Maintenance is important for your knives lifespan. 

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With a few easy care tips, your Japanese knives will last you a lifetime. Here is how you to do it right.

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HERE HOW TO LOOK AFTER YOUR KNIVES:

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• Remember that your knives is not a can opener, screwdriver, hammer or shellfish opener, use your knives for cutting food only.

• Is it vital to use wooden or plastic chopping boards. Check out our 'chopping boards'

• Do not attempt to cut, hit or chop frozen products, bones, hard seeds or stoned fruit or other hard vegetables this will cause the blade to chip or break. 

• Never use the cutting edge to scrape your food off the chopping board, always flip the knife and use the spine and that way will increase how long your knife stay sharp.

• Do not flex or bend the blade.

• Never use electric or any handheld sharpeners. We recommended you to use a honing rod or get a professional to hone your knives... Our honbazuke rod is available to buy on 'Honbazuke stones'

• Store knives in a way so that blades don’t knock into each other.

• Never use a sharpening steel on a Japanese knife, in our opinion they do more harm than good.

• Never put these knives in a DISHWASHER! Rinse with warm water and wipe dry after use and it'll look great for years. Chemicals and heat in the dishwasher can potentially cause damage to the blades or handles. We advise you to buy our knives care products from our shop: 'Handle and saya wax' also 'Camellie blade Oil' and that way you will preserve the lifespan of your knives.

• Never leave your knives sitting in a sink submerged in soapy water for a long time, or building up your sink with other cutlery as they will bang against your knives which can cause your blades to chip or break.

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Sharpening Japanese Knives (HONbazukE method)

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In a typical traditional Japanese restaurant, a Japanese chef will end their working shift by sharpening their precious knives in a zen-like fashion. However to ensure proper care and maintenance, is it recommended to sharpened at lease a month using honbazuke stones. Purchase your 'Honbazuke stones' from our shop.

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Honbazuke stones comes in three different types of grits.

• Ara-to “荒砥” (Coarse stone) - 120 to 600 grit. This type is typically used first and it is used to correct badly damaged blades. It is effective for repairing chipped blades and setting a new bevel angle, but it is quick to wear down the material.

• Naka-to “中砥” (Medium stone) - 1000 to 1500 grit. This type of stone is most frequently used to maintain and restore the blade edge. 

• Shiage-to “仕上げ砥” (Finishing stone) - 3000 grit and over. This type of stone is used for polishing and refining a blade edge.

PUNK CHEF SHOWING YOU HOW TO DO THE HONBAZUKE METHOD

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• To prepare the honbazuke stones, soak in water for 10-15 minutes. Do not over soak the stones as it weakens the quality of the sharpening process. For finer stones, over soaking may result in cracking so it is recommended to only splash water when sharpening.

• Lay a damp cloth under the stone to prevent them from slipping.

• Check the condition of the blade before sharpening.

• Place the knife on the sharpening stone and hold it at an 10-15 degree angle.

• Starting from the base of the blade and moving towards the tip, apply some pressure on the blade using three fingers and push the knife away to the far edge of the whetstone. Lift pressure when pulling the knife back to the edge. Repeat this process several times until an even burr can be felt. While sharpening, apply water to the whetstone when it becomes dry.

• Turn the knife over and work on the other side of the blade. 

• After sharpening, hand wash with water and dry immediately with a clean cloth.

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For dull blades, sharpen using the coarse stone, followed by the medium stone and polish using the finishing stone. If the blade is regularly maintained and requires very little sharpening, skip the first step and use the medium stone first.

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STORAGE FOR YOUR KNIVES:

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All knives should be stored safely in a knives block, chef's case, magnetic rack in order to keep them out of reach and protect the knives. Never put these knives in a drawer with other cutlery as you will damage the blades. A well-cared for knife will be a great addition to your kitchen and will last a lifetime.

You can purchase knives block in our shop: 'Knives block'