Dishwasher Safe Kitchen Knife???

K

kdnolin

Joined
Jan 16, 2017
Messages
332
I know what most of think of dishwashers and knives, but my wife wants one that can sometimes go through the dishwasher without being destroyed. So i have a few questions. I currently use G Flex epoxy, is there someting better? Is there a difference between G10 and Micarta (paper or linen)? Obviously Corby bolts would be necessary (I was thinking of full tang). For steel, i have lots of AEB-L, i wouldnt waste Z Wear on this one :)
Any other recommendations? Other than dont put it in the dishwasher.
 
Danke42 said:
You'd have better luck here designing a knife safe dishwasher.

Oh wait, already have one of those in every house the kitchen sink.
Click to expand...
What he said...

Usually the few times when I "cook" and am finished with my knife I just run water over it and wipe it off with a paper towel. Takes less than 5 seconds. But if its really unclean then just grab your sponge add your dish soap and wipe the blade a couple times, rinse, and towel dry, still takes less than 30 seconds.
If you don't have a minute or two to spare to care for a quality knife correctly, then you shouldn't be using a quality knife.

Also make sure you store that sucker properly too! Don't just go throw it in the drawer, its a hazard to you AND the knife. Get a knife organizer like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Orga...t=&hvlocphy=9027867&hvtargid=pla-824649230128

I have one and I like it because it allows the knife to "breathe". I also like the magnetic strips to hang them on. I have one in my room to hang the blades I use and it looks cool :cool:. You can get different kinds to match your kitchen, amazon sells a bunch and even harbor freight has them for like $7. Avoid the knife blocks, they SUCK and can allow bacteria to get on your knife in their cold dark knife slots.
 
While I agree with what all this, I can see where you are coming from. My girl wants to be able to throw EVERYTHING in the dishwasher. It drives me flipin' crazy!
If wanted to give this a go, i'd go with a super wear resistant stainless steel, a full tang with g-10 scales, stainless Corbies and the highest temp epoxy I could find.
You'd still have to sharpen allot, but it'd probably last a good long while...
 
Last edited:
It’s not so much my wife that will put it in the dishwasher, we have 2 teenagers. I made her a Santoku from M4 with black paper micarta. I have found it in the dishwasher a few times. Survived so far, but I cringed every time. So I looking to make some kind of beater knife for the kitchen. A.McPherson A.McPherson your suggestion is what I was thinking, except for the high end steel.
 
kdnolin said:
It’s not so much my wife that will put it in the dishwasher, we have 2 teenagers. I made her a Santoku from M4 with black paper micarta. I have found it in the dishwasher a few times. Survived so far, but I cringed every time. So I looking to make some kind of beater knife for the kitchen. A.McPherson A.McPherson your suggestion is what I was thinking, except for the high end steel.
Click to expand...
I would love to see that Santoku. I am thinking about making one soon.
 
LC200n g10 and high temp epoxy with a corby or similar mechanical support.

Aebl will work fine, I have a bait knife that sees a lot of salt and not enough washing and drying in aebl and it lasts ok.
 
Dishwashers are far too aggressive for quality knives.
Either supply the wife with cheap knives and pay to replace them when needed.
Or change the wife.
I can’t say which is the cheapest option.
 
OK folks, lets be real here.

It will be her knife, so she can do as she wishes with it. If she wants to wash it in the dishwasher, that is her perogative.

Make it with a quality high hardness stainless steel that has good corrosion resistance.
Use G-10 for the handle. Second choice would be linen Micarta. Avoid wood handles.
Corby bolts and any good marine grade epoxy (West System G-flex, T-88, the new knife grade epoxies, etc.).

I always advise hand washing a knife and give a sheet with my knives advising this. BUT, people will put knives through dishwashers. If the materials are waterproof, it will survive. The edge is microscopically damaged/coated a bit by the chemicals, but it does not come out dull as a butter knife. Sharpening will be a bit more often, but not every use. A couple of quick passes over a fine white stone or a ceramic stick sharpener will restore it in most cases. One of these Japanese sharpeners is a good thing to have in any kitchen, especially if you make high hardness knives : https://www.amazon.com/Professional...hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583932702977731&psc=1

I have a soft white Japanese stone (kitayama) on a wooden handle that I got from Koji Hara many years ago. I give most knives a few passes on it before use.
 
As much as I cringe at putting a knife in the dishwasher, I actually agree with Stacy (well said). Some people just want to throw everything in the dishwasher, and anything we might say won’t change that. ( for some reason this reminds me of a lyric from an old song “it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to”).

