The handles are finished with oil. Wood likes oil, and it can be readily refreshed. Other finishes are more durable, but are not so easy to re-apply come the time, as they age tend to look pretty nasty, and are not beneficial to the wood. This is a kitchen tool, and will be knocked about and washed over and over again. Maintenance is required, but ought to be simple. I apply several coats of hardening butcher block oil and rub back with carnauba wax. This gives a lovely soft lustre and a wonderfully warm surface under the hand. It feels nice.

To begin; use your spatula! My hope is that the more you use it, the more you will like it. Carbon steel will develop a unique and lovely patina with use. Do not be alarmed! This is fun, personal, and perfectly safe. The patina will begin to form immediately upon use, and will constantly change as you cook different things. Until a good patina forms you may notice a funny smell and some grey in your food. This is completely normal and entirely harmless. It will stop once a good patina is formed on the blade, so persevere! Patina will also help to protect the steel from rust. Patina is not dirt. It is character.

The handle is very easy to care for. Simply apply a wood oil of the choice whenever the handle starts to look dry or exposed. If it doesn’t shed water but instead soaks it up then it is time to oil! Always allow the handle to dry completely before oil. If the wood starts to feel fuzzy (the grain has been raised), you can rub it with 0000 steel wool, always in the same direction as the grain. Blow it off, wipe it down, and oil it up. My favorite oil is Watco butcher block, but there are many good food safe oils. For myself, I do not prefer mineral oils for wood, as they seem to soften the wood after many years. So long as you use a hardening oil (Watco butcher block, Linseed, Tung, etc.) you don’t need to worry about over-oiling. Just remember to use thin coats and allow the oil to cure. I just wipe on a bit, rub it in, let it sit for a minute or so, and then wipe off the excess and buff lightly with a soft lint free cotton cloth (old t-shirt is good). It is all very simple. You may also like to wax the handle. I like carnauba wax, but bee’s wax is also excellent. It will eventually wear and wash off, and that is a good time to rub the handle down with 0000 steel wool and apply oil. Wax is great, but wood still likes to be oiled occasionally. How often you need to do any of this will depend greatly upon your particular habits of use.

Care is simple. Never put your spatula in the dishwasher or leave it to soak in the sink, as the carbon steel will rust and the wooden handle will split. These are not deficiencies, but merely characteristics. Best practice is to lightly hand wash your spatula after use using a reasonably gentle soap and a non-abrasive scrubby or brush. Non-woven abrasive pads (i.e. Scotch brite) will scratch the blade and strip the oil finish. Dry the tool thoroughly and put it away. If you live by the sea or in a quite humid environment you may wish to apply a very light coat of food safe, non-spoiling and non-hardening oil (my favorite is camellia oil) to the blade and tang to prevent flash rust. Such precautions are only necessary in certain environments. Should you find that your spatula has rusted, don’t worry! Start by simply washing the blade again, drying, and rubbing with oil (a paper towel or toothbrush works well). If you have more serious rust that won’t just scrub off, you may need to adopt more aggressive methods. As you work, always use the least aggressive method that you find effective. Start easy and light and work up. Use gentle pressure. Always rub in the direction of the grind lines. There are many different options for abrasives. Rust erasers are handy, Bon Ami is great, 0000 steel wool is good, Hagerty 100 is a very effective polish, ultra-fine non-woven abrasive pads (often grey) can work well, baking soda and salt made into a paste can work, etc., etc.. Whatever method you adopt, I would recommend that you protect the handle before beginning, as you are likely to end up with black mess rubbed into the grain of the wood otherwise. Most methods will strip the patina from the blade. Don’t worry! It will come back, and the patina will also obscure and errant scratches that may have shown up.

Keep your spatula somewhere dry. Should you wish to hang it, magnets work well. Oil before putting it into long term storage.

If there’s a problem, let me know. I will do what I can to make it right.