_slider]

Thank you Fausto and Achille and puukkoman for the beautiful photos and education.

there is a guy in the BRL forum asking about a Pattada and he's not getting any answers, I suggested he come to this thread, hopefully you people can help him.

these are his questions:

So after seeing some of the other Pattadas people have posted, I've been having doubts about mine. It was given as a gift to me a few years back from my aunt who picked it up for me during her most recent trip. I loved it simply because it was from the Old Country, not to mention the rustic handmade beauty of it. But after seeing some others on here that are far more polished and embellished, I'm starting to wonder about this little gem.

It came with this little card, a certificate of authenticity of sorts. The back reads as follows:
"Certifichiamo che il presente elaborato e stato realizzato a mano. Secondo la piu antica tradizione artigiana sarda."
Translated (not by me, my family is horrible at passing down the language):
"We certify that the present processed was hand made. According to the most ancient craft tradition sarda."
The listed website is no longer there, but there is a new one for this Artigianato Pasella, though it seems most of their work is in ceramics and wood. They do mention knives in the Prodotti section, but it doesn't sound like they made this one...
Translated: "KNIVES. Thanks to the many metal ore deposits, in Sardinia are always popular cutting tools. The most ancient techniques are still used today by cutlers to realize the blades of "leppe", the famous Sardinian knives clasp; the handle may be made of horn or in mother of pearl, the ring in gold or silver and the steel blade damask. Forged especially in Nuoro, Oristano and in Medio Campidano, have names (Pattada cutler, arburese&#8230 and distinctive features, differing in the shape of the blade and the processing of the handle"
No damascus or silver or gold here.

The blade simply says "Pattada" and has this picture of what I'm calling a chicken. This little hieroglyph is hand carved three more times around the pivot area. I can tell it's done by hand because none of the iterations are identical. It also has little chicken footprints too. I could totally see boning out a chicken with this little guy. It's small, roughly 4 inches closed with about 2 1/2 inches of oddly ground edge.

So does this look familiar to anyone? Does anyone know of this Artigianato Pasella and if so, is their work authentic Sardinian quality craftsmanship? I like this little guy, I'm going to put a useable edge on it and treat it well. But it would be nice to know more about it and how to care for it. This is my only friction folder, nevermind the ox(?) horn handle, brass, or mystery steel.

Mine seems very plain compared to some, which is why I was worried that it was some sort of cheap counterfeit. ...
I really want to know what the blade is most likely made of, based on where it comes from. Is it safe to assume it's stainless? It came with a pretty awful edge but I tuned it up pretty well. I'd like to carry this little guy around, but I'm worried it will fall apart on me.

 

[puukkoman]

I have a theory, but I'll wait until one of the natives weighs in with some info.

What I will say is, I like it! Looks like a good knife, and I too would certainly carry it and use it with pleasure.

 

[quattromori]

The native is here
Jon, I will chime in the BRL subforum and try to give an answer to the question. Thank you for pointing it out (I don't browse that subforum very often).
Oh, and I'm glad if I can give infos on these knives to anyone. I received so much knowledge and help here, and I'm happy when I can give back

Fausto

 

[rinos]

Hey Fausto,did weather calmed there?

 

[Âchillepattada]

Hi everybody,
I don't know where Fausto lives. Apparently the tempest made disasters in the north and north-east of the island, around the towns of Olbia and Sassari. I hope that Fausto was not in this area.
But as usual the people of Sardegna has proved its great solidarity and all those who could do it helped the others in this sad period. :thumbup:

 

[Gevonovich]

I am praying for Fausto. I hope he lets us know soon.

Edit: I just sent him an email

 

[quattromori]

Thanks for your prayers folks. Since this is a knife thread, I answered Rinos' question on the Lounge a couple days ago.
Yes, it's still raining here, and I live in NW Sardinia, not too far from where the rain caused disasters and deaths.
The storms haven't really calmed down much and it's still raining (and quite cold, to be honest), but the worse seems to be behind us, and actually there's a huge movement of people trying to help both sending things (funds, food, and useful items - shops in Olbia are out of plastic boots for example, and people need to get into their houses to shovel mud) and giving help (lots of people offered hospitality for those who still can't spend the night at their homes, and many volunteers have come from across the island to help the ones who were hit the most).
Thanks you for all your wishes folks. I'm fine

Fausto

 

[Âchillepattada]

Hello everybody and HAPPY NEW YEAR

Here you will find two beautifull logudorese from Andrea Melis .
The first one has a blade made in a damascus from Gigi Lechi and the second one has a 440 blade and the handle in horn.

Take care .
Âchille

 

[Gevonovich]

Stunning pieces!! I am inexplicably drawn to the shape of these knives. I really enjoy seeing them, Achille