M. Walker Zipper Bladeloc

Why are these so highly sought after, is it just the design or is there some special mechanism?
 
Jose Reyes said:
Why are these so highly sought after, is it just the design or is there some special mechanism?
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Among all the technical achievements Michael Walker has implemented, the 'zipper' blade has yet (to my knowledge) to be copied. It's his pinnacle piece from a pinnacle maker.

Expect pricing to start at $15,000....

Gabe: Elaborate, please. :)

Coop
 
I believe Christian Wimpf also made zipper blades, although he may have used a different technique.

Still, no one makes a knife like that one other than Michael Walker!
 
The zipper blades are made by machining two different steels so they can be press fit together.

Mick Strider has done this as well, for example with his Badlands bowie (used as the model for the knife in Counter-Strike) which is Stellite zippered to Titanium.

The Wimpf pieces I've seen were done through explosion welding, not machining, but that doesn't say he didn't make them that was as well.

Coop, I'll send it to you for pictures.
 
Wow, 15K... The blade does look cool and it looks like the rest of the knife took a lot of work too. Thanks for the info!
 
... and Owen Wood also makes crescent folders.

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Gabe can you explain and maybe post a few pics on how this maching operation works on joining the materials. I am imagining some kind of sliding dovetail.
 
:eek: The engraving on this one is just lovely! The flowers down the center and the gold inlay take it over the top for me...:thumbup:

The thumbstud on the zipperblade seems to be some sort of mechanism, is it just to lock the blade in place or does it serve some other function?
 
Here are two pages with 9 of Michael Walker's amazing knives, from
different periods in his knifemaking career. These pages are from two
sections in my in-print fourth book "Modern Custom Knives - The
Great Collections". The first is from Dr. Larry Marton's collection
and the second page from the Ed Wormser collection.

Throughout the book, in the displays from various collections, over 30 of
Michael Walker's knife from verious periods will be exhibited. Among
these will be 3 prototypes from the early '80s..........

David Darom (ddd)

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Wow, wow and WOW! This thread should be charged for admission.

The one time I had an opportunity to photograph one of Michael's Zipper folders (AKI 2003) His instructions were polite, yet direct: "Do NOT touch the blade, please." This is a fragile finish and he wanted the knife in absolute pristine condition. I obliged.

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Coop
 
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