Knife Care

Lately I have felt the need to give a little education to folks about high carbon steel and the blades I make from it.

The price one pays for choosing a custom high carbon steel blade is that it is susceptible to rust. Moisture is the enemy, just like it is to firearms. The knife must be cared for in the same manner. If you don't care for your firearm it will rust, rifling will pit and not perform the way it should. This is the nature of the beast. The upside of a high carbon blade is that it is stronger, sharper and tougher than other steels.
Rust on a high carbon blade really isn't a major issue, if it happens. It can be fixed generally by the owners, but its much easier to prevent it then fix it. If its so bad it has to come back to me you have officially abused it.
Rust prevention is simple, don't let it rust. Keep your blade stored in a dry place. NOT IN ITS SHEATH!
I provide padded cases if needed for storage at cost just for this reason.

Tips

Use mild soapy water to clean your knife. Wipe it down, dry it right away and oil it up. Blood, fingerprints and grime will cause high carbon to rust, if not dealt with.
Just like a firearm, even when not in use, it needs to be taken out once in awhile and oiled. If you don't care for your firearms, don't bother buying a high carbon blade...period. Keep the blade oiled with a good quality oil that contains a rust inhibitor. There are many on the market.
Some of the oils and products I recommend are:
Tuf-Cloth : Cleans, prevents rust and lubricates without oils or silicones. Non-toxic dry film corrosion inhibitors and lubricant.
Marine Tuff Cloth : Non-toxic dry film corrosion inhibitors and lubricants provides a fast-drying, water-displacing micro-bonding crystal barrier against rust, friction and wear. For use in or on saltwater, long term storage or extreme conditions. I highly recommend this
Montana X-Treme Gun Oil : Non-teflon lubricant and rust preventative, designed to work in high and low temperature conditions,may be used as a finishing or storage oil following normal bore cleaning may be used to weatherproof metal surfaces. Highly recommended.
Rem oil :Cleans dirt and grime from exposed metal surfaces while displacing invisible moisture from metal pores. Also protects internal and external metal parts from rust and corrosion.
Ballistol Sportsman's Gun Oil : Good all around oil. One of the reasons WW2 German issue gear is still around today.
Militec-1 Synthetic Rust Preventative : Non-hazardous, non-toxic, non-combustible,Protects metal surfaces with a constant impregnated molecular bond, works within the molecular structure of metal and non-metallic firearm surfaces
There are others any most good oils will work fine, basically anything that you would use on a firearm will work. Even motor oil in a pinch if out in the bush. I happen to prefer oils made to inhibit rust and is nontoxic. I also like a oil that cant be used on wood as well such as Rem Oil or Ballistol.

If caring for a high carbon steel knife isn't your thing, buy stainless, but remember even that will rust. I'll even recommend makers I know and trust, that work in stainless.

A side note,WD-40 is NOT recommended. Yes it displaces water but it also rubs off easy and once off it does little for rust prevention.

If you keep your knife Clean, Dry, Oiled and Sharp you will never have a problem and it will last you generations.

Knife sharpening:
Keep it sharp! This is really a personal choice on what to use and how to sharpen. I can honestly say there are very few times have I seen a high quality heat treated knife that needed a stone taken to it. Unless its chipped, don't. A few strokes on ceramic stone or crock stick should be all thats needed to get hairpoppin sharp. If its a knife I made and needs honed, send it back to me I'll do it right and I'll do it free, you just catch the shipping.
If you feel like you want to do it, know that most of my knives edges are 20 degree angle and for reason. Changing that will change how it works. Use a guide that allows you to get 20 degrees and only use the finest stone you have. Don't change the angle, if you do you might be sending it back to me anyway.


Restoring the finish
A little bit of flitz or simichrome lightly rubbed on blade and guard will go along ways to bring the finish back to life and wont hurt a thing. Feel free.

Abuse
While I would think this to be self explanatory apparently it isn't. I made a knife for a fellow, One of my higher end knives. He loved it!! Bragged on it. Then called me up and said, "It broke, what are you going to do about it?". Well, I know my knives intimately and couldn't for the life of me figure out his description of how the end cap just "came off". So, I told him to send it to me I'd fix it, but if it appeared to have been abused he was going to have to pay for the repair. Reluctantly it all came out, he had taken a large rock and beat on the butt cap of the knife repeatedly until it loosened up. The blade did not fail, it went through what he was trying to spear, the handle didn't fail, it was still there tough as can be. So what failed?
I haven't heard another word about it once the whole story came to light, other then him rattling off about it on a forum, yet even there he didn't give the whole story. That's fine, I'll still fix it for him if he wishes, I'll still charge him for it too. He knows it was dumb thing to do and I hope you do to.
They are knives, not screw drivers, axes or pry bars. In an emergency I know my knives will get you out of the situation, but no knife will do it and still look showcase new.