Santa Monica Knife Sharpening
Sins I was a little boy I have had a fascination with sharp objects. If it slices, dices, cuts, guts, shaves etc, it fascinates me and I get the urge to sharpen it. For me sharpening isn’t a chore, it’s a passion, it makes me concentrate and forget everything else. The
feeling and rhythmic sound of the blade against the sharpening stone, gives me bliss
and the satisfaction of putting a new edge on the blade, makes me feel that I have treated everyone involved the process of making the knife from the beginning with respect.
I have sharpen knives and tools as long as I could remember, as a teenager I was working with a Swedish “Skärslipare” (wish translated to Edge grinder) during the summers, I learned a lot, but mostly about sharpening scandi knifes wish isn’t that hard. I for sure learned to recognize extremely sharp, seeing truly hair popping sharp straight razors.
After this I spent time with sharpening woodworking tools, and worked fulltime sharpening butcher knives at a commercial meat processing plant, many times I was sharpening several hundred knifes a day, but the passion was gone. I love knives, and I knew all the machines that were used was ruining the knives, even if it was mass
manufactured knives, they did deserve a better treatment. I stayed away from sharpening, finished college with a degree in fine arts, and realized how hard it was to make a living as an artist, so I started an art gallery instead. Running an art gallery gave me a lot of extra time, so I also started a little hand sharpening business in the back everything was good and I loved it.
As everything good it doesn’t last for ever, hard economic times lead till that I had to close the gallery doors. I ended up in the consulting business; wish meant a lot of travel and no time for my beloved edges.
In 2001 I moved from Sweden to Santa Monica, and got introduced to some heirloom Japanese kitchen knives that made a great impression on me. Never
before I had seen knives that well made, the blades were talking to me, I got
possessed, and an old passion was reborn. Before I even researched it, I called
my brother in Sweden to have him send me all my sharpening stones that I had in storage in his garage. I researched and read everything I could lay my hands on about Japanese knifes. I couldn’t wait for my sharpening supplies to arrive from Sweden, so I
bought a few Japanese water stones and started to sharpen the knives I had at
home. Once again I had the feeling of bliss, hearing and feeling the rhythmic shh, shh sound of the blades date with the stone.
The result shocked me, never ever had I thought, it was possible to get this kind of edge on a kitchen knife, we talking scary sharp right away. The steep angel was challenging, and I did get some small scratches between the bevels, and I realized that getting the
perfect texture on all surfaces would take me a while. These knives still humbles me, getting them razor sharp, with mirror polished flat, straight even line between flat and primary bevel, perfect mist on the soft steel, and an even straight cutting bevel all at once takes time and patience, practice and more practice. I doubt I ever fully will master it in a fast efficient way, and anyone that says they do is not doing it right.
Anyway I’m a painter and photographer with a big passion for knife sharpening, even if I do sharpen knives regularly, I do not always have the time to help. If you have knives that needs hand sharpening and are local and can’t find anyone, don’t hesitate to ask me.
Magnus Pettersson hand sharpener, now serving the whole Westside with free pickup and delivery: Santa Monica, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Venice, Marina Del Rey, Culver City and West LA.
For free pickup and delivery on the Westside, call/txt 310-486-6068 or email.
