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Michael Leon Walker is an American custom knifemaker and sculptor based in
Walker has patented or trademarked more than 20 different mechanisms related to locks and composite cutting blades on pocketknives.
Most notably, Walker is known for the invention of the Walker Linerlock in 1981, which has since become the industry standard in folding knife mechanisms. What sets Walker's design apart is a long split in one of the liners which acts as a leaf-spring in the liner of the knife accompanied. This feature cuts down on mechanical stress. An additional feature of the Linerlock is the addition of a ball detent. This additional feature eliminates rubbing and scratch-marks when the knife is opened and closed.
Other inventions include the "Lake and Walker Safety System" or LAWKS, BLADELock, Linerlock, Ball bearing lock, and Tough Lock.
Some of the production companies he has partnered with include Spyderco, Columbia River Knife and Tool, Schrade, Böker, and Klotzli.
Walker's knives and designs have inspired many other custom knifemakers, notably
Walker's knives at ''Artifex Gallery'' in Taos, NM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Michael 1949 births Living people 20th-century American inventors Artists from Taos, New Mexico Inventors from New Mexico Knife makers Sculptors from New Mexico
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Initially founded in 1615, it was intermittently occupied until its formal establishment in 1795 by Nuevo México Governor Fernando Ch ...
. Walker is the inventor of more than 20 different knife mechanisms including the Walker Linerlock for which he secured a trademark in 1980.Walker, Greg (1993). Battle Blades: A Professional's Guide to Combat/Fighting Knives (Hardcover), pages 37–38
Early life
Walker began his career as a jeweler, until 1975 when his wife, Patricia Walker, gave him a Gerber knife and a copy of '' American Blade'' magazine. Walker noted similarities between his jewelry and custom art knives and decided he would try his hand at knifemaking.Knife making
Walker began making knives full-time in 1980 with fixed-blade art knives. When a customer asked him to make sheaths for these knives, Walker found the task more labor-intensive and less enjoyable than making the knives. As a result, he decided from then on to make folding knives which would not require a sheath, which led to his development of the Walker Linerlock. In 1981, Walker began a limited partnership with knifemakerRon Lake Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald.
Ron or RON may also refer to:
Arts and media
* Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character
* Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character
*Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
. The two makers have collaborated on numerous designs including the LAWKS. In 1985, Walker became a voting member of the Knifemakers' Guild.
In 2004, Walker was inducted into the ''Blade
A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Histor ...
'' magazine's Cutlery Hall of Fame.
Inventions
Walker has patented or trademarked more than 20 different mechanisms related to locks and composite cutting blades on pocketknives.
Most notably, Walker is known for the invention of the Walker Linerlock in 1981, which has since become the industry standard in folding knife mechanisms. What sets Walker's design apart is a long split in one of the liners which acts as a leaf-spring in the liner of the knife accompanied. This feature cuts down on mechanical stress. An additional feature of the Linerlock is the addition of a ball detent. This additional feature eliminates rubbing and scratch-marks when the knife is opened and closed.
Other inventions include the "Lake and Walker Safety System" or LAWKS, BLADELock, Linerlock, Ball bearing lock, and Tough Lock.
Some of the production companies he has partnered with include Spyderco, Columbia River Knife and Tool, Schrade, Böker, and Klotzli.
Walker's knives and designs have inspired many other custom knifemakers, notably Bob Terzuola
Robert G. Terzuola is an American knife maker who popularized the type of knife known as the tactical folding knife.
Early life
Terzuola was born in Brooklyn, New York on 14 September 1944. He attended Stuyvesant High School where his academic ac ...
and Ernest Emerson. Terzuola credits Walker with teaching him how to make a linerlock folder and Emerson has said that seeing a Walker knife at a gun show gave him the inspiration to become a custom knifemaker.
Walker's knives can be found at Artifex Gallery in Taos, and in galleries and shows around the world.
References
Further reading
*External links
Walker's knives at ''Artifex Gallery'' in Taos, NM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Michael 1949 births Living people 20th-century American inventors Artists from Taos, New Mexico Inventors from New Mexico Knife makers Sculptors from New Mexico