Q: What is the texture on the blade?
A: These blades are crafted from what where originally horse shoe rasps, they have raised, triangular, crosshatched teeth which were once used for filing horses hooves. When I first began metal work my father pointed to a bucket of these rasps and said “here, practice on these.” I was immediately excited about the possibility of a duel functioning knife ; cutting and zesting. They've been thoroughly washed since shaping a horses hoof, of course.
Q: How should I care for my knife?
A: The first thing you should know is that your knife is made of non-stainless steel and will change when exposed to water, food and even air, developing a golden spotted patina. The best way to care for your knife is to keep it very dry. After slicing or spreading use a damp cloth with soap to wipe the blade clean and dry it immediately with a cotton towel. Mineral oil is a great thirst quencher and I recommend oiling often, it's perfect in preserving the life of the handle as well.
Q: How many people make knives for you?
A: Everything is made entirely by me. I do take on assistants from time to time to help with the most labor intensive steps but each piece will continue to be designed and assembled by myself.
Q: How long do I have to wait for a knife? Do you offer returns?
A: Depending on the length of my wait list, production time varies, I am constantly working on batches of blades. Typical wait time for a chef knife is 8-12 months. All sales are final unless you need to customize shape or feel of a blade, then we can rebuild as an exchange.
Q: Are the horse shoe rasp knives forged?
A: No the horse shoe rasps are not forged, I use a process called stock removal which involves many hours of grinding to remove the excess steel. I do this in order to preserve the triangular teeth on one side of the blade. Once each blade is complete they are heat treated to maintain optimal hardness and sharpness.
Q: How should I clean the teeth?
A: You should brush your knife's teeth with a natural fiber or wire brush.
Be sure never to put your knife in the dishwasher and always dry with a thick, absorbent cotton towel after you have washed the blade.
Q: Will these knives rust?
A: Yes and no. These are not stainless knives and with contact to water, food, air, etc, they will change and a patina will form with age. If you keep you knives very dry, only using a damp cloth to clean and drying right away, they may not ever rust. Mineral oil is great for preserving their shine. Mineral oil is recommended for the handles as well. If you are willing to take the extra steps in preserving these tools, they will age with grace over a very long time.
Q: Have you ever cut yourself by accident?
A: Yes, every day. But usually it's while I'm cooking and not making knives.
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