Knife care
Guarantee
I guarantee all my knives against fault or failure in materials or manufacture. I will refund or replace any knife that fails for either of the above reasons.
Carbon steel
Carbon steel will rust if not cared for properly. Wipe it down occasionally during use, and hand wash and dry after use. Do not allow excess food to remain on the blade or corrosion can form.
Over time as you use your knife, a patina will form. This is caused by a reaction between the steel of the knife, the foods you are cutting, and the air. This is not the same as rust, and will actually help prevent rust as it builds a thin layer of protection to the surface of the steel. As a general guide, corrosion (bad) is red/orange. A patina (good) will be blue/grey. And if you don't like the patina, then metal polish will remove it easily. Or buy a stainless steel knife!
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Always make sure the knife is completely dry before storing it.
Handles & sheaths
Most of the wood that I use for handles is stabilised, meaning it has been infused with a resin to help it resist any shrinkage, expansion, or other deformation. Occasionally I will use denser hardwoods such as ebony or snakewood that do not react well to stabilisation. If the handle wood is not stabilised (this will be noted on the product info page) then it will benefit from occasional treatment with camelia oil or similar.
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Wooden sheaths are generally not stabilised, and will benefit from a light coat of oil occasionally. If the wood starts to lose its sheen then it is worth oiling it.
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Leather sheaths will also benefit from a leather conditioner to keep it supple and healthy, if you can't find anything suitable then a rub down with plain old vaseline will do the job.
General tips
Never put your knife in the dishwasher. The heat will destroy the handle, and banging against other things will wreck the edge.
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Don't do anything it's not supposed to! Knives are for cutting through food, not prying lids off, using as a screwdriver or similar. You should not use it to cut through bones; bones are extremely hard and require specific tools for cutting through. You will chip the edge of a regular knife on bone.
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Use wood or plastic cutting boards. Glass or stone may look nice, but they will destroy the edge of a knife immediately.
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Sharpening
Knives can be sharpened on an appropriate water or oil stone. Do not use a steel. I heat treat and temper my knives to be much harder than most commercially available knives, and a steel is likely to chip the edge. If you need your knife sharpened please contact me.