Blacksmithing
and Cutlery
by Gérard HEUTTE
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Maintenance of the knives
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What to do to keep knives in good
condition for a long time?
This page is designed for the maintenance of the knives that I
make, but the majority of the advices are of a general nature.
In preamble: No dishwasher!
Wood
The raw wood is a rather delicate
material. This is why I treat it with the linseed oil. Thus, it
supports moisture...
A handle so treated needs no specific
maintenance. It will patinate with time and especially the use.
You can "revive" it by slightly rubbing it with ultra-fine
steel wool.
Horn
I do not use much horn because it is very
fragile and ages badly. The old knives with the handles in horn
often have problems of adjustment because the horn "works"...
For maintenance, nothing special except avoid
water and heat. And especially, no dishwasher!
Brass
Brass does not require particular maintenance.
It however tends to oxidize on the surface and to lose its
brilliance. Not other disadvantage that aesthetic.
If whised, a quick polishing with ultra-fine steel wool gives it again
its brilliance.
Steel
I almost do not use stainless steel.
Consequently, almost all my blades are likely to rust!
But no panic, it is not an mandatory issue!
A often used blade finishes by getting patina.
It loses its brilliance and is colored in gray with sometimes
bluish or yellowish reflections. It is in fact a light
oxidation of surface which then will protect the blade.
After use, clean the knife and especially wipe it to dry
it.
If a knife should not be useful for a long time, remove it
from its sccabard and coat the blade with almond oil or Ballistol.
Honing
Honing is part of the normal maintenance
of a knife.
For that, you can find much varied products.
Perhaps even too!
For myself, I use a natural stone: Stone of Coticule.
It exists in two grains which one can distinguish by the color
from the stone: The stone with the most coarse grain is known
as blue, although it is rather gray. It is that of left below on the
photograph. That with the fine grain (on the right) is white (like shell
of egg).
This kind of stone is used with water. Pose the
stone flat. Humidify it. The honing is made as if
you want to cut a fine stone section. It is necessary to take
care to preserve a constant angle, which requires a certain practice.
During its use, the top of the stone is covered with a kind of
mud (water and grains of the stone). It is this mixture which
is abrasive, it thus should be preserved.
Below, the movement for the honing:
The angle between the blade and the stone is generally of 20°.
For fine and very sharp blades, you should use a a
little lower angle (17°). For blades intended for struck cuts
(machete), you should use a slightly higher angle (23°). To
visualize these angles, you can made templates out of
wood or plexiglass...
After having worked the two sides, it is necessary to
test the edge. Simplest, opposite illustrated, is to test the blade
on a nail. As long as the blade slips, it is necessary to
continue the operation.
If the use of the stone is not enough, the wire must be remade. But
it is no more maintenance!
Leather
My leather scabbard are generally waxed.
Apply wax (outside and inside) from time to time is enough.
I use natural colourless waxing, containing beeswax.
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