Knife FAQs
How do I maintain a knife?
The best thing to do is keep it clean and sharp. After washing a knife it should be dried and then “steeled” before putting it into a protective cover. The steel is a long ridged edge maintenance tool that is designed to take the flattened or folded over edge of the knife and make it strait again. Constant chopping and cutting will fold the knives sharp edges over, it is still sharp but it is facing the wrong direction. Steel with good triangular grooves will renew a knife for future use, it does not sharpen the knife however. Regrinds and sharpening stones can be used to reapply a sharp edge. On folding knives oil should be periodically placed on the moving parts. Keeping a knife dry is the best way to extend its life. Always be careful when handling sharp and dangerous objects such as knives.
Where should I store my knife?
The most important consideration is the blade’s edge. If you’ve got a sheath, you should always use it. Kitchen knives can be stored in wooden blocks or on magnets. Pocket knives will maintain their edges better then most, but it might be a good idea to store your coins and keys in one pocket and your knife in another. If you’re storing several knives, be sure to put them in a place where they’re not going to bounce into one another. Be particularly careful with knives that do not have stainless steel edges. They’re far more prone to corrosion than stainless steel blades, and you’re going to want to clean and use your non-stainless steel blades on a regular basis.
I have nicks in my knife. Can they be removed, or should I just sharpen it anyway?
Nicks make your blade look unattractive, but more importantly, they get in the way of cutting. You need to work the nicks out of your blade before you move on to fine sharpening. Concentrate to grind down the damaged area until the nicks are gone. After that, switch to sharpening the blade’s entire length and evening out the blade, either with one sweeping motion, or by using a circular, counter-clockwise motion.
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