Al Mar Knives - Page 2

El Cid · 12-16-2005, 10:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper

A large Kukri configuration, great steel, very sharp, an excellent chopper. This one is mine, what more can I say?

TR

Love it!! If I ever found one at a show I'd snap it up in a heartbeat!!

one-zero · 12-16-2005, 16:32

had the SERE w/SF crest presented to me instead of Buck knife when I was HG of Q course...still have it.
1-0

Trip_Wire (RIP) · 12-16-2005, 16:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trip_Wire

Yes, TR I am a fan of Al's knifes. I thought I posted a pictures of some of my collection, of his (3) knives that I have. Al Marr, was a friend and teammate of mine when we both served in the 17th & 12 SFG(A)s. He always brought homemade rice cakes to supplement our rations when we were in the field. They were really good compared to most C-Rats!

I'd order a knife from him, such as the Sere knife and he would put stuff like my Master Wings, SCUBA Badge and the Regimental crest on them. So, I have a matching set of SEREs like yours, and the SERE folder with the badges on them. I also have his "Eagle" folder with my initals and the Regimental Crest on the bolsters. Shown below.:

Heres the Eagle folder with case below. Also a Kramer right hand pocket holster with S&W 442 .38 Cal Pistol w/wood grips for size comparison...

**Bill Harsey** · 12-16-2005, 18:58

Have I told you guys the story about how the very first Al Mar SERE knives got finished?

Smokin Joe · 12-17-2005, 14:58

I forgot to post these sooner.

I received this Al Mar SERE last year. It is made of s30v.

well even these aren't great but...

mumbleypeg · 12-18-2005, 11:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Harsey

Have I told you guys the story about how the very first Al Mar SERE knives got finished?

Does it involve bleeding and duct tape?

BamBam · 12-19-2005, 11:15

Hey Mr. Harsey, I have one of the knives you are talking about, I believe we discussed it at one time. There weren't many of them with serial numbers and no markings. When some one wants to talk about the original Al Mar SERE this is it, Al gave them to Col. Rowe to give to the instructors on the SERE comittee.
As soon as I can get Shark Bait to help me I will post a picture. Brianksain, yours is probably not as original as this one, I don't think it was ever offered for sale, Mr. Harsey can correct me if I am wrong.

**Bill Harsey** · 12-19-2005, 14:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by BamBam

Hey Mr. Harsey, I have one of the knives you are talking about, I believe we discussed it at one time. There weren't many of them with serial numbers and no markings. When some one wants to talk about the original Al Mar SERE this is it, Al gave them to Col. Rowe to give to the instructors on the SERE comittee.
As soon as I can get Shark Bait to help me I will post a picture. Brianksain, yours is probably not as original as this one, I don't think it was ever offered for sale, Mr. Harsey can correct me if I am wrong.

Yep, You have a model of what I'm talking about.
To the best of my knowledge it was never offered for sale nor have I ever seen one for sale.
I'll post my part of the story and some about Al Mar after the work day is over.

BamBam · 12-20-2005, 10:21

Here it is serial # 009, this is the way Al Mar presented them to the SERE committee. Case Lanyard everything is original. I plan on the grandson owning this one of these days.

**Bill Harsey** · 12-20-2005, 12:15

BamBam,
Thank you for posting the pictures of one of the "black" knives which is of the original prototype group of Al Mar Knives SERE Folders that went thru this shop (in October 1984) to have the black rubber handles epoxied on the frames, shaped and finished by me, under a rather tight schedule for Col. Nick Rowe.

This is public knowledge but I want to take the time to say it again for the younger men and women reading here.

Al Mar was First Group Special Forces and served in Vietnam prior to 1960.
After serving in the Army, Al earned a Masters in Industrial Design from the Art Center in Pasadena, California.
His masters project was building and launching a working 2 man submarine.

