Maintain your Laguiole knife

Caring for your Laguiole knife

A genuine Laguiole knife of ancestral tradition must be the everyday companion. It benefits from a total guarantee within the framework of normal use.

In general, after use, only clean the blade with a slightly damp cloth or sponge. Then wipe and store your Laguiole knife. If necessary, use a washing-up liquid. Clean the handle only if it has been soiled. Proceed in the same way as for the blade.

We do not recommend these uses: cleaning under the tap, soaking in water, putting in the dishwasher, cleaning the blade with an abrasive material, ...

These uses may not be covered by any guarantee because you damage both the material of the natural handle and the opening-closing mechanism for a folding Laguiole. 

Handle in natural material

For horn tip, horn, antlers, bones and rare materials: be careful. Do not get your handle wet.

For wood handles, you can feed the wood to give it a shinier patina. Rub the handle with a soft cloth of olive oil or linen oil. 
You can also use the care balm for Laguiole knives with wooden handles. Made from 100% natural ingredients, this balm protects the wooden handle while nourishing it and restoring its shine. 

Storage of your Laguiole and maintenance of the bolsters

We advise against storing your Laguiole in contact with keys, coins, other knives ... We do not recommend storing your Laguiole in a pocket or drawer because you will damage the handle and metal parts.

If you do not use your Laguiole for a few months, separate your Laguiole from its leather case (leather tanning can oxidise the brass). To make your brass bolsters shine again, use Ouator or Mirror on a cloth with elbow grease!

Sharpening your blade

For each of the 2 complementary sharpening operations, you work :
  -maintaining an average angle of 30° (you must never scratch a blade).
  -and by pressing the blade firmly on your sharpening tool

These operations only take a few minutes. To begin with, practice on an old knife to get the hang of it. Remember that making quick movements does not improve the quality of the sharpening, but you will have a high risk of scratching the blade and injuring your hands. Make the gesture slowly and with pressure.

You need to maintain the wire with a sharpening steel. 

Use a good quality, magnetised sharpening steel of good length (25 cm wick). Run the cutting edge of the knife blade along the entire length of the sharpener, pressing strongly in the pattern shown in the drawing, then repeat on the other side of the sharpener to sharpen the other side of the blade. 

Repeat several times, alternating on both sides, giving the edge an average angle of 30°.

It can't hold the cut anymore.

Use a medium-grain knife stone. Soak the stone 10' in cold water. Then make a mouvement as if you wanted to cut a thin slice of stone (keeping the same angle) and alternate one side of the blade with the other. Repeat this movement. Do not hesitate to moisten the stone again while sharpening.

Maintenance of your Laguiole mechanism

A folding Laguiole has a mechanism. If it becomes difficult to open and close the blade, lubricate the mechanism, like a car engine (you will avoid premature wear of the mechanism). Use a type 3 in 1 oil or sewing machine oil. Insert a drop of oil with the blade closed between the blade and the spring at the blade axis. Open and close the blade and wipe off the excess.

Can a Laguiole knife be repaired?

Any Laguiole knife can be repaired, even very old ones.

Change a worn blade, a tired spring, a rib (one side of the handle), ...

But beware, sometimes the repair costs more than buying a new one ! 

Do not hesitate to ask us for a free estimate. (see our Repair Service page)

Note: We only repair Honoré Durand and Laguiole de l'Artisan knives.

Your Laguiole table knives for the dishwasher.

We would like to offer you some advice:

-Avoid too high doses of detergent and regularly check that your rinse agent is sufficient. If your knives come out of the machine wet, wipe the blades with a damp cloth.

-do not put ordinary steel items in the dishwasher (jam jar lids, ...)

-if stains appear on your blades, use a stainless steel ouator or hagerty type product, rub, rinse and wipe. This is due to a well-known chemical reaction that can occur in your machine because the blades of our table knives are made of cutlery steel, therefore composed of chrome but also a minimum of carbon to give them hardness and sharpness.

Your Laguiole table knives for careful hand washing

Laguiole knives with wooden or horn handles have a pleasant natural feel. On the other hand, these knives require manual cleaning. 

Our advice: clean the blade with a damp sponge and washing-up liquid, then wipe dry and put away (the knife should not be soaked in water or put under the tap).

You can also use the care balm for Laguiole knives with wooden handles. Made from 100% natural ingredients, this balm protects the wooden handle while nourishing it and restoring its shine. 

Your Laguiole table knives for carefree hand washing

Table Laguiole knives with acrylic handles require manual cleaning: hot water with washing-up liquid (they can be soaked in water).

Everything to know about a Laguiole knife
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