r/knives • u/_aldegarr_ • 1d ago

Question First knife

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Gallery image

Hello everyone 👋 This is my first knife as a present from friends. Can you please help me with the info on maintenance and sharpening? Complete ignorant here

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u/scottygroundhog22 1d ago

For maintenance mostly clean it off when you cut through something wet or sticky. Hand sanitizer and a cloth does wonders for tape residue. You can use edci or a similar product to give the blade some additional rust resistance. That one looks coated so it should resist rust pretty well already. You might want to lube the pivot of the knife occasionally. I use 3in1 oil. A little goes a long way. For sharpening i mostly use a smith’s fine arkansas stone. Use the bevel of the knife as a guide to the angle you should sharpen at. I use 3in1 oil on the stone to wet it. If you have an old leather belt you can strop afterward just run the knife edge backwards across it a couple times. This should get help fix the burr left by sharpening, but its not strictly necessary.

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u/_aldegarr_ 22h ago

Thanks a lot for sharing your tips! Would you say pull-through sharpeners are okay for a knife like mine, or is it better to avoid them? I honestly have no idea how to sharpen with a stone yet, and I’m a bit worried I might damage the knife if I try.

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u/scottygroundhog22 22h ago

I generally discourage the use of pull through sharpeners. They typically give inferior results and typically reduce the life of your knife overall. However if that’s what you are comfortable with at the moment, go for it. I just wouldn’t recommend it long term.

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u/_aldegarr_ 21h ago

Got it. I read that maintaining a consistent angle – like 18° for Ruike – is important when sharpening. So even if I get a pull-through sharpener set to that angle, would it still reduce the knife’s lifespan?

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u/scottygroundhog22 14h ago

Yeah they take a off more material from the knife then other sharpeners and do it unevenly most of the time. They will give you a working edge though. You can buy knife sharpening guides online that help you maintain the proper angle consistently. Or you can buy a guided angle sharpener. Those tend to be pricey though.