Knife sharpening and 5 care principles
Nothing can withstand everything, and that’s true for knives as well. If you want your knife to stay beautiful and functional, follow a few simple guidelines.
- Use the knife in accordance with the purpose for which it was made
- Keep the knife sharp
- Take care of the steel parts of the knife
- Take care of the handle
- Take care of your knife sheath
How to use the knife
Handle the fine knife with care. The thin blade, high cut and small bevel angle provide excellent cutting ability, but such a knife is susceptible to mechanical damage to the blade and tip.
Never use the knife as a crowbar. Hardening to high hardness causes brittleness and the blade can break when prying. Especially the tip of the knife is prone to breakage.
Use an axe for chopping. Knife only as a last resort and only one that is adapted for such activity. Knives with a thicker blade, a blunter bevel angle and preferably a lens blade can tolerate chopping to a limited extent. If you really have to, cut with a swing, do not hit the back of the knife with another object, especially not a steel one. This would reliably destroy the knife.
Don’t stab the ground with a knife. Sand grains scratch the blade and dull the edge. Do not leave the knife stuck in the wood. It has moisture and various essential oils in it, so the blade could corrode. This also applies to stainless steel knives.
Do not use the handle of the knife as a mallet. It’s not really designed for that.
If possible, cut with slight pressure combined with a knife stroke perpendicular to the direction of the cut. If you just push, the blade will penetrate the material less easily.
Knife sharpening
A dull knife requires more pressure, there is a risk of breaking the blade and injuring yourself. Basic maintenance of the blade is carried out with a honing iron. Use it to flatten out small waves in the facet and pull the cutting edge out. The honing iron does not remove material from the blade, so the knife wears only minimally. It takes a little practice to use a honing iron.
When the honing iron is no longer enough, it’s time to sharpen the knife. If you have a good quality knife, avoid the various stretching sharpeners. Do not use a conventional high-speed disc sander either. If you think of using an angle grinder, you should better throw the knife away.
How to sharpen a knife? For home knife sharpening, water grinding stones are best. Learning how to grind on them is not rocket science, even though it may look like it at first glance. It will need a range of grits from #240 to #3000, even #6000 – #8000 for finer sharpening. Finally, finish the edge on the leather with a little abrasive paste.
There are various grinding systems that guarantee a constant bevel angle along the entire length of the blade. The result is great, but it’s a bit more work than sharpening the knife on a whetstone, and it’s also unnecessary for home use. You can also buy a special slow-running knife grinder, for example Tormek, but this is already a considerable investment and is an overkill for occasional grinding.
How to use a honíng iron
How to grind on stones
How to care for the blade
In the case of knives constructed with a hidden tang, this means taking care of the blade, and in the case of full-tang knives also of the handle. Carbon steel needs to be kept oily at all times. It is possible to use synthetic preservative oils, but if you use the knife to cut food, it must be a food-grade oil. A popular way of preserving the blade is bacon – stick the knife in it and it’s preserved. Camellia oil is also suitable.
In the case of corrosion-resistant steels, preservation may not be so meticulous, but especially in corrosive environments, they certainly benefit from oiling.
It must be taken into account that some foods contain aggressive substances that cause colour changes on carbon steels. You cannot prevent the patina from forming unless you always wipe and preserve the knife immediately after use. For example, citrus fruits, mustard, tomatoes and onions have this effect.
How to care for a knife handle
Handles made of synthetic materials and stabilized wood need virtually no maintenance, but it is different with wood without stabilization. When I make the wood I impregnate it with natural oil and protect the surface with hard natural wax, but these materials should be renewed after a while. For the home procedure, for example, linseed oil is suitable, which you rub on the handle and polish with flannel after it dries.
How to care for a leather knife sheath
The leather also needs to be cared for. Properly treated leather resists moisture and does not crack. It is enough to soak the sheath once in a while with some leather care product without added dye, there is a wide choice on the market. I personally like beeswax products the best because they smell so good.