Safety & storage
Keeping an edge sharp, keeping it from rusting, and keeping it away from the wrong hands.
Steel wants two things
To stay dry, and to stay sharp. Almost every problem a hand-forged blade develops comes from one of those two being neglected.
High-carbon and Damascus steel are not stainless. They hold a finer edge for longer, and in exchange they will rust if you leave them wet. That is the trade you made when you bought one, and it is an easy trade to keep.
After every use
Wipe it dry
Warm water, mild soap if it needs it, then dry immediately. Never leave a blade to air dry, and never put one in a dishwasher, the heat and detergent will ruin both the edge and the handle.
Oil the steel
A few drops on a cloth, wiped over the whole blade. Food-grade mineral oil for kitchen pieces, camellia or gun oil for everything else. Once a month if it is stored, after every use if it got wet.
Feed the handle
Rosewood, walnut and ash darken and dry over years. A little boiled linseed or beeswax twice a year keeps them from shrinking away from the tang.
Store it loose
Out of the leather. A sheath holds moisture against steel and traces of the tanning salts, the fastest way to pit a blade you love.
Patina, rust, and the difference
One is the steel protecting itself. The other is the steel being eaten.
| Patina | Rust | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Grey, blue, soft brown-black | Orange, flaking red |
| Surface | Smooth, even, part of the steel | Rough, powdery, sits on top |
| What it does | Slows further corrosion | Pits and weakens the blade |
| What to do | Leave it. It is the piece ageing well. | Fine steel wool or a rust eraser with oil, then re-oil. |
Sharpening
Hone often, grind rarely
A few passes on a ceramic rod or fine stone keeps an edge alive. Reaching for a coarse grit means you left it too long.
Keep the angle
Our blades are ground around 18 to 22 degrees per side. Match it. Changing the angle means removing far more steel than you meant to.
Avoid pull-through sharpeners
They tear rather than cut, and they will wreck a hand-ground bevel in seconds. A stone or a rod, nothing else.
Keeping it safe
- Out of reach of children. A display piece on a low shelf is still a sharpened blade. High, or locked.
- Sheathed when moving it. Every piece ships with a cover for a reason. Carry it sheathed, hand it over handle-first.
- Know your local law. Blade length, carry and ownership rules differ by state and by city. Owning a piece is not the same as being allowed to carry it.
- Wall mounts take weight. A hand-forged axe is heavy. Fix mounts into a stud, not into plasterboard alone.
Something already gone wrong?
Rust, a loose handle, a chipped edge, send a photograph. If it is a defect, the lifetime warranty covers it.