How do you clean the traditional knife?

D

Dextar

Joined
Sep 14, 2017
Messages
593
Hi there,

As I just step into the traditional knife world and got 1 Laguiole, 1 Le Thiers knives, just wanted to learn something about how to clean them.
Read from FP's website:

HOW SHOULD I MAINTAIN AND SHARPEN MY KNIFE?​

Most of our knives do not require any maintenance because of their excellent stainless steel structure. That said, a drop of oil into the mechanism will help. The elderly would recommend "never wash a knife; just wipe it". Please respect the knife! The pocket knife is a precision instrument: it is not dishwasher safe!
Click to expand...

So i just wanted to know, in the real world, everyday use, don't you really clean it by using the dishwasher?

Cutting fruit after cutting meat without wash it sounds a little strange to me as a new comer.

But how to clean it if it's necessary?

Thanks!
D
 
NEVER wash a valued knife in the dishwasher. Automatic dishwasher detergent is caustic stuff. And it's made more so by the extra-hot washing temperatures at which they operate. The detergent working at temps that high is capable of etching glass, which is why glasses will get 'foggy' over time after repeated washing in the dishwasher.

For synthetic handles and for bone, a simple hand-washing with liquid dish soap & warm water is fine for traditional knives. Exercise the pivots while doing so, to flush any grit or grime out of them. Rinse in relatively hot water (but not too hot for your hands, like over 120°F or so). The warm rinse will warm the internals of the knife, which helps evaporate residual moisture more easily. Add a drop or two of oil to the pivots afterward.

For other knives with wood or stag, it's probably best not to get them too wet with water moisture, as they might have issues with warping, shrinking or cracking. A little WD-40 spritz into the internals while working the pivots will usually work well to flush them out. Then wipe everything down with a dry & clean rag and put a drop or two of oil in the pivots.

I often use a spritz of Windex on the blade and wipe down with a paper towel to do quick & easy cleaning of my traditional knives after most any use, including for food. It's mild enough, it won't damage anything. And it leaves no significant residue after wiping down (because any remainder quickly evaporates) to cause any worries about food safety issues. If you clean the pivots with it, make sure to re-oil them afterward.
 
wipe the blade after use has always worked for me over the last 60 plus year.
If I used my folder to clean a critter or fish, rinsing the knife under running water or swishing it in the creek/stream/river/lake/pond to clean out any chunks or blood in the blade well, shake the water out of the well then wipe the blade and oil the joint has worked the same six plus decades.

I never got sick, nor did those who ate the critters or fish, or the fruits and veggies later cut by the same knife.

If you are worried about or looking for "sterile" ... forget about it. "Sterile" insofar as "cleansliness" is concernerned is a myth. Always has been, always will be.

Think about it.  EVERYTHING exposed to the atmosphere is "contaminated" by natural airborne bacteria, viruses, plant pollen, fungus/mold spores, dust (most of which does  not come from  this world. Look it up. According to them who know, an estemated 8 to 15  tons of  new space dust lands on earth every day. 😁), smoke (wild fires, not just that from coal and oil fired power plants, industry, vehical exhaust, structral fires, and from cremation), volcanic ash ...
No matter how clean your blade is after washing it, as soon as it is exposed to the air, it is "contaminated" again by what we are breathing. 🙄😁👍

Rinse and dry or just wipe the blade has been plenty good since blades were made from rocks, and bones/antler/horn since "prehistoric" days.
"People" ain't gone extinct from using non steril cutlery, plates, cast iron cooking pots, pans, cauldrens, wood cutting boards (which have natural anti-bacterial properties, BTW, whereas granite and marble cutting boards (and counter tops) are porus, giving germs and dirt plenty of hidie holes...) since day one or two ... or when they got their first meal.
 
Ultrasonic cleaner. Get stuff out you never knew was there. Just be careful what scales you have; celluloid and some plastics do not do well. Warm soapy water works well, and rinse with very hot water. Then oil.
 
Just carrying it in your pocket along with keys, coins, or what have you will generally keep it clean. Top that off with a drop of oil or two in the joints every now and again and maybe blasting the well with canned air will finish it off. Keep it simple. Sometimes, overthinking things isn't the remedy. Steve's tip about swishing it in water sometimes is a good tip too.
 

How do you clean the traditional knife?​

Spit on the blade and wipe it on your jeans. Helps build and maintain a healthy gut flora. Or it might give you dysentery - results may vary.

Seriously, though, a pocket knife is not a kitchen knife unless you’re camping (or undergoing a kitchen remodel, like me…). If camping or fishing or whatever, I agree with this advice:
afishhunter said:
rinse under running water or swish in the water source (crick/stream/river/pond/lake) near the campsite.
Has always worked for me.
Click to expand...

Try to keep gunk out of the pivot, and just clean the blade part.
 
I almost always use the kitchen knives for cutting food. That's what they're there for.

