KNIFE Care
and Maintenance

High carbon steel, if neglected, is prone to rust.  Therefore, these knives (and all knives, even stainless steel) should be kept dry and clean.  NEVER place your knife in a dishwasher (will void guarantee and ruin the knife). Dishwashers are extremely hard on knives. The detergent, heat and agitation by the water of a dishwasher can cause dulling, warping, swelling, cracking and gaps in the handle. The high carbon steel will most likely develop rust immediately and the edge of the knife can be dulled and damaged. Wipe, rinse, or wash the knife in fresh water with or without dishwashing liquid after each use. Then thoroughly dry the entire knife, including handle, preferably with a paper towel (it supposedly will remove the moisture better than cloth) or cloth. NEVER leave a carbon steel knife to air dry-it will most likely rust and then leave pitting of the steel. Do NOT soak the knife and NEVER place in dishwasher.  Do not allow the knife to stay wet for any period of time, this includes any blood that may get on the knife—rust will develop.  

Hunting knives should not be stored for extended periods of time in their leather sheaths (tannins, oils and moisture from the leather can promote rust and discoloration) and they should not be placed into the sheath when wet. The knife(s) should regularly (about once a month) be treated with an application of a rust preventative solution, such as a light oil (mineral oil will do), rust protective lubricant, camellia oil or a carnauba wax. This is especially true for anything made from wrought iron (letter openers, guards and butt caps) which is VERY prone to rust and needs frequent applications of a protective coating or wax to help prevent rust formation. *** I have found WD-40 Rust Inhibitor works best (for me).. If rust develops, it can be removed by using 4-0 steel wool, high grit (fine) sandpaper or a green Scothbrite pad (available at grocery stores).

Salt water can be very corrosive to the steel of oyster knives, so wash with fresh water (and soap) and dry after use. Also apply some type of rust preventative, oil, camellia oil or wax.

Kitchen knives are best stored: in an in-drawer knife organizer; inserted in a tall sturdy container full of dry rice, dry beans or bamboo skewers; in a wooden knife block (be careful with insertion, so not to damage tip or blade of knife); in an under-cabinet rack; or on a magnetic rack (wall-mounted or countertop, ie magnetic block or easel—attach spine first to prevent damage to edge).  Do NOT leave the kitchen knife in the provided transport case (or any other case, especially leather)---the case that I supply is to aid only in the safe transport of the knife. A thin layer of food grade white mineral oil, vegetable, sunflower, canola oil or camellia oil on the blade will help in rust prevention (do NOT use olive oil—it can turn rancid and damage the steel and handle material). NEVER place your knife in a dishwasher (this will void the guarantee and ruin the knife). Dishwasher detergent is much more harsh and caustic than the mild detergent used to hand wash your knife/dishes. The heat and agitation of the dishwasher can harm the materials of the knife and its edge. If there is a drying stage, the prolonged time in the steam/heat will almost certainly damage both the steel and handle material. Do NOT soak the knife (blade or handle). It is best to rinse or wash (with or without a mild detergent) the knife being careful to remove all food residue or wipe with or on a wet sponge right after use and dry it immediately with a paper towel (removes moisture better) or a thin dry cloth. NEVER leave a carbon steel knife to air dry.

As far as the cutting surface, WOOD is considered the best and end grain is a little better than side grain. Walnut or Cherry are the right hardness. Other good options are: HASEGAWA cutting boards and the cutting boards made by Epicurean. Plastic can be used, but cuts in the plastic can hold bacteria and plastic bits can be cut from the board and get into your food. Bamboo/ceramic/granite/marble/quartz/concrete/glass (this includes plates)/steel (metal) surfaces will quickly dull the edge due to their hardness. Also, do not scrape food off the cutting board with the sharpened edge of the knife (if you must, use the non-sharpened spine or better yet, a bench scraper). Try to avoid cutting into bone, it can damage the sharpened edge.     

“A sharp knife is a safe knife.” Re-sharpening of the 20 degree primary/grinding angle (40 degrees comprehensive/cutting angle) on field knives and 15 degrees primary (30 degrees comprehensive) on kitchen knives can carefully be done if you are skilled at sharpening or it can be done at Cattle Dog Forge as a FREE service to the owner (owner must arrange transport to and from forge). I encourage you to use this FREE service (it includes a refurbishing of the entire knife) . If you must enhance the edge of your knife, I recommend using ceramic honing rods (white or black) and/or a leather strop (and only if you know how to use them) to realign the edge. Steel honing rods can be overly aggressive at removing metal and damage the edge and knife. Honing (ceramic or leather) can be done often (1-2 times/week) to extend the utility of the knife’s edge, it does not actually sharpen the edge just reestablishes it by straightening and realigning the edge . True sharpening should only be required once or at most twice a year if you are not abusing the knives edge. Do not use a pull through sharpener—it can damage the edge and remove excessive amounts of metal.

