Casstrom Bushcraft Knife Care Instructions
Take care of your new Casstrom knife and it will take care of you! Following these guidelines will not only ensure that you get the most out of your knife but also allow you to take advantage of our 25 year limited warranty.
Bushcraft and Hunting Knife general care
- Dry the blade after use and let it dry thoroughly without the sheath when not used.
- Protect the blade with mineral oil, Renaissance Wax or similar.
- Be sure to also protect the exposed tang at the handle in the same manner.
- High Carbon steel knives will naturally gain a patina over time due to oxidation. If active rust has formed due to long term exposure to wet conditions a metal polishing paste such as Flitz can be used to remove the active rust. Afterwards the blade should be protected with oil as above.
- Do not store the knife for long periods in the sheath.
Sharpening your bushcraft knife
A dull knife is a dangerous knife. Casstrom uses some of the best steels available to the market for their application but sharpening is still a necessity. Sharpening can take some time to master, here are a few short guidelines to get you started:
- Scandi grinds are best sharpened freehand with stones (natural or compound), ceramics or diamond systems that are flat so that the bevel can be placed flat on the abrasive surface and the whole length and width of the bevel is gradually sharpened down to ensure the angle remains consistent.
- We recommend sharpening the full flat grind blades secondary bevel with an angle around 15-20 degrees (30-40 degrees in total) with any system or technique that ensures the angle is held consistent.
- Stropping the edge with leather works well on all grind styles.
Maintaining Handle Scales
- All natural woods should be cleaned and oiled periodically with linseed or Danish oil.
- Even then, some movement of wood is natural and should be expected over time.
- Micarta and stabilised handle scales only need to be cleaned and oiled as needed as they are more dimensionally stable.
- Over time small gaps can appear between the handle scales and steel, it is recommended to seal these gaps with super glue, epoxy paste or some other simple method to prevent water from getting trapped between the tang and scale potentially causing corrosion.
Maintaining Leather Sheaths and Danglers
- Standard leather care products should NOT be used, especially those that are designed to make leather more supple such as grease. This ruins the sheaths ability to maintain its stiffness to protect the knife and user.
- The recommended method of improving water resistance is "hard waxing" the sheath using bees wax. Alternativley leather care products consisting primarily of wax is OK to improve water repellency.
Casstrom Knife Care Video: Part 1 - Blade Care