Your carbon steel care routine.

SVTFreak

SVTFreak

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I'm curious how much care you guys give your carbon steel knives. Do you use for any food prep? How often do you wash it well with soap and water? How often do you oil them? How often do you oil the blade well side of the back springs?

Thanks in advance, y'all.
 
I use carbon steels for food all the time. My pocketknives that get used for food get washed with soap and water maybe once a month or so, whenever I cut something that I feel would be unsafe to leave on the blade. Other than that they get a quick wipe or maybe a rinse in some water. I oil them when I notice them starting to act like they need it. Probably not as often as I should. Maybe once every 6 weeks or so for the ones that I'm carrying every day.

Despite my lax approach to cleaning and maintaining my knives they're no worse for the wear and I haven't yet gotten sick.
 
My favorite and most used kitchen knives are self made from 1095 and all I do with them is let them build up a nice patina thru use and then make sure to wash them after every use by hand and put them up. On my Cody Scout I use it on any food that I have away from the house and need to cut up. Ive built up a nice patina on it and no longer worry about the blade, just wipe it down and pocket it. I blow out the pocket lint every chance I remember and oil the joint whenever I touch up the edge (once a week maybe). I also clean it with soap and warm water during that time as well which is a main reason I oil it at that time as well. I love the look of the patina and love the fact that it no longer makes apples taste funky LOL When I used to keep carbon steel blades clean and shiny it would make certain foods taste metallic.

Matt
 
I have one Queen straight jack I keep pretty, all others get a patina. The pretty one gets metal polish and then oil. The rest get wiped down and oiled with Inox (a food safe lubricant) on occasion.
 
I dont think about it much.

I have never used soap, though I probably should once in a while. Ive never thought of oiling the blade well. I simply run hot water over it, open and close it under the hot water to get any junk out, and then I mineral oil it or use remington oil depending on the knife. I just run the joints with oil and the oil runs to the well and springs.

I don't always use my knives on food but I have no issue with it and each of my knives have been used on food several times. Sometimes I just wipe them off on a towel or my jeans. It just depends but I certainly dont stress about it.


 
I live in an area where summers are very humid, and I tend to sweat a lot. Even a well oiled carbon blade can develop pepper spots very quickly in a pocket. So, for user knives, I go ahead and force a patina. I prefer a hot vinegar soak. After that, I find that keeping the blades dry is most important. I'll put a drop of mineral oil on the joints occasionally, when I think about it. That seems to work just fine.


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I never wash with soap, but would if i used my knife on raw meat or something of similar heath concern. But i do rinse the blade with water, or with a wet napkin ill wipe the blade down with it after using my knife on food

I just use compressed air on the joints and wells and oil the joints maybe twice a month. Every couple months or so i cover the knife in mineral oil and let it sit for about an hour after working the joints
 
I have a tendency to use whatever is in my pocket for all my food prep just because I'm to lazy to grab a Mora. Because of this I am also in the habit of washing it good in Dawn and warm water, dry it off and poor a little mineral oil on it.
 
The only Food Prep that I do with my folders is opening packages and occasionally peeling apples unless we are away from home and we find that we need a knife to use on food stuffs.
I then will wash it off under real hot water when I can get to it . I do not mind having a patina on my blades , but I prefer them to be clean . If I want a quick patina , I prefer to use Rhubarb .
I sharpen my normal carrys and oil the joints when they feel like they need it . Test of the thumb and not opening smoothly . Oil used is food grade mineral oil .

Harry
 
I cut food no problem, i always rince it in some water after and dry only time my knives get oil is when im putting them away for a few weeks or months besides that little water wipe off and back in the pocket.
 
I use a carbon blade every day at work for food, whether cutting fruit or beef/chicken/pork for lunch. I rinse it well under hot water and dry. I never oil the blades on any of my knives though and just let what happens, happen. I will put a drop of oil in the pivot after every week of use and generally touch up the edge and strop. For the blade wells I use a pipe cleaner with some Tuf-Glide. I probably care more about the well condition than the rest of the knife. A clean blade well is an absolute must.
 
I don't have one really. I don't close the blades wet, I wash with soap if I cut raw meat/fish, and I oil the joint when it feels like it needs it. Same as my other knives.
 
I use it, rinse it under water or not. Wipe it on my jeans. Then I fold it up and drop it back in the pocket. Not gonna worry after 58 years of the routine.
 
