Maintenance

This method of maintaining your knife is very easy and effective. Please follow the below procedure make your own stropping board. By using this board to maintain your knife, you will ensure that your knife stays sharp for 2 to 3 years. If in the future, your knife is not cutting well, please send it back to us in Japan, and we will re-grind it for you free of charge. Please be aware that you must only pay the shipping fee.

Denim is fixed to a board with pushpins. It is wrapped tightly so as to avoid loosening.
The denim is stretched tightly over the board in order to create a high degree of tension.If the denim is loose, it is difficult to strop with.
We are using a Japanese liquid metal polish called "Pikal". PIKAL is fairly inexpensive, and a similar metal polish can most likely be found in your local hardware shop.
PIKAL is poured on the borad that was prepared earlier.
A thin layer of Pikal is then spread over the board by finger.
The layer of Pikal must be completely even over the entire board, right up to the edge.
The metal polish will saturate the denim initially, but after several uses, the fabric will have to be rs-saturated.
If the initial amount of Pikal used is insufficient to completely cover the board, be sure to add more and spread it evenly over the entire surface with your finger.
After the Pikal is applied to the board, allow it sufficient time to dry, as Pikal in its wet state will adhere to the blade and be ineffective for sharpening.
After each use, the knife should be stropped 2 to 3 times. Please refer to the photograph for the proper stropping direction.
Please strop carefully as it is easy to cut through the denim, especiall if you strop in the wrong direction(blade edge first).
The blade is now flipped over and stropped in the opposite direction. When flipping the blade over, be sure to completely remove it from the board as to avoid dulling the edge.
Only complete 2 to 3 stroppings per side, as this is sufficient to restore the sharpness of the knife.