Michael Walker (knifemaker)

Michael Leon Walker
Michael Walker, Knifemaker and Inventor
Born	1949
Nationality	American
Known for	Knifemaker, bladesmith, sculptor
Awards	Blade Cutlery Hall of Fame
Website	artifexgallery.com/michaelknives.html

Michael Leon Walker is an American custom knifemaker and sculptor based in Taos, New Mexico. Walker is the inventor of more than 20 different knife mechanisms including the Walker Linerlock for which he secured a trademark in 1980.^[1]^[2]^[3]

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.^[4]

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.^[4]

In 1981, Walker began a limited partnership with knifemaker Ron Lake. The two makers have collaborated on numerous designs including the LAWKS. In 1985, Walker became a voting member of the Knifemakers' Guild.^[4]

In 2004, Walker was inducted into the Blade magazine's Cutlery Hall of Fame.^[4]

Inventions

Closeup image of Linerlock (TM)

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.^[2]^[5] 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.^[4]^[6]

Walker has collaborated with numerous companies in efforts to make his designs more accessible to the public as his original hand made knives are in demand and sell in the thousands. Some of the production companies he has partnered with include Spyderco, Columbia River Knife and Tool, Schrade, Böker, and Klotzli.^[7]

Walker's knives and designs have inspired many other custom knifemakers, notably Bob Terzuola 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.^[2]^[8]

Walker's knives can be found at Artifex Gallery in Taos, and in galleries and shows around the world.

References

Linerlock knives crafted by Knifemaker Michael Walker

↑ Walker, Greg (1993). Battle Blades: A Professional's Guide to Combat/Fighting Knives (Hardcover), pages 37-38 ISBN 0-87364-732-7
1 2 3 Terzuola, Robert (2000). The Tactical Folding Knife: A Study of the Anatomy and Construction of the Liner-Locked Folder. Krause Publications. p. 47. ISBN 0-87341-858-1.
↑ Pacella, Gerard (2002). 100 Legendary Knives. Krause Publications. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-87349-417-5.
1 2 3 4 5 Shackleford, Steve (2004), "Michael Walker, Cutlery Hall of Famer", Blade Magazine, 31 (10): 68–73
↑ Shackleford, Steve (2009). Blade's Guide to Knives and Their Value. p. 452-453. ISBN 978-1-4402-1460-8.
↑ Kerzman, Joe (2003), "Pocket Knives", Sporting Knives 2003: 78–79, ISBN 0-87349-430-X
↑ Combs, Roger (2000). "Schrade Builds Hot-Selling, Custom-Designed Knives". Shooting Industry. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
↑ Basch, Paul (1990), "Searching for the Super Blade", The Blade Magazine, 17 (12): 34–37

External links

Walker's knives at Artifex Gallery in Taos, NM

Knives and daggers

List of daggers List of blade materials

Types of knives	Aircrew Survival Egress Knife Athame Balisong/Butterfly Ballistic Ballpoint pen knife Bayonet Boline Bolo Boning Boot knife Bowie Bread knife Cane knife Cheese knife Chef's knife Cleaver Clip point Combat knife Commander Corvo CQC-6 Deba bōchō Diving knife Drop point Electric knife Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife Gerber Mark II Ginsu Grapefruit knife Gravity knife Gunong Hunting knife Jacob's ladder Karambit Kīla Kirpan Kitchen knife Kukri Laguiole knife Machete Mandau Mezzaluna Misericorde Mora knife Multi-tool Nakiri bōchō Navaja Neck knife Nontron knife Opinel knife Palette knife Pantographic knife Parang Penknife Penny knife Pocket knife Putty knife Puukko Rampuri Resolza Sabatier Sami knife Santoku SARK Scalpel Seax Sgian dubh Sharpfinger Shiv Sliding knife Smatchet SOG Knife Straight razor Strider SMF Survival knife Swiss Army knife Switchblade Taping knife Throwing knife Tomato knife Trench knife Tumi Ulu Utility knife Warrior knife X-Acto Yanagi ba Yatagan

Types of daggers	Anelace Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife Arkansas toothpick BC-41 Bagh naka Baselard Bichuwa Bollock dagger Cinquedea Dirk Ear dagger Emeici Facón French Nail Hachiwara Hunting dagger Janbiya Kaiken Kalis Kard Katar Khanjali Khanjar Kris Mark I trench knife Ocean Edge Knife Parrying dagger Poignard Push dagger Rondel dagger Seme Shobo Sica Stiletto Tantō Marine Raider stiletto V-42 stiletto Yarará Parachute Knife Yoroidōshi

Knife manufacturers	Aitor Al Mar Knives American Tomahawk Company Bear MCG Benchmade Böker Buck Knives Caber Camillus Cutlery Company Cattaraugus Cutlery Company Chris Reeve Knives Cold Steel Columbia River Knife & Tool Cuisinart Cutco Cutlery DOVO Solingen Dexter-Russell Dirte Knives Eikhorn Ek Commando Knife Co. Emerson Knives Erizo F. Dick Fällkniven FAMAE Fiskars Füritechnics Gerber Legendary Blades Global Golok Hanwei Imperial Schrade J. A. Henckels Ka-Bar Kershaw Knives KitchenAid Korin Japanese Trading Company Kyocera Leatherman Mad Dog Knives MercWorx Microtech Knives Morseth Murphy Knives Ontario Knife Company Opinel Pro-Tech Knives Randall Made Knives Ranz Rigid Knives Rösle SOG Specialty Knives Sabatier Aîné & Perrier Spyderco Strider Knives Survival Aids TEKNA Thiers Issard Tramontina Victorinox Vox Knives W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Walther arms Wenger Western Knife Company Wilkinson Sword Windlass Steelcrafts Wüsthof Yarara Ltd

Knifemakers	A.G. Russell American Bladesmith Society Rex Applegate James Black Blackie Collins John Nelson Cooper Ernest Emerson Jerry Fisk Phill Hartsfield Bill Harsey Jr. Gil Hibben Knifemakers' Guild Zanjan Knifemakers Jimmy Lile Bob Loveless Bob Lum William F. Moran Ken Onion Ralph Osterhout Bo Randall Chris Reeve Jody Samson William Scagel Mike Snody Robert Terzuola Michael Walker Buster Warenski Daniel Winkler

Book:Knives and daggers Category:Knives / Daggers

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