All About Pocket Knives

One of my favorite Kershaw's to customize is the Wild Turkey, model #4150.
I bought my first 4150 in the 1980s and I think I have had at least one ever since that I used as an EDC.

I have put different handles on the 4150 over the years, and I have probably put stag on one, I just don't remember it. Getting old is not for the faint of heart!

This particular knife has the Oregon tang stamp. I believe it was made prior to Kai Cutlery's purchase of Kershaw approximately 1986 or 1987. I believe the first 4150s made by Kai Cutlery for Kershaw were made with a AUS8A steel and not the AUS6 that was used later.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

That is nice Dale, almost as nice as the one I got with the EGA emblem on the bone handle a year or so ago .
Thanks again .
Semper Fi
Treefarmer

Just ran across this Dale...sure hits home that gettin old stuff !!!
That Stag is gorgeous !!! really like the curvy shape to that Kershaw
never saw one afore...how long is it closed ???
wonder if that would ride right in your pocket if in it had a pocket clip on off side ???
Anyways....hope all is well in the Great Northwest

Will

I am glad you like it Will.
Closed, the length is 3-7/8”.
Recently I purchased what I believe to be a 1985 for 1986 Kershaw catalog, (they were not dated then). It lists the Wild Turkey as 3-1/4”. I guess Schrade is not the only company that made mistakes in their catalogs.

I have not seen a 4150, Wild Turkey with a clip on it, however Kershaw did make a 4131, which was about the same size as the 4150 but it had a skeletonized frame and an ATS-34 blade with a small thumb stud. It’s not an exact match to the 4150, by any stretch of the imagination however, I have a 4131 that I EDC, and I am very fond of it. Someone removed the clip before I got this knife, or I would have a spare.



In the first post on this topic I said:

orvet wrote: This particular knife has the Oregon tang stamp. I believe it was made prior to Kai Cutlery's purchase of Kershaw approximately 1986 or 1987. I believe the first 4150s made by Kai Cutlery for Kershaw were made with a AUS8A steel and not the AUS6 that was used later.

Thanks to the old Kershaw catalog, I was able to find out the steel type that was used in Kershaw knives in the 1980s. The knives of course were made by Kai Cutlery and they were “manufactured of Kai Stainless Steel® from the AUS series (6A for pocketknives, 8A for survival and hunting knives). This steel is an improvement over the famous 440–C, and has a Rockwell hardness range of C57-59.”

I just wanted to post that correction so I didn’t leave misinformation unanswered.

I must have missed this the first time around. That's some amazing stag, great job Dale!

That's georgeous Dale! I really like the looks of that knife. I can see why you'd like it for an edc.

I just got a 1982 Kershaw catalog and price list in the mail today.
Now I feel compelled to correct my earlier correction.


It seems I was correct the first time...
The 1982 Dealer Price List plainly states the Kershaw knives were made with AUS 8-A steel, an improvement over "famous 440-C."


It seems I was correct when I said the earlier Kershaw knives were made of AUS 8-A and then it seems the AUS6 steel was apparently introduced about 1986, about the time Kai Cutlery purchased Kershaw.

Maybe I will get some more gems when I get a chance to go through all the Kershaw catalogs I have been buying as I can find them.

That's a beauty Dale! Knice work!!

Super Stag Dale, and i love the shape of that blade.
Tony.

Thanks guys, I am glad you like it.

Great looking knife Dale, did Al Mar work with Kershaw? The 4150 resembles some of his knives.

Al Mar and Pete Kershaw both worked for Pete Gerber.
I have no knowledge of any collaboration between Al & Pete Kershaw, but that being said, they both worked for the same company and they both left to start their own companies. Pete left a few years before Al, but it is logical and think they probably talked at some point in time.

It is worthwhile to note that Pete was a buyer, iirc, and Al was a designer and I think had something to do with another Dept as well, perhaps QC. I can't remember for sure. While I did have a conversation or two with Al about specific knives he had designed for Gerber, we never talked about the position(s) he held at Gerber.

It is possible that given the nature of the two quite different positions they held; they may have had very little personal contact while at Gerber.

Did Al's designs influence the design of the Kershaw 4150?
I truly don't know. However, great design usually does influence the design of similar products, even if unintentionally.

I do not recall which knife came first, the Kershaw Wild Turkey or the Al Mar series of knives with similarly shaped blades; the Osprey (smallest) to the Eagle, the largest. I know the 4140 (Wild Turkey) was introduced about 1985 or 1986, but I do not have any old Al Mar catalogs.

Thanks Dale that is what I was wondering. I noticed that the lock button on the kershaw was a little futher back. The Al Mar lock button split between the bolster and the handle scale. This was the most noticable differance I seen from pics.

Monte

Kershaw has always had great fit and finish on their knives, but the Al Mar knives made when Al was alive (he died in October 1992) had even better fit and finish than the Kershaws of the same time.
I have seen 1980s Al Mar knives that are so well fit that it is difficult to see where the lock bar meets the blade!
As good as the F&F is on the 1980s Kershaws, the F&F of the 1980s Al Mar knives is even better!

I have one Al Mar, a hawk and it is just as you descibed. The fit and finish is second to none. It has scrolled bolsters by valade. I bought it at a gun show the dealer thought it was inscribed to valade. He did'nt know that valade did the scrolling on the bolsters. I paid 80 bucks. I thought that was a good deal. At the time I did'nt know who valade was. I just liked it

By the way I'll be huning those older Kershaws now. Again thanks for the information Dale

Monte