Why did you make Pelican Paste?

As a bladesmith, I tried a few different waxes to protect my knives with. After a while, I just wasn't happy with the end result. Sure, the handle shined and the blade looked good, but the feel of the wax was always there. The last thing you need on a knife handle is an oily or waxy feeling.

Also, I would find that some of the waxes left a film or gummy substance on the surface of the wax in the tin can. So I found myself constantly having to peel off a top layer of film in order to get to the wax. It was just annoying to me. 

So I ended up creating a wax for myself. I researched different waxes and oils. I researched their properties and their main use cases. With all this new found information, I ended up making a recipe with what made sense to me. 

What did you want out of your wax?

I knew I wanted it to harden, yet not be brittle or melt easily with just your body temperature. I wanted it to not only make your handles shine, but wanted to be sure that it protected your handles from the outside elements and allowed it to stay vibrant.

I also wanted the ingredients to be simple, natural and 100% food safe. I am pleased that I can honestly say I have achieved that with Pelican Paste.

 

Did you start with the intension to sell it?

In all honesty, no. My initial goal was to just make a wax for myself and also my knife customers. 

Selling high carbon knives to the general public scared me a little. Those knives take a little more care than your average house knife today. Not being stainless steel, I wanted to be sure my customers had a way to take care of their knife without having to go and buy something extra to do so. 

So, I started placing the wax in little half ounce tins and sending a tin off with each knife I sold. That gave me and the customer assurance that they would be able to take care of their investment.

That is why I have the half ounce tins available on the website. I want to be sure other makers, whether it be knives, blacksmithing tools, cutting boards or leather goods, have something affordable they can send to their customers as well.

 

Why the name, Pelican Paste?

I get asked the question all the time, "Why the name Pelican Paste?". And I understand why I get that question. It is odd, I agree. Why a Pelican, and why paste?

Well it is simple actually. My knife company, Haines Knives has a bird theme. All my knives are named after a bird. My favorite knife is my chefs knife, which I call the 'Pelican'. It's handle design reminds me of a Pelican. Big and curvy, yet with straight lines. 

So the simple answer is, I named it after my signature knife, the Pelican chefs knife.

Also, being born and raised in Florida, I always liked to watch the birds while I was by or on the water. Pelicans are one of those birds that are fun to watch. Seeing them just reminds me of Florida. 

 

Why the sweet orange scent?

Again.... Florida! Oranges are one of my favorite fruits and the smell of sweet oranges is just so refreshing to me. 

I figured sticking with a Florida theme was a cool idea. Pelican's remind you of the beach. And both the beach and oranges remind you of Florida!

 

Is it safe on your skin?

A fun little thing I learned after making it was that people liked to put it on their lips and their knuckles.

It is 100% safe to do so. It is not what I intended it for, but it was cool to find out it worked. Why use chemicals on your skin if you don't have too?