Knife Maintenance
A very good question. Here's a short answer.
What not to do?
Don't put it in the dishwasher or leave it in a sink full of water as this can lead to corrosion. We also recommend against cutting on a glass chopping board as this is terrible for the blade (can lead to chipping).
What to do?
Our knives have a high carbon concentration meaning they are harder at the edge. This means less honing is needed (i.e. sharpening with your rod at home or in the kitchen).
With this type of steel you should have it sharpened by a sharpener (ideally on a whetstone to stop the steel heating). How often varies depending on usage however most people do it every 3-6 months.
To summarize, less honing and more stoning.
If you need help finding a sharpener near you give us a bell and we will do our best to assist.
Here' a little more detail from Shannon...
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
HANDLE
You have your new knife home and have cooked up your first feast for your family or friends. How do I clean it?
Easy, simply wipe the blade clean with your dishcloth in warm soapy water and dry with your tea towel.
The wood and wood fused with resin handles are quite delicate and don't like being left in really hot water. If left for too long this can start to remove the polish which is the wood and resins shield and gives a layer of protection. Don’t be alarmed if the handle gets wet and put into the sink at times as it will be fine but the more you can limit this the longer it will last without needing any work done to it. If over time, years it starts to lose the shiny look and looks a little dull you can give it a little polish yourself with furniture polish to reinvigorate it.
However if the intention is to ruin your beautiful Koi knife then put it through the dishwasher to clean after use and in no time it will be wrecked. If you decide to go down this path please do not show me the knife as I will most probably burst into tears.
BLADE
As I have mentioned for cleaning simply wipe down with warm soapy water. Try to limit the knife rubbing and scraping up against other steel cutlery in the sink or drying rack as this can sketch the AUS-10 damascus steel. The best thing to do is dry straight after you clean it and place it on a knife rack away from humidity. Job done.
The steel on Japanese style knives generally has a slightly higher carbon content than Western style knives, pairing this with the heat treating process gives Japanese style knives slightly harder steel than Western style knives. The measurement of the hardness of steel is called the Rockwell test with the higher the number the harder the steel. Japanese knives can range from 58-62 HRC whilst Western 54-58HRC.
What does this mean?
Japanese knives will hold a sharp edge for much longer than western knives but when they are dull (this might take 6 months or a few years pending on use) they will have to be sharpened properly on a whetstone or machined on a grinding wheel. Striking on a honing rod will heap hold the edge longer but once its dull a proper sharpen will be required. Another offshoot of the hardness, the steel will crack, chip or fracture easier if treated poorly as it is on the cusp of being brittle.
Western knives being softer, your knife does dull quicker but you can sharpen easier with a few quick strikes on a honing rod every week or so meaning you will not have to whetstone or machine sharpen quite as often. The other offshoot of western style and softer steel is if you treat your knife poorly you will more so dent and bend out of shape. Both have their advantages and disadvantages and everyone has their own preference.
If you are sensible your knife will be your companion for life, just treat it with a little love.
Our store is located at 330 Goodwood Road, Clarence Park, South Australia 5034.
On-street parking is available on George Street.
Our store is open Monday to Friday 9:00am to 4:30pm and 9:30am to 1:30pm on Saturdays.
We are closed on public holidays.
Our store policy is to only sell knives to people over 18 years of age.
Just like the pub if you look under 18 we will ask for ID.
OCTOBER 2024 - PLEASE NOTE: Our sharpener Joao is taking some well deserved holidays during October and will not be sharpening knives during this time.
You are welcome to leave your knives with us and he will sharpen them in the order they are received when he's back in early November.
We only sharpen kitchen knives.
But you won't be without a knife! We will give you one of our knives to try out while yours is being sharpened.
We cannot/do not sharpen scissors, swords, ceramic knives, daggers, gardening tools, or lawnmower blades.
Sharpening may be delayed due to public holidays, illness, staff shortages, restorations, staff leave or during busy periods.
OCTOBER 2024 - PLEASE NOTE: Our sharpener Joao is taking some well deserved holidays during October and will not be sharpening knives during this time.
You are welcome to leave your knives with us and he will begin to sharpen them in the order they are received when he's back in early November - your knives may be mid November before they are completed.
We always say 2 weeks. It may be quicker, it may take a little longer if the store is busy.
We will contact you when your knife is ready.
We sharpen based on the order in which they come in to us.
For example: There might be 2 knives ahead of yours, there may be 40.
Sharpening may be delayed due to public holidays, illness, staff shortages, restorations, staff leave or during busy periods.
Sharpening begins at $20 per knife.
Prices increase depending on the work that needs to be done.
For example: if a blade needs to be thinned and the core exposed, it takes longer and is charged accordingly.
