Above - video on how to clean a rusty funky knife using a Scrubby sponge and Bon Ami cleanser. You could also use sandpaper or a sanding pad, in this case starting with 100 grit, then 240 and lastly 400.
A - I offer so many choices for clients on a kitchen knife, that it is crazy to offer 8 buttons for each size knife. Options for me keep my art/craft alive for me. I do not and have refused to make the same thing over and over again, only. Options allow clients to customize their knives, and it allows me creative freedom to is different materials and techniques.
However, the more choices I offered, the more complicated it got to check out and made me crazy every time I needed to change something. Now, no more buttons and everyone goes through me by e-mail or phone.
We can discuss (if need be) your options and what they will cost, and you can talk to the person who is going to make your kitchen knife. I have a masters degree in Individualized Education, and am excellent at working with individuals in this way and really like it.
When and if we come up with a game plan, I will send an e-mail to you going over what we talked about, and then if a sale still seems a go, I will send a Pay Pal invoice.
Pay Pal is safe and becoming ubiquitous when it comes to online banking . If you pay through them, your information is safe for domestic and foreign sales.
Having said all this, if you do not want to have anything to do with Pay Pal, then a check or postal money order works well also. This will slow the process down a little, while check is mailed and arrives and clears.
Lastly, if you want knife re-built, see here for information dealing with reconstructive work on your older knives click HERE.
If the seams between steel and wood seam opens up, then dry wood handle out for a day (in other words, do not use it).
Then take some store bought wood filler/putty of any color, and fill the crack to seal it up. Wipe off excess before it dries. Then sand off excess gently. Never try to clamp the gap closed and glue, as this will not work. The idea is to keep water from migrating into the opening as soon as possible not to close the gap. This method is easy, cheap and works perfectly. You can also use wood glue and saw dust.
See last link above left called Care Instructions.
Do you take on commissions for custom pieces ?
a- yes, of course. I charge a reasonable price, but this gives me an opportunity to expand my techniques and designs. We can recondition older knives, or make a copy of your favorite knife also. I would suggest to anyone who may be interested in getting their favorite shaped knife made into carbon steel, to trace the shape and handle thickness, and fax me a cover letter with this tracing. I will e-mail you back a quote, and we can move from there.
(Back to the top)
a - A bent tip is normal behavior for a well heat treated knife. It should have bent when given that sort of stress. You can knock it back again like a blacksmith would, with a hammer hitting lightly. Then re-sharpen tip only with stones or emery board. Or send back to me with a check for return shipping, and I will re-point for free. Takes just a few minutes. BTW, if the knife was not well heat treated, it would have broken off. Having said that, if the bent point is waggled back and forth, if will eventually snap off. In this case, file a new point and start the motor.
Do you have a full tang on your knives ?
a.- yes we do. It is the strongest way to make a handle which will last. We put a slab of wood on either side and then glue and rivet it in place. It would be very hard to hurt the handle. One could burn it off or the easiest way to hurt it would be to leave it in water. Then it would dry, and probably pull away from the steel in the middle. Then rust can enter, and somewhere down the line it will corrode. Better to treat these knives like a fine tool, which is what they are. Have a special place to put it when not being used. We do guarantee all our work for workmanship for life, and if the problem is due to anything we should have done or did not do correctly-we will stand by it.
(Back to the top)
Lastly from me, in response to a client asking me about trolls flaming/trashing me and my work. Let me say here that those type of flame trolls are best dealt with by ignoring them. I think I know the one man who is behind it, a guy who contacted me from NY years ago demanding I re-finish his cleaver. His name was unknown to me, and so I asked him to tell me when he bought it. He never actually said he bought it second hand, as we never got that far. His abusive invective filled tirade had me cutting it short and telling him that unless he could supply information that told me he bought the piece from me, I would not help him for FREE. Other than that, he could have sent it back to me post paid and I would have gladly supplied a reasonable price to refinish it. Instead he left feeling, rather miffed. That interaction honestly feels like the energy behind the flaming. I have spoken to a few colleagues and they all told me to simply ignore, which I have done and I hope others do as flamers get off on despite and negative energy.
