BTF Does anyone have an old linerlock? (BTF - Before Tactical Folders)

[David Williams]

I have an old Gerber linerlock somewhere and I can't find it. I can't remeber if they were easy to open/close. I think they were hard to close. I asked my dad (back in hs) to buy me another one because they were 'cool' but he refused and told me his friends said they were unreliable and you could cut your thumb when closing.

Does anyone have an old folder with a liner lock? If so, how does it compare with todays designs?

 

[Brian Lavin]

Well, I gave this one to one of my sons, but until a year or so ago I had a Schrade "Uncle Henry" model with a liner style lock. It was the old style of course, w/o filework on the edge and it was not supposed to withstand elephantine pressures, just regular cutting chores. It did have a good size clip point blade of good steel though. Wish I hadn't given it away, now that I think about it !
I don't think they make it anymore, the mmodel I'm thinking of I bought in the mid 80's or so. All I have now are the "tactical" models of today, hmmmm, maybe he'd like a newer model in trade ?

 

[amacks]

In our lab we have an old Camillus electricians knife, the type with a spear point blade and a screwdriver. The screwdriver blade has a liner-lock(brass) and a backspring. I've seen my boss do some nutty things with it, and the lock has never failed. There is no way that you can open it one handed, but how often do you need to do a screwdriver speed-draw?
Aaron

------------------
amacks@nist.gov
Don't forget to pay your taxes...they eventually become my knives

 

[MNH]

I had an old boy scout knife, that as I recall had three blades, two of which had brass liner locks. There was a little hump that stuck up out of the blade channel that had "Press" stamped into the brass.

I don't remember it ever failing, but I never asked much of it either.

This is a fairly old knife (it has been a long time sense I was a boy scout) I would guess something on the order of 35 to 40 wears ago.

MNH

 

[sharpsteel]

I have couple of Gerber folders with pre-Walker liner locks that never failed on me. They had brass liners which I suppose could have work-hardened and cracked in time if I'd used them every day but somehow they didn't - then I got and Al Mar Falcon forward lock and have used it as my day to day knife ever since ( over 10 years ) and the Gerbers sit in a drawer in my workshop.

I have a Klotzli Walker and a Klotzli Wimpf that I could easily replace the Mar with but It works for me, what can I say???

 

[Big Dave]

Howdy:

I've got some of Michael Walker's early liner locks. They would be considered dress knives.

I also have a Walker liner lock that is tactical in style (tanto, dragons scrimshawed on each scale by Patricia Walker). I'd guess that it's one of the first tactical liner locks. It's bad.

Dave

 

[the4th]

My wife carries a Purple Benchmade Leopard. Not too "tactical" looking by today's standards.

 

[James Y]

My first locking knife was a large Schrade Old Timer folding hunter I think called the Mustang. The liner lock was brass and was just a backup to the slipjoint lock spring. The words 'press here' were stamped on the liner.
Also from the '70s I have an old Craftsman single-blade slimline trapper with regular backspring and the brass liner lock. Neither of these brass liners locks the blade up real tight, and I view them as a little dangerous to close, because the backsprings are strong and it's easy to cut yourself when pressing in.
Still keep them, though.
Jim

 

[David Williams]

James Y,

Classic. 'press here' that made me chuckle for some reason