If, for some reason, I'm out of the house & need to use my carry knives to cut fruit or meat, I'll wipe down the blade, and anything else that needs disinfected, with a disinfecting wipe when In get a chance. I have a 1" natural bristle paint brush that's soaked up with gun oil that I use to brush the lint & dirt out the blade wells, and brush down the blades. Wood scales get soaked with mineral oil as needed.

It ain't rocket surgery.:)
 
Seriously good advice abovementioned....Or you like me never ever get them dirty...😄
I think the antique shop knives are the worst...they sit in a case for years having been placed there by the antique dealer who got them in well used condition....the gunk in the blade well and pivots solidifies with age...then I buy it and using the toothbrush, and matchstick method remove half a dead moose pelt worth of grunge...give it the washing up water treatment...papertowel dry and a bit of oil. Good to go.
The other thing Ive found are those nasty little spots of rust that appear on unused virgin blades in my collection...I use autosol for them...0000 steelwool for the particularly bad ones.
 
I just run the blade under some hot water and wipe it off.
I'm generally careful to avoid getting a much inside the frame or pivot...ect so that's about all I need to do.
 
If you're squeamish about using a pocketknife that hasn't been sanitized into oblivion, then you shouldn't be cutting food with it. Even if you did sanitize it perfectly five seconds in your pocket is going to turn your knife into a biohazard. Nothing has to be completely sterile to be safe enough, knowing when that line is crossed is difficult.

I don't use my pocketknife to cut food unless it's the only sensible option. No particular reason, my pocketknife is for outside world stuff, kitchen knives are for the kitchen. I wouldn't gut a squirrel with a chef's knife, I wouldn't chiffonade arugula with a Muskrat.

As far as maintenance goes, wipe it off after use, wash it in soap and water when it gets grody, oil it every once and a while, and sharpen it occasionally. Simple.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
NEVER wash a valued knife in the dishwasher. Automatic dishwasher detergent is caustic stuff. And it's made more so by the extra-hot washing temperatures at which they operate. The detergent working at temps that high is capable of etching glass, which is why glasses will get 'foggy' over time after repeated washing in the dishwasher.

For synthetic handles and for bone, a simple hand-washing with liquid dish soap & warm water is fine for traditional knives. Exercise the pivots while doing so, to flush any grit or grime out of them. Rinse in relatively hot water (but not too hot for your hands, like over 120°F or so). The warm rinse will warm the internals of the knife, which helps evaporate residual moisture more easily. Add a drop or two of oil to the pivots afterward.

For other knives with wood or stag, it's probably best not to get them too wet with water moisture, as they might have issues with warping, shrinking or cracking. A little WD-40 spritz into the internals while working the pivots will usually work well to flush them out. Then wipe everything down with a dry & clean rag and put a drop or two of oil in the pivots.

I often use a spritz of Windex on the blade and wipe down with a paper towel to do quick & easy cleaning of my traditional knives after most any use, including for food. It's mild enough, it won't damage anything. And it leaves no significant residue after wiping down (because any remainder quickly evaporates) to cause any worries about food safety issues. If you clean the pivots with it, make sure to re-oil them afterward.
Click to expand...

Thank you for these very helpful advices! Moreover, I understand the "dishwasher" is not dish soap or liquid dish soap. I misunderstood these English words and as FP states, "never wash a knife" confused me.
Seems it's safe to use liquid dish soap and warm water manually clean the bone handles, and WD-40 spritz for wood / stag is better.
Sure, with oil afterward.
Thanks again!
 
afishhunter said:
wipe the blade after use has always worked for me over the last 60 plus year.
If I used my folder to clean a critter or fish, rinsing the knife under running water or swishing it in the creek/stream/river/lake/pond to clean out any chunks or blood in the blade well, shake the water out of the well then wipe the blade and oil the joint has worked the same six plus decades.

I never got sick, nor did those who ate the critters or fish, or the fruits and veggies later cut by the same knife.

If you are worried about or looking for "sterile" ... forget about it. "Sterile" insofar as "cleansliness" is concernerned is a myth. Always has been, always will be.

Think about it.  EVERYTHING exposed to the atmosphere is "contaminated" by natural airborne bacteria, viruses, plant pollen, fungus/mold spores, dust (most of which does  not come from  this world. Look it up. According to them who know, an estemated 8 to 15  tons of  new space dust lands on earth every day. 😁), smoke (wild fires, not just that from coal and oil fired power plants, industry, vehical exhaust, structral fires, and from cremation), volcanic ash ...
No matter how clean your blade is after washing it, as soon as it is exposed to the air, it is "contaminated" again by what we are breathing. 🙄😁👍

Rinse and dry or just wipe the blade has been plenty good since blades were made from rocks, and bones/antler/horn since "prehistoric" days.
"People" ain't gone extinct from using non steril cutlery, plates, cast iron cooking pots, pans, cauldrens, wood cutting boards (which have natural anti-bacterial properties, BTW, whereas granite and marble cutting boards (and counter tops) are porus, giving germs and dirt plenty of hidie holes...) since day one or two ... or when they got their first meal.
Click to expand...
60 plus years real world experience is respectworthy and trustworth. Thank you for sharing!
 
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