I don't use pocket knives for food prep, whether the blades are stainless or non-stainless.
I don't artificially "patina" my non-stainless blades.
They get a light coat of oil about once a week if I am carrying them day in day out (one drop per blade, spread with my finger). I try to remember to oil them as I put them away for a spell to carry another knife.
 
SVTFreak said:
Do you use for any food prep?
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I have one carbon steel Dexter boning knife that we use all the time in the kitchen. Unless camping, I generally don't use folders of any kind in food prep.

SVTFreak said:
How often do you wash it well with soap and water?
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I generally don't wash carbon steel (or any) folders with soap and water unless they got extraordinarily dirty.

SVTFreak said:
How often do you oil them?
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I oil the joints from time to time. That's it. I don't ever slather carbon steel blades with oil. Just keep them wiped clean and dry. I DO occasionally wipe down my carbon-steel blades with a Miracle Cloth. Highly recommended.

SVTFreak said:
How often do you oil the blade well side of the back springs?
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Never.

-- Mark
 
I usually carry my Douk-Douk or Opinel around the house and I always end up using my pocket knives for food prep because I tend to keep them much sharper then my kitchen knives. I use soap any time I cut raw meat or something acidic, I oil them as needed.
 
SVTFreak said:
I'm curious how much care you guys give your carbon steel knives. Do you use for any food prep? How often do you wash it well with soap and water? How often do you oil them? How often do you oil the blade well side of the back springs?

Thanks in advance, y'all.
Click to expand...

Mine get a soap & water bath if/when the pivots and blade well become excessively dirty/grimy/sticky. Liquid dish soap & tolerably hot water (~120°F) are what I use; exercise the pivots while immersed in the soapy water. Then rinse thoroughly in hot water again, which warms up the knife and allows any residual moisture in unreachable nooks/crannies to evaporate off. THEN, I'll often douse the entire knife with some isopropyl alcohol afterward, to carry away any moisture that might be left, just to be sure. The knife will be completely free of water after that. After it drys, lube it with just 1-2 drops of light oil in the pivots. Might also use some of that residual oil to coat the blades as well. Same for the blade well; the little bit of oil applied for the pivots should leave enough residual for that. Tilt or rotate the knife as needed, to let the oil run to the places where it's needed, then wipe it down to remove the excess left oozing/dripping from the handle & pivots. A little will go a very long way.

I'll also wipe a little mineral oil on the blades, if/when I use an oilstone during resharpening. That's a convenient time to do it.

I generally don't use my carbon steel knives for food prep; but I will if it's all I've got. Otherwise, I prefer using stainless for food, as it leaves no residual taint to the taste/aroma of the food. Sticky fruit juices in the pivot are definitely an issue for binding and rusting, and warrant another dish soap & water bath, if it happens.


David
 
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knarfeng said:
I don't use pocket knives for food prep, whether the blades are stainless or non-stainless.
I don't artificially "patina" my non-stainless blades.
They get a light coat of oil about once a week if I am carrying them day in day out (one drop per blade, spread with my finger). I try to remember to oil them as I put them away for a spell to carry another knife.
Click to expand...
This is pretty much my response to the question also.
 
This is a helpful thread, thanks for starting it SVT. I just started carrying carbon blades fairly recently. I've had a few Case CV knives, but I didn't carry them often because I didn't really know a lot about the steels. Honestly, I was worried about spotting and rust since it sounds like it's pretty common. I work in a warehouse for my second job and it's pretty dang hot in there during the summer months so I didn't think it was a good idea to throw a carbon blade in my pocket. Especially since I've gotten into GEC and their more expensive and harder to replace knives. I would really like to carry my carbon blades all year round. I forced a patina on a Case stockman, which I didn't like at first but it grew on me. Would the forced patina help if I'm sweating my tail off in jeans, in a warehouse, in August??
 
JD Bear said:
This is a helpful thread, thanks for starting it SVT. I just started carrying carbon blades fairly recently. I've had a few Case CV knives, but I didn't carry them often because I didn't really know a lot about the steels. Honestly, I was worried about spotting and rust since it sounds like it's pretty common. I work in a warehouse for my second job and it's pretty dang hot in there during the summer months so I didn't think it was a good idea to throw a carbon blade in my pocket. Especially since I've gotten into GEC and their more expensive and harder to replace knives. I would really like to carry my carbon blades all year round. I forced a patina on a Case stockman, which I didn't like at first but it grew on me. Would the forced patina help if I'm sweating my tail off in jeans, in a warehouse, in August??
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It will help but I'd still keep it good and oiled, sweat is rough on carbon blades. Maybe consider getting a sheath or a pocket slip to use during the summer.
 
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