#STRIDER KNIVES CLOSING FREE#

#STRIDER KNIVES CLOSING FREE#

To release the lock, the user presses the lock bar back toward the handle side, at which time the blade is free to close. As the lock on the original electrician's knife was mostly to hold a screwdriver blade open (the knife blade, itself was secured by a slip joint method), Walker's refinements prevented the knife blade from closing on the user's hand and converted it into a true lock. In an interview with Blade in 1988, Walker stated, “This long leaf-spring effect cuts down on stress on the locking mechanism'. The linerlock's locking side liner is split from the top toward the bottom, similar to an automotive leaf spring (also called a lock bar) that butts up against the tang of the blade to prevent the blade from closing. Linerlock mechanisms are most commonly composed of titanium alloy or steel. Photo of Walker Linerlock knives with closeup of locking mechanism. Walker added a detent ball to hold the blade in the closed position using the same spring force from the liner. This was accomplished by removing the weak back spring and adding a heat-treated stop pin to align the blade in the open position. Walker's improvement to the design was to facilitate true one handed opening of the knife. Walker refined and popularized the design, eventually securing a trademark for the name 'Linerlock' in March 1990. After 1923 when the patent expired, it was used by other manufacturers such as in the common military and lineman's issue two-blade electrician’s knife the Camillus TL-29 for the locking screwdriver-stripper blade, until 2007 when the Camillus Cutlery Company went out of business.

The Cattaraugus liner locking patent, 825,093 was issued on July 3, 1906. Linerlock knives have been around since the late 19th century.

Strider knives closing