By placing your order with Mark Bickham - Knife Maker, you confirm that you are over 18 years of age and any knives you purchase, can legally be owned in your Country, State or Territory.
Check out your local laws before purchasing.
Mark Bickham will not be held liable, if items are confiscated by your local law enforcement agencies and or customs officials.
Knives are dangerous tools and should be treated with a high degree of safety. Irresponsible use may inflict serious wounds that could result in permanent injuries or death. As the purchaser of a Mark Bickham knife, you are reminded to keep your knives out of reach of minors and immature individuals.
Mark Bickham, knife maker, will not be held responsible for any damage to property or injury to yourself or other individuals either accidental or intentional as a result of your knife use .
Warranty:
Mark Bickham produces hand made cutlery and as a result each implement may vary slightly from the original layout. These differences make each knife unique and are part of buying a hand crafted item and unless they are detrimental to the function of the knife; they are considered normal. Mark Bickham - Knife Maker will warranty a knife for 36 months from the date of delivery, against any defects arising from normal use. This includes food preparation, processing game, wood carving and whittling etc. Using a Mark Bickham knife as an axe for log splitting (Battoning), knife throwing and as a pry bar etc will void the warranty.
Knife Care:
Unless stated on the web page, most of my knives are made from Hi-carbon steel. Steels of this nature are well known for their strength and edge durability, when heat treated and tempered correctly. Hi-carbon knives are susceptible to surface staining and should be maintained after use.
1: Always clean your knife after use, acids and alkalies from a variety of foods, if left on the blade, will cause fine surface rust to appear. Use hot soapy water and a soft scotch-brite type scourer to remove any liquid or solids remaining on the knife surface. Do not leave the knife soak in water, especially if you have wooden handles.
Do not put your knives into a dishwasher. High temperatures will damage the epoxy glues used in handle attachment, resulting in handle failure.
2: Dry the knife off after washing and return it to its scabbard or usual resting place. Do not leave your knife in a scabbard unattended for long periods of time, rust may appear and cause permanent marks without you noticing.
3: If you want to reduce the chances of rust appearing on the knife, purchase some food grade mineral oil from the chemist/ drug store. It is usually sold as a laxative for human consumption or things like "Baby Oil". Sometimes it is referred to as Liquid Paraffin. Put 1 or 2 drops onto a paper towel and wipe the blade over let it dry then put it away. Good quality olive oil can also be used for short term storage in cooler environments.
4: Where possible use a wooden or plastic cutting board in food preparation, this will increase the durability of the blade edge and decrease the need for sharpening.
5: Do not use a knife steel on you blade edge, it will shorten the knifes life span. For best results use ceramic honing stones or a leather strop with polishing compound to renew the blade edge.
I treat some of my knives with a forced patina (aged) finish, to help protect the blade from surface rust. This gives the knife a distinctive colour style and over time, changes occurring on the surface of the knife will blend in.
Thank-you for considering/purchasing one of my knife designs. Remember to treat it well and it will serve you faithfully for years to come.
Regards
Mark Bickham