OCTOBER 2024 - PLEASE NOTE: Our sharpener Joao is taking some well deserved holidays during October and will not be sharpening knives during this time.
You are welcome to leave your knives with us and he will begin to sharpen them in the order they are received when he's back in early November - your knives may be mid November before they are completed.
It depends on the knife but we do offer repair and restoration services.
Prices for restoration work starts at $50 per knife and can take 2 - 4 weeks depending on the condition of the knife.
Bring the knife in Tuesday to Saturday and speak to our master sharpener Joao and we'll show you what we can do.
We can try!
Bring the knife into the shop Tues-Sat and our sharpener and restorer Joao will assess the knife and show you what he can do.
New handles start at $75 and can take 2 - 4 weeks to complete.
Joao has successfully put new G10, wood, and wood and resin handles on various brands of kitchen knives.
Damascus/Rainbow/Ninja Ranges: We use high carbon AUS10 67 layer Damascus Japanese steel from Aichi, Japan.
Bamboo Range: VG10 Japanese core Steel.
Big Red Range: The core of the blade is made using VG10 steel and its double-layer cladding starts at the spine with a sandblast finish.
Sabres/Steak Knives:14c28n Swedish steel.
Unfortunately we do not have a forge.
We design all our knives and import the steel blanks from various sources, predominantly Aichi in Japan.
The wood for our handles are sourced locally here in Australia.
What we can't find around our properties (Shannon has used some fallen redgum for a few handles), we like to support other Adelaide businesses and purchase from them.
If you're near our store in Adelaide pop in on a Wednesday or Friday afternoon and the team will no doubt be working on something new out the back (it can be a very noisy place).
Each product will come in a couple of different colours.
If you're after a particular colour/set of colours, send us a email or put a note in with the order and we will contact you with what colours are available.
We can never guarantee we have all colours in stock - some are more popular than others.
Please note: We do our resin and handle work in colour batches rather than one at a time. If we don't have the colour you are after it may be a couple of months before we do another batch.
We do not make custom knives.
If you're based in Adelaide, pop into the shop and you can see some of the unique, one off creations Joao has made in his very little spare time.
We sure do!
We usually run classes Thursday and Saturday mornings 11 - 12:30.
Classes cover all the basics to get you comfortable with sharpening knives using whetstones.
Disclaimers:
We have the right to refuse admission to the sharpening class if we believe you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The safety of other participants and our staff is paramount.
Participants under the age of 18 may attend if supervised by a parent or legal guardian.
Due to the technical nature of the class, current South Australian Government legislature regarding knife sales to minors, and safety concerns, we will not accept bookings for people under 16 years of age. Participants under 18 will need to be supervised by a parent or guardian. Supervision is not participation. If wanting to participate in class, please book an additional place.
Conditions apply - e.g. TAFE students and apprentices.
Abusive and unsafe behaviour during classes will not be tolerated.
If this occurs, the class will finish and the offending participant will be asked to leave the premises and the police will be called if necessary. Offending participant will not be entitled to a refund or welcome back to the store - class will be rescheduled for other participants.
We require payment before attending class to confirm your place.
If we do not receive payment before the class date we cannot guarantee there will be a place for you. We reserve the right to prioritise paying customers. Conditions apply - e.g. rescheduled classes, illnesses, etc.
Classes will begin at the scheduled time.
If you cannot attend the class on time, please contact the store as soon as possible. We have the right to refuse participation to those who are more than 10 minutes late and who have not contacted us. This will be deemed as a no-show and will not be entitled to a refund. Conditions apply.
If you are unwell please do not attend and contact us to reschedule.
We are a small team and if one of us gets sick, we all nearly always all get sick.
We offer $9 flat-rate Shipping Australia-wide.
For all domestic orders, we ship on Tuesdays and Thursdays and use Australia Post where current delivery times are 2 to 5 days.
Express shipping: If you are wanting your order in a hurry please add a note in with your order and we can upgrade you to express shipping for free.
*Only for Australian orders
International orders can take between 1-4 weeks to arrive.
Tracking information will be sent to you when your order has been sent.
Please note there may be additional taxes and duties applied by customs in your country.
Unfortunately we can't tell you how much this would be as each country is different.
A handy guide to use is https://www.simplyduty.com/import-calculator/
Local customs authorities will contact you if additional charges are due.
We sure do!
We use our own wrapping paper, so each gift is unique!
We sure can!
We do all our engraving at the shop, while you wait (it may take a little longer during busy times).
We usually only like to engrave a small amount of text on the blade on the opposite side of the Koi/Animal logo.
E.g. Initials, Names, Birthdates, short messages like Happy 50th Birthday.
We do not engrave long messages or quotes on blades (it can look odd with the curvature of the blade).
Organisations we've supported
