Prophet River Firearms

The American 440A is a decent starter steel. We use it widely in our Magnum series. It is not to be confused with the higher-quality 440B and 440C.

Pakka Wood

Pakkawood is the name of impregnated wood veneers used in knife production to make handle scales.

Veneer is a wood product consisting of an inexpensive wooden core covered with thin layers off a high quality wood that make it more precious. The layers used as a finish are between 0.3 and 6 mm thick. They are cut from the lumber by peeling (peeled veneer), sawing (sawed veneer) or slicing (sliced veneer). The term veneer comes from the French verb "fournier" meaning "to furnish" and was first used in English as "fineer". The method itself originated in the 14th century BCE. It was developed in Egypt, a country with a dry climate, where trees were scarce and fine hardwood and lumber were not available in sufficient quantities. Unlike conventional veneer, Pakkawood is an umbrella term for wood veneers consisting of several layers of high-quality hardwood. The layers are pressed, impregnated, sanded and polished. In a very high-pressure environment and with the application of heat, a new wood product is created that has a striking pattern and coloring, which may vary depending on the composition of the veneer layers.

Pakkawood is impregnated with an epoxy resin which makes it highly water- and weatherproof. At the end of the production process, Pakkawood is ground and polished to achieve a silky sheen. Pakkawood is a very strong and durable material that keeps its shape and remains colorfast. Since the finished product consists of natural wood but is considered a synthetic product in its composition, there is no generalized information about its color and pattern, since these aspects always depend on the components used to create Pakkawood and the elements of the production process.

Thanks to its special properties, Pakkawood is a popular material for handle scales, highly adaptable to any design requirements. Handles made from this material are available in many colors and shapes.

Thumb Stud

Thumb Studs make knives easier to open. They allow for the blade to be opened up with the thumb. The stud may be placed on one or both sides of the blade; some models have a thumbstud on the spine. Depending on the production process, the thumbstud can be secured with a rivet or screw. Knives with screwed thumbstuds can be easily retrofitted for ambidextrous opening without compromising their look and design.

Linerlock

The linerlock (alternate spelling: liner-lock) is a locking mechanism mainly used for one-handed knives. Knives equipped with this mechanism are usually called linerlock knives.

The linerlock was invented in the late 19th century in the United States and patented there in 1906. This early version of the linerlock could not be opened with one hand though. The first truly one-handed linerlock knife was only developed after the patent for the original linerlock version had expired. The one-handed linerlock knife was designed by Michael Walker, a US knifemaker. In the 1980s, he introduced an improved linerlock knife first called the "Walker Linerlock".

The special feature of this linerlock is the plate between the handles scales used to lock or release the blade. The mechanism derives its name from this plate or liner. The liner is slightly curved inward. In the front, it extends past the bottom of the handle scales so that it can be operated from the outside. Usually, the plate of a linerlock is made from very hard metal such as stainless steel or titanium, because it needs to hold the blade in place even under great pressure.

The linerlock mechanism works as follows: When the blade is closed, it pushes the liner to the side. When the blade is opened, it makes room for the liner pushing towards the inside and locking in place below the end of the blade. In order to release and close the blade, the liner must be moved to the side manually. Modern linerlocks, available since the 1980s, can be operated with one hand, which made this locking mechanism very popular.