Al went on to be the head of knife design for Gerber Blades spending 10 years at that job until he broke out and founded his own company that continues to this day even after Al has passed on.
It was Al who introduced me to Col. Rex Applegate of O.S.S. fame.

With the founding of Al Mar Knives, Al is considered the father of specialty custom/production cutlery and lead the way for the worlds industry in doing custom quality and design in a production knife.
Al Mar did all his knives very well and considered the military and law enforcement projects to be of highest priority.
It was by making prototypes to Al's exacting standards that I started to learn something about the craft of knife design.

The pictures of those black rubber handled SERE knives brings back many work memories. This is the first time I've seen any of them since they left my shop in October 1984.

mumbleypeg · 12-20-2005, 15:58

Bill, with utmost respect, you are a badass that hangs with heavy company. You and the members here are a constant inspiration to me as to what acceptable performance levels are.

I have said it before but damn, you do nice work.

**The Reaper** · 12-20-2005, 19:39

Sniff, sniff.

I just love it when long lost family members reunite!

TR

**Bill Harsey** · 12-20-2005, 19:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by mumbleypeg

Bill, with utmost respect, you are a badass that hangs with heavy company. You and the members here are a constant insiration to me as to what acceptable performance levels are.

I have said it before but damn, you do nice work.

Mumbleypeg,
Your privvy to the remaining part of this story as involved me and a plastic reconstructive hand surgeon, because you've met the Doc.
Will write it soon.

Reaper, go to your room. Wait, your already in it...

NousDefionsDoc · 12-20-2005, 19:52

This is a helluva of a discussion forum.

**Bill Harsey** · 12-21-2005, 10:20

The very first black handled Al Mar SERE folding knife prototypes were an interesting project when they came thru the shop here in 1984.

Al had all of his production done in Seki, Japan which is the 1000 year old steel making and edged weapon capitol of that country and the leader in modern high quality cutlery then.

We had to wait on the finished frames with fully sharpened and fitted blades to arrive from Japan before I could start the handle work. Al and I selected the grade of rubber, found and tested the "blue" epoxy that would bond the rubber to the knife frames, permanently. All this was stocked in my shop waiting for the "package' to arrive so I could start work.

By the time that batch of 50+ knives arrived here in my shop, I had seven days to do the work and to get them back to Portland and on the airplane headed out to Col. Nick Rowe.

I started epoxying the square rubber handle blanks on the handle frames and then had to grind and shape to finished dimension, all freehand of course.
The custom made hardened steel "thong tube hole cutter" I had done to drill the holes in the rubber is still in my bench top selection of tools.

On knife no. 1 some epoxy cured in the wrong place inside the frame. When I turned the knife over on the bench to pry out the hard blue epoxy I somehow caused the mechanism to release the blade which collapsed over the back of my right hand and bounced off the bones in the back of my hand.
I went to town and had the initial opening stitched closed but still had a couple severed tendons that would need attention later.

Taking no time off I got right back to work and completed 6 long days and nights to make deadline then scheduled the tendon reconnection procedure with my plastic reconstructive hand surgeon friend who had closed the initial opening.
It was 14 days since this all began and the night before the procedure I asked my doctor if I could make the scalpel that did the reopening work and he said yes and be sure to get to the day surgery unit a bit early to get it sterilized.

I went back out to the shop and found a fully hardened D-2 steel planer blade in 5/32 inch thickness and abrasive sawed it to rough size and final shaped it on the belt grinders for a full handled solid steel tool with a one inch hollow ground blade that was finished as sharp as some of the other tools I'd already produced for this same surgeon (using higher grades of stainless tool steels)

This wasn't as big a deal as you might think because I've always figured a surgeon could do the work with a broken bottle if he had to but I did stay awake to make sure he used my knife. The healing went fine after that and the hand was full function in the time expected.

It was Special Forces guys who introduced me to the world of tactical knifemaking and helped me in many ways.

You guys really are teachers and friends.
Thank you.