Any bladed tool or weapon requires a degree of maintenance to keep it in proper shape. For a Bowie knife, this means keeping the blade clean, sharp and dry. It also means keeping the other parts of the knife, such as the handle and the hand guard, in good order. These knives can last a lifetime, or longer, if they’re taken care of properly. The high-quality steel used on some of these knives makes them heirloom-quality items.

A high-end Bowie knife is usually forged out of high-carbon steel or high-carbon stainless steel. Some very exotic knives may incorporate metals such as titanium. Others even have brass accents along the blade. Any metal is best kept dry and cleaned off at all times. Ideally, the metal’s polish and luster should be maintained. Very exotic knives are sometimes made out of materials, such as non-stainless steels, which are very susceptible to damage from corrosion, rusting and foreign materials.

The knife needs to be kept sharp, as well. For high-carbon steel and high-carbon stainless steel, this means the blade needs to be sharpened on a regular basis. The blade should be kept free of notches and other damage along the edge. If these are caught early, they can often be evened out with the use of a whetstone. The sharper a blade is kept, the longer it will remain serviceable, in most cases. It also means no “catch-up” sharpening when the blade needs to be used after having been neglected.

The military Bowie knife designs are usually among the easiest to maintain. The finishes are dark, the hand guards simple and the design minimalistic in the extreme. Collector’s style Bowies oftentimes have ornate hand guards, lustrous blades and decorative handles. These require very specific types of cleaning, depending upon the materials used. The most utilitarian Bowies require only basic cleaning and a good sharpening now and again to keep them going.

The parts of the Bowie knife other than the blade also need proper care. Wooden handles need to be kept at a good moisture balance to avoid swelling or cracking. Brass parts may need to be cleaned to avoid tarnish. If the knife has special blade features, such as a modified spine or a sharpened false edge, these parts will require additional maintenance. Good Bowies can last a long time, but only with the proper care and attention.

Brian is a business consultant for an online bowie knifes store featuring survival knives.

Carrying a Bowie knife on a flight is obviously something which will involve several complications. Even before the overall tightening of security at airports in recent years, it would have been almost certain that any airline would have prohibited an individual from entering a plane with such a knife, and, likely, they would have been in some trouble for having tried at all.

Carrying the weapon on one’s belt or somewhere else on one’s person while at the airport is prohibited. When one heads to the airport, their Bowie knife should be secured in a suitcase and inaccessible. This inaccessibility is a good bench mark of whether or not a knife is being carried correctly. No one should be armed anywhere near an airport but it is permissible to transport arms in one’s luggage.

The Bowie knife will be subject to any laws that apply once it and its owner are back on the ground. Remember this and check ahead to make sure that the knife is even legal where one is headed. There are some places where certain weapons are specifically against the law. It is not the airline or the TSA’s responsibility to inform passengers of the laws in other places, so be sure to be informed ahead of time.

In most cases, carrying a knife into an airport, Bowie knife or otherwise, will also be a serious issue. Be sure to have the knife packed away and ready to fly before leaving for the airport. Remember that much smaller knives than Bowies are prohibited on airlines, so if one happens to carry even a pocketknife with them it will be taken away. The restrictions regarding what may be brought on a plane are very severe at present. Airports in general have very tight security, so be sure to call ahead and to verify any special handling instructions for the knife with the airport.

A Bowie knife, if it is a particularly expensive model, may be better shipped than taken on a plane. While most airlines provide excellent security, there are incidents when items are taken out of passenger’s luggage, particularly on international flights. A Bowie has all the qualities of something desirable to a thief: light, expensive and easy to sell. Luggage cannot be locked on a flight, so shipping may be more secure than baggage.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knives store featuring hunting knives.