SOG Knife Care
General Knife Care and Maintenance:
Keep the blades dry and wipe fingerprints and moisture off, after use, with a soft all cotton cloth or chamois. This is particularly important with blades of high carbon steel. Tarnishing or oxidation is a normal property of carbon steel and cannot be avoided. This normal oxidation or tarnish actually helps protect the knife from rust and will have blue gray tones, rather than rust red tones. Applying a couple drops of any quality oil or silicon treatment to the blade with a soft all cotton cloth will provide excellent protection. A good wax is also excellent protection.
Check your knives often for possible trouble spots. If you see tarnish or oxidation develop with reddish tones, this is the start of rust and should be cleaned as quickly as possible. If any stains appear, try removing the stain or tarnish with a standard metal cleaner or polish. Blades of most stainless steels used in knives are not rustproof but are rust or stain resistance. So therefore stainless steel blades should still be kept clean and wiped dry after use.
When not in use, store knives and leather sheaths separately because leather does absorb moisture and can rust your blade. Tanning salts and acids present in the leather can rust or tarnish steel. Keep leather sheaths limber with leather preservative or mink oil.
Keep the locking device on folding models clean and free from debris. An occasional drop of light oil at each joint will assure smooth blade action in opening and closing. Each blade should click open smoothly and snap shut.
A sharp knife is safer to use. A sharp knife requires minimal effort to cut and therefore has less a chance of slipping. The secret of proper sharpening is to do it regularly. Use a sharpening steel, or other mechanism frequently. If you have difficulty maintaining an edge on knives, have them professionally sharpened.
Never sharpen blades on a power-driven grinding wheel, which can burn the temper from the blade. This is the type of high-speed grinder found in many home shops.
Remember that knives are cutting tools and blades are very sharp. Therefore, please exercise caution when handling your knife. And, never use your knife as chisel, pry bar, screwdriver or hammer. Do not pound on the back (spine) of the blade.
Always cut with the edge moving away from you. Knives can have sharp razor edges so handle all knives with care and respect. Do not use for throwing unless specifically produced for that purpose.
Caring for your knife collection:
Remember to take excellent care of your collection, as you are the curator during your lifetime for future generations to enjoy.
Moisture and fingerprints are the prime villains to avoid. Check your collection periodically and keep your knives in a dry location. A good rule to follow is to make sure the room that you store your knives in is comfortable for you to stay in, then it is more likely to be a good storage place for your knives. The storage room for your knife collection should be low in humidity and cool. Avoid areas with a high relative humidity or a great shift in temperatures.
If you live where it is humid use silica gel or other desiccants (a drying agent) to help keep your knives dry.