Keeping your knife clean is important and is part of your responsibility in owning a knife. Like any tool or firearm, a knife is subject to the wear-and-tear of time. Keeping it clean ensures it will last for generations to come.
The easiest way to clean your knife, especially after marine or chemical exposure, is to rinse it in clean fresh water. Make sure to dry your knife completely after rinsing.
If you notice a buildup of dust or debris within the knife, we suggest that you use compressed air to clear it out. You can also take the knife completely apart if you wish to perform a deeper, more thorough cleaning.
If the handles of your knife are encrusted with dirt or debris, we recommend using a toothbrush and a mixture of water and Simple Green to brush it off.
Like cleaning your knife, maintaining your knife is also important and ensures that your knife will always be in working order when you need it most.
If you are going to be storing your knife for extended periods of time, we recommend that you coat the blade and the pivot area with light oil. We suggest using WD-40, but any good, light oil will do.
If you take your knife apart, we recommend that you apply a very small amount of low or medium-strength LocTite on the threads of the pivot screw before reassembly.
Depending on how you use your knife, the blade's edge may become dull over time. Fortunately, all Emerson Knives have a 'chisel-ground' edge, meaning they are only sharpened on one side. This ensures that the re-sharpening process is quick, simple, and can be done at home using a variety of tools or objects.
If you are not comfortable sharpening your knife at home, we do offer a sharpening service for all knives we produce as part of our warranty (this excludes collaboration knives such as Benchmade, Kershaw, and Protech). Find more information on our warranty services here.