Knife Care and Maintenance

My knives are all made of high carbon steel.  High carbon steel is different than most kitchen knives you have probably used.  It will form a patina which is oxidation on the surface.  The patina is usually a dull, dark grey and blue color that affects the steel.  This will happen and is nothing bad, but something unique.  Different types of foods affect the steel differently, some causing more drastic color changes.  Overtime the story of every meal the knife has participated in will be painted on the blade.  This is the beauty of the patina and why we enjoy using high carbon steel so much.  One thing to be wary of is that once you first start using the knife and before the patina has fully formed, usually taking a couple weeks of regular use, is that the food may have a metallic taste or odor.  To eliminate this odor just soak whatever was chopped in water for a couple minutes.  When using the knife the best practice is to keep it clean.  When in the kitchen we always wipe our blades directly after each use, and if it is going to sit for several minutes we will give it a quick rinse and dry it.

Here are my tips:

Use it frequently.  Using the knife frequently will build the patina.  A sitting knife is apt to rust. We recommend oiling your knife if it is going to sit for an extended period of time.  The oil that we use is mineral oil; it is food safe and very cheap.  One can acquire it at any local drug store. 

Keep it sharp.  We recommend sharpening your knife regularly to keep a nice edge on it.  A decent ceramic sharpening steel will do just fine.   We will always sharpen knives we have made for free.  If you get the knife to me, we will make sure it gets back to you.

Never put it in a Dishwasher.  The knife should never be placed in a dishwasher.  The heat, high pressure water, and jostling is not good for any knife. 

Storing it.  Keeping the knife out of drawers is the best measure to keep the knife safe and also your fingers.  We recommend storing the knife on a magnetic knife strip.  We have been known to make a few of these from time to time, feel free to inquire.  Storing the knife in a well ventilated area and out of harm’s way is the best way, some knife blocks will do fine.

Cutting Boards.  The best cutting boards are wooden ones. Investing in a nice cutting board also makes your food and knives look better too.  Ceramic or stone ones will dull a knife before the first onion.  This is true about steak knives and kitchen plates as well. 

WarrantyIe strive to create usable art that will last long past us, but occasionally an issue will arise.  We will repair any knife that we have made if we can and if the fault is ours we will replace it.

Our knives are made from very hard steels, they are not meant to be used on bones, frozen foods, or hard ingredients. These types of ingredients can cause chipping.

Alas, if you have any questions about the topics above a quick internet search will bring up many pages of information.  Otherwise, feel free to email me at: HalcyonForge@gmail.com