TF-4 Flipper with Red Dark Matter Fat Carbon (Ceramic IKBS) - RWL-34

Product Description for TF-4 Flipper with Red Dark Matter Fat Carbon (Ceramic IKBS) - RWL-34

Maker: Francois du Toit (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 108042
*** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind ***
Blade length: 3.50 in.
Cutting edge length: 3.25 in.
Total length: 8.00 in.
Blade height (at heel): 1.22 in.
Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.13 in.
Blade thickness (at midpoint): 0.12 in.
Blade thickness (near tip): 0.04 in.
Item weight: 4.60 oz.
Shipment weight: 6.8 oz.
Blade: RWL-34 stainless steel with a hand rubbed satin finish (Hrc 61)
Handle: Red Dark Matter FatCarbon
Style: Folding liner lock with ceramic IKBS
Description: Francois du Toit was born (in 1982) and raised in De Aar, South Africa. He developed the skills needed to improvise and work with his hands at an early age. He worked in the construction industry until April 2019 when he met a well known knifemaker from the area, Deon Nel. Deon guided Francois through the basics, from grinding blades to providing an excellent fit and finish on knives. Like Deon, Francois has a tremendous attention to detail with an exceptional fit and finish. He later met Anton van der Westhuizen who introduced him into the art of making custom folding knives. He joined the Cape Knifemaker's Guild in September 2019 with the intention of providing the highest quality custom knives he could produce. He prefers creating knives with his hands and currently uses no CNC machines in his process.
This TF-4 Flipper has a perfectly centered blade with silky-smooth action. The front flipper opening is tremendously easy to use for quick deployment. When combined with the IKBS ball bearing system, the action is exceptional! The Ikoma Korth Bearing System (IKBS) was originally designed to fit balisong knives and uses ball bearings to create exceptional action with no blade play. This special folder is made with ceramic ball bearings. Generally IKBS bearings are made either from tool steel or from stainless steel. Stainless steel can wear away, resulting in uneven action over time. Tool steel bearings can oxidize making the action rough. Ceramic bearings are the best of all worlds -- extremely hard and wear resistant, they are also inert and will not oxidize. The knife can be opened using the ambidextrous flipper tab.
The blade is hand ground RWL-34 stainless steel with a hand rubbed satin finish. RWL-34 is a premium powder metallurgy cutlery steel manufactured by ERASTEEL in Söderfors, Sweden. Because it is made from rapidly solidified powders, the microstructure of the steel is much more uniform. This gives the steel much higher strength and resistance to cracks and chips. The blade is hollow ground for an easy to maintain edge.
Handle scales are Red Dark Matter FatCarbon. Blue anodized titanium liners surround a matching FatCarbon backbar. The 3D machined pocket clip is mounted for right-side, tip-up carry.
Excellent work throughout!


Availability: Not currently available