Knives require proper care to stay sharp

Last week while at a client’s home, a razor knife blade broke while cutting a piece of carpet. Rather than having someone run to the truck for a new blade, I pulled out my pocket knife and finished cutting the carpet.

The home owner (Dale) was there and asked to examine my knife. I closed the blade of my knife and handed it to him. He said he was surprise that my knife cut the carpet so easily. He said he was a knife collector and asked if I wanted to see his collection. Well … being a collector myself, how could I refuse. I must say, Dale — you do have an outstanding collection.

Knives can be traced back almost 2.5 million years ago. The earliest knives were shaped by knapping (percussive flaking) of rock, particularly rocks such as flint. About 5,000 years ago, with the advances of metallurgy we moved from stone, wood, and bone blades in to copper, bronze, iron, and eventually steel. In Europe the first single-edged knives appeared during the middle bronze age.

Modern knives can be made from many different materials such as alloy tool steel, carbon fiber, ceramics, and titanium. Modern knives consist of a blade and handle. The edge can be plain, serrated or both. The handle may include a partial or full tang (a portion of the blade that extends into the handle). The handle can consist of a variety of materials, e.g. bone, plastic, glass, metal, leather, string, etc.

Knives can be used as traditional or religious implements.

My favorite knife is the Damascus. A Damascus knife is made by pattern welding or Damascening of steel. The knife smith will weld the layers of steel together through a heating, layering and pounding process which makes the steel very hard. By honing of the blade the knife will become very sharp and will hold its edge. This process was first seen in Persia around 500BC.

The term Damascus Steel itself comes from the European Crusaders who came in contact with these superior weapons at the trading city of Damascus. Over time this process spread across Asia into India which they called it “Wootz.” The Japanese have surpassed all other regions with their refinement of the lamination techniques used in the “Tanto”, a common Japanese knife.

Time, temperature, light, moisture, oxidants, handling and other mishaps are all factures which will affect your knife’s condition. The following maintenance tips will extend the life of your knife:

• Kitchen knives should not be allowed to sit in soapy water. The surface texture becomes distorted.

• Automatic dishwashers are not kind to knives. Some dishwashers produce very high temperatures which reduces the temper of the steel.

• Hot soapy water affects organic materials such as, wood, bone, ivory, horn, pearl, etc.

• Folding knives should be closed slowly, snapping it shut will force the blade to hit internal parts thus causing it to dull the edge.

Always keep your knife sharp. A dull knife requires extra force when cutting which is more dangerous to use than a sharp one. There are a variety of knife sharpening products on the open market that are designed to put the correct edge on the blade.

Cleaning your knives is critical. Below are some handy tips which will assist you in that process:

• To remove rust, clean the knife using an SOS pad and rubbing alcohol.

• Carbon steel blades should be cleaned with warm water and baking soda, rinsed well, dried and oiled immediately.

• To clean stainless steel blades, clean them with warm water and dishwashing soap, dry thoroughly.

• After the hunt clean your knife as soon as possible. Blood and other body fluids, especially digestive juices will have a corrosive effect on the steel.

• Never use dirt or sand to clean your hunting knife. Doing that will immediately dull your knife to the point that it’s just another piece of steel.

When cleaning with any cleaning product, always wear eye protection and rubber gloves to protect your hands.

If you would like to share a cleaning idea or concept with the reading audience, call Ed at NWES (255-2266), e-mail them to madan@nwees.com or send them to Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church St., Sandpoint, ID 83864, Attn: What Would Ed do? For more information about Ed, check him out at nwees.com or at nwesinc.com.