Knives are made for cutting, primarily skin and/or meat, ie food, not for prying or chopping. Any blade can be bent, broken or the edge ruined, if used incorrectly.  It is not a crowbar, pry bar, machete, screwdriver, hammer or axe.  So use good judgement and use it for its intended purpose only--cutting food. Despite what you see on tv, knives are not made to chop wood, cut bone, nails, bolts, metal, etc and retain their edge. They should never be thrown, unless specifically made for that purpose.  

If rust (red or orange discoloration) develops, it can be removed using one of several methods. A very gentle, food safe and effective way to start is to submerge (maybe in a glass) the rusted portion of the blade (not the handle) in white vinegar for 5 minutes or so and then wipe the area(s) with a sponge, cloth or toothbrush or gentle option #2: cut a citrus fruit (orange, lemon, lime, etc) with the knife, squeeze the juice onto the blade, let it soak for 30-60 seconds and then “scrub” the blade with the rind until the rust disappears.. Other options are: apply a baking soda/water paste to the area and let that sit on the area(s) for up to an hour and then lightly “scrub” with a cloth/toothbrush; gently rub the area with the cut surface of a potato that you have sprinkled with a little bit of baking soda; gently rub the area(s) with the cut surface of an onion (may add a little salt to act as an abrasive); or try gently rubbing the area(s) with a small amount of Barkeeper’s Friend and water. Any of these methods may require more than one application to remove all the rust. A little more aggressive method would require a mild abrasive such as a rust eraser; 0000 (super fine) steel wool; a very fine grit sandpaper (1500-2500 grit)—use wet; or green/blue Scotch-Brite pad. After any of these methods, the blade should be rinsed clean, dried and have an application of a light oil. For kitchen knives you can use vegetable, sunflower or canola oil; food grade mineral oil; or camellia oil. Field knives should have an application of a rust preventative, metal polish, carnauba wax or camellia oil. Do not use the abrasive on the sharpened edge, it can dull it. With use, a patina or gray/black/blue discoloration may occur on the blade primarily due to the steel coming in contact with acids. This causes no harm to the blade and adds character to the knife and also will help prevent rust formation—think of it like allowing the seasoning to build up on cast iron or carbon steel pan.

The handles should be treated with respect.  They are primarily made from natural materials, such as wood, bone, antler or stacked birch bark.  The wood's finish can be renewed with an application of tung oil (*what is used at my shop) followed by a good quality carnauba wax or cutting board wax. Small cracks in wood can be sealed with superglue and then sanded lightly followed by an application of Tung Oil.  Bone and antler can also develop small cracks, due to the nature of these materials.  These are usually harmless because of the method of attachment to the tang.  Birch bark can be cleaned with hydrogen peroxide or if really dirty, washed with soap and water, then cleaned with hydrogen peroxide followed by a light coat of Tung Oil and then a good carnauba wax. Leather handles should be treated with a light leather conditioner or neutral shoe polish to prevent the leather from drying out.  Oils can soften the leather, which can lead to problems.

Leather Sheath Care

As for the sheath, it is important to remember that they are not waterproof, but may be water repellant. If a sheath becomes wet, remove the knife from the sheath, as soon as possible, and allow the sheath to air dry. Never expose a leather sheath to heat (do not place it in an oven or near a fire even at low temperature to speed the drying process--it can ruin the leather). Treat the sheath like you would a good pair of leather shoes: wipe away any dirt with a soft damp cloth, allow to air dry and apply a quality neutral shoe polish, light liquid leather conditioner or leather dressing. I like and use Picard Leather Dressing. Avoid oils that soften the leather--a soft and very pliable sheath can end up with a sharp blade penetrating it. Again, do not store the knife for extended periods in the sheath--tannins, oils and moisture can promote rust formation and discoloration.  

*Thanks to my good friend (and sheathmaker) Bud Siniard of Upland Custom Leather for helping me with this information on leather sheath care and maintenance.