Well, I haven't heard from Ragnar, yet, but I did hear back from another Mora dealer, Abe Elias: http://home.cogeco.ca/~aelias/

Here is the full text of our exchange:

Hi Randall

Well the truth of the matter is I have called Sweden a number of times direct and talked to them direct and at the time they were not willing to let out the actual steel they use. So I don't know how people are coming up with the names of the steel they are using when they are not telling or did not tell. I have seen listings for the stainless and carbons I don't know how these people are getting the information. Sometimes I wonder if the information that is being spread is made up or a guess but anyone claiming to know should provide how they found out. I even have a dealers catalogue and it is not mentioned in there catalogue or site.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help

Abe
----- Original Message -----
From: Randall Jackson
To: 'Canranger'
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 8:18 AM
Subject: RE: Knives, what else.

Abe:
A friendly dispute has arisen regarding Mora blade composition. I have a post to Ragnar, but his is often slow getting back.

The questions are: (1) are Moras made of 1095, or the Swedish steel Kolstal? (2) What is the difference?

Randall C. Jackson

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As for the significance of the links, the second is a link to the web page of Göran Enocksson, a blade maker. Back up to www.gen-smide.se to see the whole thing. My scandinvavian language skills are not as good as my German, but the thrust of it is that they make jakt (hunting) knives of Kolstal, fiske (fishing) knives of a steel called AEB-L, and hantverk (craft) knives of a stainless steel, SS2258 made by Kolstal. There is reference to another steel, Sleipner, which, like Kolstal, is the name of the manufacturer. I looked at the web sites of Kolstal and Sleipner, and they ain't tellin' what is in their steel.