No matter what type of knife you have, whether a whittling knife or one used for hunting, you’ll need to make sure that you care and maintain it well for it to last and perform well. After all, you wouldn’t want to waste your money over a knife that won’t work after a couple of uses! There are many ways you can clean your knife, and if you’re looking for something affordable and easy to do, you can try stonewashing! This cool and new method is something every knife owner should start doing. But what is it exactly and how to stonewash a knife in the first place?
Read on as I show you all about stonewashing knives and how to do it!
What Is Stonewashing?
Stonewashing is a type of technique with your knife being washed in a tumbling of a vibrating container using soap, water, and abrasive material. And yes, the abrasive material is stones or rocks. Through following this technique, it will be able to create anything, from a matte that’s finely-textures down to a rough or scratched-up look that looks tough and cool.
The result of your stonewashing will depend on how intense the container is shaken down to the stones you use. Using smaller and finer materials will end up with your hunting knife having an even matte finish while using stones will end up with you having that rough and worn appearance that people want.
We’ll be focusing more on stonewashing using stones and getting that rough material.
How to Stonewash a Knife
Before stonewashing your knife, here are the supplies you need to prepare:
- Your knife
- Large plastic jar
- About ten rocks at the size of half of your thumb
- Nail polish
- Clothes dryer
- Large towel
- Dish soap and water
- Tools for disassembling and reassembling your knife.
Now here are the steps you can follow to stonewash your knife correctly:
- Disassemble your knife according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Put nail polish on the parts of your knife that you don’t want to be stonewashed, such as the pivots. You can remove the nail polish with acetone or a nail polish remove right after.
- Place the rocks in the plastic jar, as well as your blade. If you plan on stonewashing other parts of your knife, then do so separately, washing it one part at a time. Add a bit of soap and water and then secure the lid.
- Wrap the jar with your large towel, securing it tightly, so the towel won’t unravel once you begin stonewashing your knife. I recommend you to use large rubber bands to secure it tightly.
- Put the jar in your dryer on air tumble or air fluff, any setting that does not require heat. Let it tumble for about 20 minutes. 10 minutes is a light stonewash, while 20 minutes would be fairly heavy and enough.
- Once the process is done, take the towel out of the jar and remove the blade, rinsing it off. Stonewash any additional parts needed and then reassemble the knife. Resharpen right after, and you’re done!
Tips on Maintaining Your Knife
Now that you know how to stonewash a knife, the next question is what else you can do to keep your knife looking and performing excellently. Here are some tips to follow:
- Take note that disassembling or customizing your knife will void its warranty. You can contact the manufacturer for more information about it. Make sure to stonewash it carefully to avoid any damage since you won’t be able to have it repaired.
- Resharpen your knife after stonewashing it to keep the blade’s edge ready to use.
- Before stonewashing, compress or remove the thumb studs with pliers or other forms of tools. Remove the coatings as well.
- Wash your knives regularly, at least once every week or after using it.
- Always use protection when washing your knives to avoid any injury, especially when dealing with large and sharp stones.
In Conclusion
When it comes to maintaining and caring for your knives, you’ll need to make sure that you do it right and with the proper equipment. Sure, it may seem like a tedious task, but in the end, the investment is worth more than paying a professional or having to purchase a whole new one. With stonewashing, you’ll save money and effort while trying something new that will keep your knives well cared for.
I hope that this article on how to stonewash a knife helped you become more knowledgeable about what to do to lengthen the lifespan and improve the performance of your knives. So what are you waiting for? Try this method of cleaning knives today and see what it has to offer!
If you have any questions or would like to share your tips and experiences on how to stonewash a knife, then comment down below. I would love to hear what you have to think.
Author Bio: Hi! My name is Victor, and I am a huge fan of DIY and handicrafts. As a creative, I love to help people out in the new and awesome projects they can do at home, blogging and sharing my tutorials and the best tools to invest in.