Help ID this Al Mar knife?

B

bluescrubby

Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
4
Hi all,

First time posting. I hope this is the correct forum to post in--I looked over the others and this seemed like the most likely one. Apologies if it's not the appropriate place.

I have an Al Mar Falcon but am a bit confused about the various options available and exactly which one this is. Please take a look at these pics and if you have any input on model, value, repair options, or sale options, please chime in! I appreciate it!
Photos: http://s1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb369/bluescrubby/knife/

-bs
 
bluescrubby,

Welcome to the forums!

I like Al Mar knives. I have a couple of their folders in my collection.

My guess would be that is a Falcon Talon with cocobolo scales. Found this on the AG Russell site:

http://www.agrussell.com/al-mar-falcon-talon-cocobolo/p/AMK-1003CT/

Looks like the blade may have been broken off and reground. Al Mar Knives does have a repair service. Repair. The only experience with their CS was when I had a pocket clip that wasn't quite right and they took care of it right away. Other than that, my Al Mars have been good users/edcs.

Ric
 
Definitely Talon grind and probably Cocobolo scales. It looks like it's been through the wringer. It will take a major regrind to make that broken tip look right, although functional would be easy to achieve.
 
Thanks very much for the input! I guess I have an older version since it has the indentation for opening rather than the thumb knob. Also, based on what I saw on other posts, I have the old style kanji stamp on the blade.

It seemed like there was concern that if I sent it in for repair and got a new blade, there was some issue about authenticity?
 
Looks like the blade is not repairable because of the knife's age. If I send it in I'll get a 40% discount on a new one. That's a pretty good deal ... hmmm...
 
Wow, I'm really getting old. That's what I'd call a newer model. ;) Here's an older one.

DSC_0002.jpg


From around 1980. Full flat grind with swedge tip, rather than the saber grind of your Talon, oval shield and rosewood scales.
 
Hi All,

I have 2 AL MAR Knives that I am also unsure on the year / specific model. They are 4" / 8-7/8" and a 3" / 6-7/8" folder knives. I found online a 1979 catalog and they look to be a 1005 Eagle and a 1003 Falcon with White Micarta. I am unsure if they are actually white Micarta (since these look yellow :) ) and if they are truly from 1979 (they could be a much later production run. The bolsters and blade show a bit of wear (not sure how to grade knives).

Is there a way to date Al Mar knives? Sorry the photos are from my iPhone.

Thanks a lot.....
Edit: I just thought I may have hijacked a thread. If this is against the rules I am truly sorry.
 

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pcb105 said:
Hi All,

I have 2 AL MAR Knives that I am also unsure on the year / specific model. They are 4" / 8-7/8" and a 3" / 6-7/8" folder knives. I found online a 1979 catalog and they look to be a 1005 Eagle and a 1003 Falcon with White Micarta. I am unsure if they are actually white Micarta (since these look yellow :) ) and if they are truly from 1979 (they could be a much later production run. The bolsters and blade show a bit of wear (not sure how to grade knives).

Is there a way to date Al Mar knives? Sorry the photos are from my iPhone.

Thanks a lot.....
Edit: I just thought I may have hijacked a thread. If this is against the rules I am truly sorry.
Click to expand...

This thread has been inactive for a while, no worries on hijacking it. My memory is far from perfect, but I don't recall seeing the flat grind without swedge like those until the mid-80's. They used a Micarta that yellowed with age, usually in a relatively few years (15 to 20, I think). I don't know of any certain resources for dating them, but Bernard Levine may be able to help if you post them in his sub-forum.
 
yablanowitz said:
This thread has been inactive for a while, no worries on hijacking it. My memory is far from perfect, but I don't recall seeing the flat grind without swedge like those until the mid-80's. They used a Micarta that yellowed with age, usually in a relatively few years (15 to 20, I think). I don't know of any certain resources for dating them, but Bernard Levine may be able to help if you post them in his sub-forum.
Click to expand...

Sorry I am still a newbie here. What does "but I don't recall seeing the flat grind without swedge like those until the mid-80's" mean?

What is a flat grind? (Assumption the way it was sharpened).
What is swedge mean?

So right now I am looking at a Al Mar knife from the mid 80's with white micarta that is yellowing. This is more information than I had before, thanks. I will repost this on the Bernard Levine sub-forum. I have another custom knife there now.

I did find a picture of the knife http://www.mooreknives.net/c/13a_6white_micarta.jpg
 
First of all, original poster's knife is as stated by others an early Falcon model.

pcb105 said:
Hi All,
I have 2 AL MAR Knives that I am also unsure on the year / specific model. They are 4" / 8-7/8" and a 3" / 6-7/8" folder knives. I found online a 1979 catalog and they look to be a 1005 Eagle and a 1003 Falcon with White Micarta. I am unsure if they are actually white Micarta (since these look yellow :) ) and if they are truly from 1979 (they could be a much later production run. The bolsters and blade show a bit of wear (not sure how to grade knives).
Click to expand...

The Ivory Micarta Falcon and Eagle you have are beautiful. I have the same Eagle as yours but my Falcon is the Stainless variety.
Knives048-1.jpg
 
pcb105 said:
Sorry I am still a newbie here. What does "but I don't recall seeing the flat grind without swedge like those until the mid-80's" mean?

What is a flat grind? (Assumption the way it was sharpened).
What is swedge mean?

So right now I am looking at a Al Mar knife from the mid 80's with white micarta that is yellowing. This is more information than I had before, thanks. I will repost this on the Bernard Levine sub-forum. I have another custom knife there now.

I did find a picture of the knife http://www.mooreknives.net/c/13a_6white_micarta.jpg
Click to expand...

Here is an old, crappy photo I shot to show the different grinds. Top to bottom, full height hollow grind, hollow saber grind (the grind doesn't go all the way to the spine of the blade), flat saber grind, and full flat grind.

Grinds.jpg


The later Talon models (like the original poster's knife) are a flat saber grind, usually just called a saber grind. Yours is a full flat grind - the primary grind runs from the edge bevel to the spine in a single plane on each side. This is generally just called a flat grind. If you look at the picture of mine, it is full flat grind as well, the primary grind runs from edge bevel to spine. But mine also has that second bevel on the spine by the tip, which is called a swedge.

Isn't knife terminology fun? :D
 
yablanowitz, Thanks for the primer on grinds and swedges....

bdt, Thanks for the information on ivory Micarta. So right now I have a Ivory Micarta Falcon and Eagle.

These knives have superficial wear marks.....
If I get the knife and bolster buffed up some (I think the knife would be pristine), does that affect the value of the knife. I would send it to a professional for this as I do not have the skill.
 
I don't know how much collector value they have, but buffing can take it away quickly. As far as I am concerned, nothing can be "restored to mint condition". It is either 'Mint", i.e. exactly as it left the factory or "Restored", i.e. tampered with. Nothing ticks me off quite like buying something that is billed as Mint and finding it has been used and polished back up. If you plan to keep them just to look at, and you prefer shiny, go for it. Personally, a few scratches or fogged bolsters don't bother me.
 
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