We are always happy to offer advice or have a product back for re finishing, thinning or sharpening, please feel free to contact us.

Maintaining A Carbon Steel Blade:

One of the most important steps in taking care of your carbon steel is keeping the blade clean. That means wiping down your knife directly after use. It may seem tedious at first, but it will keep your blade looking nice. This is especially true when working with acidic foods like lemons and tomatoes, which tend to be particularly tough on carbon steel and our ‘special black’ finish.

Cleaning:

A gentle wipe down with a soft, non abrasive sponge and hot water is all it needs. Dish soap is fine but avoid scrubbing the surface finish or soaking the handle. Dry it off well asap.

‘Special Black’ Finish:

The special black finish we offer for most of our carbon steel blades is exceptionally rust resistant and relatively hard-wearing. If you want it to stay pristine, keep it away from acidic juices, or use our leather and knife balm as a protective layer as the colouring can be bleached by acid over time. Marks on the blade will patina naturally over time and continue to protect the steel, but if you don't like the look just send us a message, all of our hidden tang handles are removable to allow re-finishing.

Wax Coating:

all of our carbon steel knives will come with a food safe wax coating on the blade. This will help protect surface finishes and also helps the knife look its best right out of the box as there is no need for it to be covered in oil. This wax coating doesn’t last forever unfortunately but it can be replenished using our leather and knife balm.

Handles:

A handle should be pretty maintenance free but you can help rejuvenate it with finishing oil if it starts to dry out. We usually use a special blend of our own but most brands will work. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. 

Keep Your Knife Honed:

We recommend a leather strop for honing as its a little more forgiving than a steel, especially on hard edges. This straightens the edge on an almost microscopic scale and should be done regularly to help keep your knife sharp for longer. It does not actually ‘sharpen’ your knife and eventually some material will need to be removed on whetstones. Please do not be tempted to use a carbide or electric sharpener on any knife you care about. We sell our own sharpening systems for use with full size whetstones, they are generally aimed at people that do a lot of sharpening but would be a useful part of any tool kit. 

Carbon Steel or Stainless?

Stainless steel is the most common material for kitchen knives, however, carbon steel is often the preferred choice of culinary professionals. This is because even basic grades can hold an incredibly sharp edge, some with very high hardness while remaining easy to work with and keep sharp. More expensive grades of stainless can offer better edge retention as well as corrosion resistance however they are usually very difficult to work with so I'd recommend putting your money into a very well made carbon steel blade with well refined geometry instead of paying for all those hours of grinding on high grade stainless.