Why so few custom lockback knives

I prefer slipjoints and lockbacks to liner locks also, and always pair one with a fixed blade for daily carry. The lockback is not easy to make correctly, as Mark Daley stated above. I have been working with Jon Christensen M.S. for quite some time now on a lockback, his learning curve has taken some time with several re-designs, but it is getting there. A few pics of difficult lockback patterns by two of the best,

Jerry Halfrich Hidalgo front lock, Mike Norris "Hornet's Nest" stainless damascus, old growth redwood burl

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Joel Chamblin wharncliffe lockback whittler, CTS XHP, stag, 14k gold pins

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Seems most prefer lockbacks & slipjoints over linerlocks. Yet more linerlocks / framelocks are being made... Is interesting!
 
Not a functional one, more aesthetic. Lockbacks tend to come from slipjoint makers and feature a lot of the 'old timey' flavours found in those knives - bolsters, natural materials, etc. Whereas liner/framelocks tend to follow the aesthetic of tactical folders, with more subdued materials. Generalising wildly here of course...

Lorien said:
apart from nostalgia, I see absolutely no benefit, functional or otherwise of a lockback vs. liner or frame lock. Am I blind to something here?
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Roger makes a great point regarding legality.
I think I'm going to try and design a liner lock folder that has a traditional look. When I can find the time...
 
Take a look at Al Warren. He makes some beautiful midlocks with traditional materials.
 
Liner locks are okay looks and feel wise in my book. Even having previously owned a well contoured albeit rather large frame lock, the Hinderer designed ZT 0560, I still wonder what the big deal is about a knife that has to have a bare metal scale on at least the lock side.
 
jdm61 said:
Liner locks are okay looks and feel wise in my book. Even having previously owned a well contoured albeit rather large frame lock, the Hinderer designed ZT 0560, I still wonder what the big deal is about a knife that has to have a bare metal scale on at least the lock side.
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Not sure what you are saying . . .

But I think some folks prefer frame locks over liner locks because they seem to be more strong and dependable.
 
Hey MT Damascus, can we get a spine shot of that Whittler?


I'm obsessed with these knives at the moment. Working on my own currently. Does this one have tapered springs, or a tapered spacer, both, or neither?
 
javand said:
Hey MT Damascus, can we get a spine shot of that Whittler?


I'm obsessed with these knives at the moment. Working on my own currently. Does this one have tapered springs, or a tapered spacer, both, or neither?
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No taper, I can take a better pic when I get home, if you need.

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Oh man, that's a lockback whittler, I didn't notice that from the pics, and obviously got too excited to read! ;)


That's killer!
 
Lorien said:
apart from nostalgia, I see absolutely no benefit, functional or otherwise of a lockback vs. liner or frame lock. Am I blind to something here?
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Yes. Many liner locks have or develop problems and do not lock as reliably. As noted above, some prefer the feel of a lockback. Some don't want a frame lock, they want sweet covers on both sides of a knife :). The symetry of matched wood on both sides of a lockback is sweet. Tony Bose recently posted a premo bannana trapper lockback on his long term thread in Traditional.
 
I love Lockbacks personally. It's a shame that there are so few customs put out these days. The tide will change eventually; such is the way of the world :) great topic! :)
 
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