Carbon steel asks for a little more than stainless. Not much, and not often, but a little.
Daily use
- Wash by handAnd dry it immediately. Never the dishwasher—not for the steel, and not for the handle.
- Do not leave it wetMost of the rust these knives ever see comes from sitting in a sink for an hour.
- Cut on wood or plasticGlass, stone and ceramic boards will destroy an edge in a single use.
- Do not pry or twistA thin, hard edge chips when levered sideways. Use something else for frozen food and bone.
About the patina
Your knife will change colour. Within a few weeks the bright finish goes grey and mottled, and onions and acidic food speed it up. That is a patina: a stable oxide layer that protects the steel underneath. It is not rust and it is not a defect.
Rust is different—orange, powdery, and it sits proud of the surface. A spot usually comes off with a cork and a little Bar Keepers Friend. To avoid it entirely, wipe the blade dry when you set it down.
A knife that is honed often almost never needs sharpening.
Keeping it sharp
A few passes on a ceramic rod before you start cooking will hold a working edge indefinitely. When honing stops bringing it back, go to stones: a 1000 grit to re-establish the edge, a 4000 to refine it.
- KitchenRoughly 15° per side.
- FieldRoughly 20° per side.
- ConsistencyMatters far more than hitting the exact number.
Avoid pull-through sharpeners. They tear the edge rather than cutting it, and they will undo a hand-finished bevel in seconds.
Send it back
Seth will re-sharpen anything he made, free, for as long as he is working. You pay shipping both ways and nothing else. If a handle has loosened or a pin has worked proud, he will fix that at the same time.