The base model RL1di has handle scales in desert iron wood and when it comes to the management of this exotic kind of wood, I would like to point out linseed oil-based products, i.e. about the same as for wood stocks for shotguns. Anyhow, any standard wood polish is good enough, it protects the wood from shrinking and from water. After all, wood is a living material and changes if exposed to prolonged drought or water. Desert iron wood is hard and heavy, so much so that it sinks in water, with a density of 1.2 kg/l. The wood we use is not covered by CITES protection. Like all types of wood, it can vary in color, from light brown to dark, veined wood or straight fibers and everything in between. Those with straight fibers are actually the strongest.
RL1ey is a fabulously beautiful version of this fine folding knife, with a unique handle material called elforyn that imitates genuine ivory but does not shrink as easily and is also legal to use. You treat this material with a thin, colourless oil but otherwise no care is needed other than to keep the knife clean and sharp.
I always say that if you carry a folding knife, it’s a clean, urban way to carry a knife. If you also keep it in a thin leather case, you protect the knife from scratches from other objects you put in your pocket. Just think about where you carry the knife so that you do not violate the regulations that apply to knives in a public place in the country you live in.
We have chosen elmax for some natural reasons, partly because it is a Swedish, well-developed and carefully tested powder steel, and partly because this steel is very suitable for knife blades. The problem has been in finding the optimal hardening method, but with good cooperation with Uddeholm Sweden, the world’s leading manufacturer of tool steel (for 350 years), we have been able to develop a hardening and tempering method that provides a blade that is both hard and tough. Everything is computer controlled and nothing is left to chance, all batches are tested to check the quality. For example, all blades are cooled to minus 195 degrees celsius to get maximum performance out of each blade. We have tested this elmax steel under the toughest possible circumstances and actually – we have managed to establish marks on the edge after eagerly chopping with an F1x/elmax in dry oak and ash. However, they were no larger than a tenth of a millimeter and we easily fixed that with a fresh diamond whetstone! So, we believe in this steel and intend to use it increasingly in the future.
Elmax is a stainless steel, i.e. a steel that “stains less” and this means that you can get dark spots, shadows or pores on the blade if you expose it to salt, blood, organic acids, etc. and store the knife in dirty conditions in a damp space. Elmax will not rust if you treat your knife in the same way as your weapon, that is if you are a hunter. A clean and dry knife does not rust! If you live near salt-splattered coasts, you can treat the blade with a Marine TufCloth, see our website for more information.
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