Washing Your Knives

We always recommend washing of any knife or tool by hand, in warm water with a mild, non abrasive soap. Be very careful, go slow and avoid heavy pressure to avoid slipping and possibly cutting yourself. Dry each instrument completely before storage. For woodworking and garden tools, consider applying a light coat of silicone based tool oil to the blade and moving parts. This will help prevent rust. A food grade mineral oil could be used to protect kitchen blades and is great for conditioning wooden handles. This oil should be washed off prior to using the knife.

It’s best to wash your knives and tools immediately after use. Acidic foods, oils or water left on kitchen knives can begin to break down the steel and lead to rust spots. Even wiping your knives down with a wet towel then drying after use is better than nothing. Knives left to soak or left in the sink can also begin to show rust. Mud and debris left on tools can hold moisture and have a similar effect. 

There is still a fierce debate about using the dishwasher to clean knives. Even if your knives labeled dishwasher safe I would recommend hand washing for the reasons stated previously. Any time your knives sit, waiting for the dishwasher to be run, acids or water could be causing rust. A dishwasher does not completely dry it’s contents after running. Water droplets left on your knife could be causing rust spots. Also, the high heat and moisture does a number on wooden handles. For these reasons, I always recommend hand washing. 

Staying Sharp: Leather Strops
 

There are several popular methods to maintaining a razor sharp edge for your knives. A strop block is by far the easiest and best edge maintenance method for a variety of knives. Stropping realigns your knife's cutting edge and removes a tiny amount of excess steel. This method uses an ultra fine compound to polish and refine the edge. The strop is typically a block with a leather sheet covering one or more surface. The compound is applied over a piece of leather and the edge is pulled over the strop. The soft leather conforms to the blade profile, honing and polishing the cutting edge without changing the profile. Using a strop will bring a dulling knife back to life, but the compound is too fine to quickly remove enough material to resharpen the edge. 

For best results, strop your knives after use, before you wash and store your knife. A strop must be first loaded with compound, applying the compound over the entire leather sheet. Knives should be washed and stored after honing with a ceramic rod or wiped down after using a steel.

1. To load a strop, the compound should be spread evenly over the entire leather surface. Compound blocks can be rubbed into the leather like a crayon. Adding a few drop of mineral oil to the leather and working the compound with your fingers can soften the compound and ensure even distribution.
2. Once loaded, set the strop block on a stable surface. If the strop has a handle, you can hold the handle and rest the end of the strop on a table or stable surface. 
3. Touch the knife blade at the handle on the rod nearest to the end of the strop with the blade pointed towards you. You will be pulling the knife across the leather while also sliding the knife from handle to tip. The knife must be pulled away from the cutting edge to avoid cutting into the soft leather.
3. Angle of the blade between 10 and 25 degrees depending on the type of knife. 
4. Simultaneously slide the knife down the strop, away from the cutting edge, and slide the knife from handle to tip. 
5. Turn the knife over in the same hand. Repeat for the opposite side, pulling the knife down the strop while also sliding the knife from handle to tip. Ensure this side is also stropped away from the cutting edge
6. Ensure an equal number of passes for each side until the desired sharpness is achieved. 10-20 passes should be sufficient, but additional passes will continue to hone the edge. 

Staying Sharp: Ceramics and Steels

There are several popular methods to maintaining a razor sharp edge for your knives. Ceramic and steel rods work similarly and require the sharpener to set the angle. As a knife is used, the very thin steel at the apex of the cutting edge start to fold over. A steel realigns these folds back into a usable cutting edge, while a ceramic rod realigns and removes material from the edge. Both methods have a place, but once a blade starts to dull, a steel will not help and a ceramic will only sharpen to the grit level stated. It’s also notable that some high carbon steels (especially Japanese made knives) may be too hard for a steel rod to realign the microscopic folds in the blade. In this case, a leather strop is the best tool to keep these knives sharp

For best results, use a  steel prior to using your knives. Alternatively, use a ceramic rod after use, before you wash and store your knife. Unlike steels, ceramics remove steel and leave small amounts of material behind. Knives should be washed and stored after honing with a ceramic rod or wiped down after using a steel.

1. Holding the rod vertically with one hand and the knife in the other. Rest the end of the rod on a table or stable surface.
2. Touch the knife blade at the handle on the rod nearest to the rod's guard with the blade pointed away from you. You will be pulling the knife down the rod, to the end of the rod while also sliding the knife from handle to tip.
3. Angle of the blade between 10 and 25 degrees depending on the type of knife. 
4. Simultaneously slide the knife down the rod, toward the cutting edge, and slide the knife from handle to tip.
5. Repeat for the opposite side, using the other side of the rod, pulling the knife down the rod while also sliding the knife from handle to tip. This side will be steeled away from the cutting edge. 
6. Ensure an equal number of passes for each side. 10-20 per side should be sufficient. Be sure to rotate the rod during use to ensure even wear.

Your knife block’s built in ceramic sharpener is a good economic solution to keeping knives sharp. Generally these are a ceramic hone meant for maintaining the knife’s edge. However, the built in sharpener has a preset angle that may not match the blade edge if it has been resharpened. Pulling the blade through removes a microscopic amount of steel, polishing the blade. The angle is preset and only requires the sharpener to maintain a straight, smooth pull, passing the knife over the ceramic. While these are unlikely to help you maintain the razor sharpness of your newly sharpened blade, they will help maintain a very sharp knife for a long time. Use this hone before or after each us and apply 10-15, smooth pulls from handle to tip, applying light pressure.