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All you need to know to take care of your Opinel
Carbon steel has a low resistance to corrosion. It will likely discolor (patina) and/or rust. Do NOT leave Carbon steel blades wet or damp. Hand dry immediately after each use. Humidity can cause corrosion. Store your carbon blade in a dry environment.
Avoid cutting acidic foods and oil your blade to prevent patina. Do not worry if patina has started building on your blade, as it helps prevent rust. Also, most Opinel fans seek this unique feature.
For easy maintenance, we recommend our Stainless steel options. They are also better suited for outdoor use or cutting food.
1. Take a used scrubbing sponge & use a powdered scrubbing compound and scrub lengthwise. You can also use a combination of baking soda + vinegar for a more natural method.
2. If that doesn't work, use a new scrubbing sponge with a cleaning compound.
3. Beyond that, you can consider using a metal polish and a low grit sandpaper (for rust) or a higher grit (for water stains or patina).
These polishes will preserve a shiny blade finish and remove patina, but doesn't help prevent rust or reactiveness to acidic foods.
20 degrees are recommended for pocket knives & all chef knives. Serrated blades, even more so, micro-serrated blades rarely— if ever—need sharpening. This is because the sharp edges of a serrated knife are recessed, which means your Opinel can stay sharp for a very long time— as in years.
1. Lightly wet or oil the stone.
2. As if you wanted to cut the stone, move the blade from the base towards the tip.
3. A burr forms on the opposite side of the blade. Remove this by passing this side over the stone, without pressing. To finish off, pass both sides over the stone, twice.
Tip:A wide-angle will thicken the cutting edge: it will be more resistant but less sharp. A small angle will thin the cutting edge: it will be less resistant but sharper.
1. Using light pressure, align your blade against the rod at approximately a 15-20 degree angle. Slide the blade across the
surface of the steel from the heel of the blade to the tip - you want
to make sure you cover the whole edge.
2. Do this on both sides of the knife 3 to 4 times.
3. You may need repeat this process several more times if your knife is extremely dull.If this does not realign the edge, it may be too far gone and would require using a diamond steel or stone to create a new edge.
A honing steel restores the edge, a diamond steel creates a new edge.
If sharpening isn't really your thing, our Manual Sharpener does the job for you!
Do NOT put any wood-handled knives (pocket or kitchen) in the dishwasher.Wood is a living material sensitive to its environment. It can swell or dry up, causing difficulties in opening the blade.
The ancestral gesture that can open the most stubborn Opinel knife
Featured on all of our pocket knives from No.06 to No.13, and some of our tools. It locks the blade in an open or closed position. Turn the locking ring to release the blade. The Virobloc can be too tight or too loose due to the wood its sitting onexpanding or drying out. There is an easy way to fix this problem if it occurs, using needle-nose pliers.
1. With the knife closed, insert the tips of closed pliers in the ring's gap and extend the handle of the pliers slightly to remove the rotating ring.
2. Clean the inner fixed ring and inner wall of the Virobloc locking ring with a clean cloth.
3. Tighten the rotating ferrule between the hands by gently squeezing the ring together making the ring ever so slightly smaller.
4. Lubricate the fixed interior ring with a light oil.
5. Reassemble the rotating ferrule (with pliers).
- If that is not enough, repeat steps 1/3/5
1. With the knife closed, insert the tips of closed pliers in the ring's gap and extend the handle of the pliers slightly.
2. This will place a little pressure on the ring's opening and expand it. Do not place too much pressure at first as you may end up with the opposite issue.
3. If there is debris under the locking ring , take the ring off to clean the inner collar by using this same method.
4.The ring pops back on the knife afterwards by placing the locking ring upside down on a flat, hard surface and pushing the closed knife downward into the ring again.
If despite all these tips and tricks you are still having issues with your Opinel knife or believe there is a manufacturer defect, please submit an inquiry to our warranty team below.
SUBMIT A WARRANTY CLAIM Limited Lifetime Warranty
