What should I engrave on a knife?
Choosing what to engrave on your custom knife is easier than you may think! We have a selection of designs available for you to review and gain inspiration from. Outside of our designs, most of our clients choose to engrave something that is sentimental to them. Such as names, initials and monograms, dates, special messages, funny quotes, inside jokes, or uploaded designs.

What does the knife engraving process look like?
Once your personalized engraving has been chosen, your new custom knife is sent to our laser technicians who program the design into the engraving software. Laser engraving is the process of removing the top layers of material by heating the surface to the point of vaporizing the material. Bare stainless steel knife blades are “annealed” with a permanent black mark by drawing the carbon out of the blade. This leaves a permanent impression that will never fade or wash away. Both marks are generally smooth to the touch, no depth.

How to sharpen engraved knives?
Caring for and sharpening your engraved knives are not much different from taking care of non-engraved knives. You can see the full breakdown in our Razor’s Edge Sharpening for your Blades article. Sharpening your custom knives will depend on the type of blade you have. Are you needing to Guide for best survival? Or perhaps you’re needing guidance on How to use knives safely. Each of these scenarios will have different steps associated with them, so we recommend looking deeper for the specific answer that matches your blade.

Can knife engraving fade?
The short answer is No. Since the laser engraving process is permanent, your text or design will never fade or wash away. That said, as the knife is used over time, the actual steel or metal will wear away from us, and this could cause the laser mark to fade and become less bold over time. This generally takes years to decades to fade, but varies based on the use of the knife.

How to clean an engraved knife?
Everyday cleaning of your engraved knife is as easy as wiping it down with a slightly moist cloth or paper towel. If your custom knife is requiring a bit more work, you can use an old toothbrush with soft bristles to gently scrub it clean. For more stubborn dirt spots, warm water and a mild soap can be used along with the toothbrush – Just be sure to rinse and dry very well to prevent rusting. You can use a cotton swab to dry inside the handle. Lubricating joints according to manufacturer recommendations after cleaning can help maintain smooth opening and closing.