Hand Forged Knife Care: Washing, Oiling and Storage

To care for a hand forged knife: wash and dry it by hand straight after use, wipe a thin film of oil on a carbon steel blade, store it off other metal, and sharpen it before it feels dull. Four habits, and the knife outlives you.

Updated September 2026. A hand-forged knife is not fragile, but it is not a supermarket blade either. The steels that take the keenest edge are the ones that ask for a little attention, and almost every problem people bring to us — a rust freckle, a stained blade, a chipped tip, an edge that went blunt in a month — traces back to one of four habits. Here they are, in the order they matter.

1. Wash and dry by hand, immediately

Hand wash with warm water and a little mild soap, then dry with a non-abrasive cloth before you put it down. Not later, not after dinner. The damage happens in the minutes a wet blade sits on a draining board.

Never the dishwasher. The combination of prolonged heat, aggressive detergent and the blade knocking against other items will dull the edge, stain the steel and dry out a wooden handle, and no guarantee anywhere covers it. Can you put knives in the dishwasher? answers that in full.

Never leave it in the sink either — partly for the steel, mostly because a sharp blade hidden under suds is how people get cut.

2. Keep the blade dry while you work

Acidic and wet food is what marks a blade, and faster than most people expect. Tomato, lemon, onion, vinegar: wipe the blade down as you go rather than letting the juice sit on the steel.

On a high carbon steel knife that reaction leaves a grey or blue tint. That is a patina, not rust, and it is harmless — a thin oxide layer that actually slows further corrosion. Rust is orange, sits proud of the surface and comes off with a cork and a little oil. Patina marks on your kitchen knife explains how to tell them apart.

3. Oil a carbon steel blade

Our non-stainless blades — the Torii line in 7Cr17MoV high carbon, and the 1080 high carbon Snažan Heritage Cleaver — are reactive by design. That is the trade for how keen they get and how easily they sharpen back.

The routine is trivial: after drying, put a few drops of food-safe mineral oil or a neutral cooking oil on a cloth and wipe the whole blade, spine and all. Weekly is plenty for a knife in regular use; before any long spell unused, always. Carbon Steel Knife Care covers the full routine, including how often to oil in a humid kitchen.

Fully stainless blades do not need oiling, but a wipe does no harm and keeps the finish bright.

4. Store it off other metal

A loose drawer is the worst place a good knife can live: every time the drawer moves, the edge grinds against other steel. Use a magnetic rack, a block, a sheath or an in-drawer tray that holds the blade still.

A magnetic strip has the side benefit of keeping the blade dry and visible, which makes you more likely to notice a wet blade before it marks. We keep a range of knife sheaths for blades that travel or share a drawer.

Sharpen before it goes dull

The mistake almost everyone makes is waiting. A blade that is still nearly sharp comes back with a few minutes on a fine stone; a blade that has gone properly blunt needs a coarse stone, real time and more steel removed than you would like.

High carbon steel is the easy case here — it is quick to bring back, which is the reward for keeping it dry. Work at the angle the maker set rather than a generic one: Torii blades are ground at 12 degrees per side, so they go back on the stone at 12 degrees. Knife sharpening angle explains how to find the angle on any blade, and our whetstone guide covers the stroke itself.

Between sharpenings, a few passes on a honing rod realign the edge without removing steel. That is maintenance, not sharpening, and it is what keeps the intervals long.

Use the right board

Wood or plastic. Nothing else. Glass, stone, marble, ceramic and steel boards will roll or chip an edge in a single session — a hard board cannot give, so the blade does.

End-grain wood is kindest to an edge and the most forgiving surface a hand-forged knife can work on. And keep the knife off bone, frozen food and shells unless it was ground for it: that is a cleaver's job, not a chef knife's.

Looking after the handle

Wooden and burl handles are the part people forget. Keep them out of standing water and out of direct sunlight, which bleaches and dries the grain. If a handle starts to look thirsty, a wipe of the same food-safe mineral oil you use on the blade will bring it back.

Hand forged knife care questions

Will a hand forged knife rust?

A high carbon blade will if it is left wet, and that is the only real downside of the steel. Dry it and oil it and it will not. A grey patina is not rust and does not need removing.

How often should I oil a carbon steel knife?

Weekly for a knife in daily use, and always before a long spell in a drawer. In a humid kitchen, after every wash is not excessive — it takes ten seconds.

Can I put a hand forged knife in the dishwasher?

No. Heat, detergent and contact with other items will dull the edge, mark the steel and ruin a wooden handle. Hand wash and dry, every time.

How often does a hand forged knife need sharpening?

For most home cooks, a few times a year on a stone, with a honing rod in between. Sharpen when the knife stops biting into a tomato skin under its own weight, not when it has stopped cutting altogether.

Shop the range: Chef Knives, the Japanese chef knives built on thinner geometry, or a full knife set — every blade hand sharpened and oiled before it ships, backed by a 99-day home trial and a free lifetime guarantee, the sharpest blades you will ever use or your money back.

Keep reading: Types of Steel for Knives · Where Are Cooking Guild Knives Made?