My first thought was actually about the silicates/abrasives present in household dishwasher “detergent”. It’s like sandblasting the edge, and WILL dull it quickly. So they will either have a dull knife (and an amazing amount of people accept this, or just don’t care- see the lyric above), or you will be sharpening the thing relatively often. But if the user is happy ….

Might I offer a suggestion for an alternate approach? Victorinox makes a full line of knives (“fibrox pro”) made for restaurant use. They are THIN stamped steel, reasonably stainless/rust resistant, have molded plastic handles, and inexpensive - and so except for the edge thing hold up to the dishwasher well. The steel is not extremely hard, and so easily sharpens on my grinder (400grit) in just a few minutes. Because the steel is thin, there is not a great problem with increasing TBE with repeated sharpening (the biggest issue is with the paring knives losing so much height that mechanically speaking they become flimsy).I have had several over the years and actually really like them. I’ve also recommended them to a number of friends and family, and the santoku has uniformly been a hit. So … you can sharpen, sharpen, sharpen … and when you no longer like the profile, just toss it and buy a new one.

Again, FWIW, just an alternate approach…
 
Well said Stacy. In my house kitchen knives sometimes end up in the dishwasher, especially when company helps clean up :) One of my kids just put a paring knife in it with maple burl scales. They separated from the full tang, the AEBL got a little suface rust. I am going to replace the scales with G10 and Corby bolts.

She wants a pink handle and likes the knives I make, so buying is not an option.

For stainless steel choices, i have AEBL and CPM 154. I wasnt planning on ordering more steel until December, so it looks like CPM 154. Style will be a 200mm Gyuto with western shaped handle.

Happy wife, happy life!
 
I have nice kitchen and steak knives that I hand-wash. When I cook for a lot of people I have "good" cheap knives. They are dishwasher safe with plastic handles. They go into the dishwasher with no ill-effect to sharpness.
 
About 4 years ago I rehandled my uncle’s favorite ice cream serving spoon with canvas micarta and GFlex with peened nickel silver pins and it’s holding remarkably well. It probably sees the dishwasher twice a week.
 
3fifty7 said:
About 4 years ago I rehandled my uncle’s favorite ice cream serving spoon with canvas micarta and GFlex with peened nickel silver pins and it’s holding remarkably well. It probably sees the dishwasher twice a week.
Click to expand...
That is a lot of ice cream 😊
 
I was going to jump right in with my opinion but it's been said by a few already. I would use LC200N, G10, hidden tang, G Flex or any decent epoxy making sure the tang/handle joint is well sealed. I think AEBL would be fine, too, but for peace of mind in the corrosion category, LC200N would be my fist pick.

As far as the detergent, I actually use regular dish soap. You have to use a small amount, otherwise your kitchen floor will be covered in suds! In our dishwasher, the regular dish soap gets dishes very clean, and absolutely zero water spots on clear glass. I do rinse them well prior to putting them in the dishwasher. I guess I'm one of those weirdos who washes dishes before they wash dishes.
 
We recently tested composite panels at work to see at what temperature they delaminate. I don't recall the exact numbers, but West Systems 105 was somewhere around 120°F, System 3 slightly higher. If you have a sous vide machine, do a test piece with whatever epoxy you plan on using and set it to 160°F or so and see if it survives for a couple of hours. Or just use JB Weld as butcher_block butcher_block suggested.
 
My suggestion: Buy the "customer" a factory knife.
Why invest your time, craftsmanship, and emotion just so someone can abuse it.
You don't drive your sports coupe through the cow pasture. Not even sometimes. Not even when you're in a hurry and it's a shortcut.

"But I want a painting that the kids can use crayon on!"
*shakes head*
*hates world*
 
If it was my wife I would make her something that goes in the dishwasher. Then I would sharpen the blade when it got dull. I might have to sharpen it more often but a diamond sharpener that takes less than 30 seconds. Sure the blade will wear out fast but then you just go build another one. We do things for our wives to make them happy. If she won't stop using your knives then make her a second or fifth. Sure it isn't the purest way to do things but if it makes her happy it's never going to make your life worse.

I think it's a great idea. I have got my wife partially trained but there is a good chance that I will do the same once I get the dishwasher put in. I would make her a smallish chef out of something stainless that has good stain and wear resistance. Butch had good ideas after that. Then get a diamond stone and learn to do course edge sharpening and you should be a happier man.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top