Jay Fisher, a well known knife-making artisan, offers the following knife care tips to help you protect and maintain your investment. My thanks to Jay for his permission to use this material. Take care of the point, and the rest of the blade will follow. Do not leave knives and sheaths in direct sun or high heat. High ultraviolet oxidizes woods and bleaches the color out of some gemstone.
Heat bakes the protective oils out of most hardwoods and weakens adhesive bonds.
Hand wash blades when necessary with non-abrasive gentle detergent, polish blades and fittings with good quality polish like Simichrome. Clean handles and sheaths with damp cloth and buff with soft dry cloth. Protect carbon steel knives with a light coating of hand-buffed wax, not oil. Oil attracts dust as well as weakens the sheath. Some carbon steel knife blades are blued.