All About Pocket Knives

I've been thoroughly enjoying this Red Elk #43 that I picked up at a knife show recently. It has gotten me hooked on Elk Stag handles and the light reddish tint on this model has me wondering how it got that way.

Queen is closed so I can't ask them and I hadn't even bought the knife yet when I spoke briefly with Ryan Daniels at the show.

Anybody know any facts about how or why this stuff is reddish in color? Is it dyed? Did Queen use some other process to color it? Is some Elk Stag naturally red?

My particular example has very light red tones but I've seen photos of some Red Elk knives that have lots of red in them. I think they all look awesome!

Any information is welcome and of course, if you have a Red Elk knife too, pictures are a must.

Thanks.

That's some nice looking covers!

You did good. Great scales and knife as well. I bet you enjoy it.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the kind words.

I would still like to know how this "red" occurs if anybody might know.

That is some real nice red elk.

OLDE CUTLER wrote:That is some real nice red elk.

Thank you. Very much appreciated. I can't seem to get it out of my pocket. (not that I would want to)

Railsplitter wrote: Is some Elk Stag naturally red?

I'm wondering the same thing Rick. I looked on-line about Elk antlers and I couldn't find anything about various colors within the antler itself, and the ones I did see looked more of a brownish color. Whatever the case those handles look really elegant. Very nice.

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Mike

XX Case XX wrote:

Railsplitter wrote: Is some Elk Stag naturally red?

I'm wondering the same thing Rick. I looked on-line about Elk antlers and I couldn't find anything about various colors within the antler itself, and the ones I did see looked more of a brownish color. Whatever the case those handles look really elegant. Very nice.

____________
Mike

Mike, thank you for digging around a little bit for me. I should have taken the knife over to Ryan at the show and asked him about it but I didn't think of that at the time. Sure wish I would have.

On a completely different note, Ryan and I did discuss some of the knives he had at his table with "Lightning Strike Wood" handles. Ryan said that the wood looks virtually flawless when they obtain it but they zap it with a jolt of electricity to create the Lightning Strike effect. I found that rather interesting and thinking about it now, it makes me wonder even more how they create this "Red" effect.

I would have bought one of those Lightning Strike Wood knives from Ryan if he had them in a pattern that I liked.

red dye

alabama wrote:red dye

Thank you for your input, alabama. Forgive me but I have to ask: Do you know that for a fact?

I agree, the antler material is dyed. I have quite a few elk antlers from spikes to 7 point and none have any reddish tinge to them.
Elk antler is not as dense as deer antler and it is a challenge to cut a piece that will not leave a lot of the underlying white color showing.
kj

OK, thanks guys. Dyed it is.

I think part of the confusion comes from the European Red Deer which is a slightly smaller elk. The "Red" refers to a reddish tinge to there coats (pellage ?). A handle material called "Red Elk" is a bit confusing: "Red" as in European Red Deer", which are elk, or elk antler dyed with red ?
My daughter & son in law live in Northern Italy right by the Alps. To Red Deer hunt all you need is a little car to drive for 10 minutes over good roads and then a 15 minute easy walk and you are in the sub alpine hunting Red Deer. Here in B.C. i need a my Honda Foreman, drive a challenging 2 hours straight up, then hike ugly thick sidehill 'jungle' for 5 hours to get to sub alpine with elk.
kj

no-I don't know this for a fact-I do know they have always dyed bone-