How my awesome professional knife sharpening business works.

Posted on October 1, 2018 by admin

super thin carrot slice — With a sharp knife, you could cut carrot slices this thin.

How my knife sharpening service work

I’m writing this post to clarify a few things. I work out of my home, and I do run in and out a lot. So always call, text, or email to set up an appointment. Text messages are the fastest and most convenient way for me to communicate, my number is 310-486-6068, and my email is. magnus@memagnus.com

I’m an early bird, many days I just work between 7.30 am-1 pm. The turnaround is around 10 min per knife, sometimes more depending on how busy I am and the condition and type of knife.

I’m sharpening all knives by hand on whetstones.

I do all sharpening by hand on stones, but I use a machine for major repairs, thinning, and re-profiling. Thanks to that I do all the sharpening by hand. I’m limited in how many knives I can sharpen in a day, before I get sore and have to stop. This is the main reason to set up an appointment, before coming by. Some days my hands are so beat, that I’m taking the day off to give them a chance to recover.

Feel free to visit my Instagram @santamonicashrp

Beautiful professional Knife sharpening with Nubatama ume 4000 and 6000

Posted on February 26, 2012 by admin

Knife sharpening with Nubatama ume 4000 and 6000

Nubatama ume 4k and 6k

Testing Knife sharpening with the Nubatama ume 4k and 6k, are so different compared with the other stones in the series. First off they are both medium-fine stones, so I will mostly comment on how they feel and what kind of finish they leave. The 4k is medium hard and muddy, a lot like an Aoto. The 6k is hard, so hardly any dishing, no mud is just black swarf from the steel, a great pre-finisher. They both cut fast for their grit range, if any complaints the 4k leaves that green/yellow stain on everything. They both leave a very fine shiny if not mirrorish finish depending on the steel.

Knife sharpening progression

In the pictures below I will show the progression from unsharpened to strop, to demonstrate the whole knife sharpening progression, and where the Nubatamas fit in, in the progress.

Knife before sharpening

Knife after sharpening on 1000 grit stone

Knife after sharpening on 2000 grit stone

Knife after sharpening on Nubatama ume 4000 grit stone

As you see the use of Nubatama ume 4000 in the sharpening progression, does a fine job of refining the edge. It feels super smooth, cuts well and it doesn’t mud too much, and it is not rock hard so it still has great feedback. The finish it leaves looks surprisingly more polished than I would have thought; it feels and behaves like a Chosera 3000 stone. This would be a perfect final stone when sharpening soft steel knives.

Knife after sharpening on Nubatama ume 6000 grit stone

Knife sharpening with the 6000 is very different from the 4000, it’s harder, cuts slower, and in close-up it refines the edge with a slightly finer scratch pattern. The most surprising though is that to the naked eye, the polish from the 4000 looks better. At first, I thought I did something wrong, so I retested several times side by side with different knives and every time the 4000 left a better finish to the naked eye, but in close up the 6000 had a slightly better finish. Speculation could be that they have different abrasive densities or different kinds of binding material. If I continue to finer stones, the result of the 6k is better.

Knife after sharpening on 8000 grit stone

They both clean up well on finer grit stones, but the 6k is a better pre-finisher.

Knife sharpening, final edge after stropping

Edge after a fast tour on the leather strop.

Conclusion:

I see no need to buy both of these stones for knives because they are not that different. I love the 4000; it is a really nice, fast-cutting stone that leaves an awesome finish. The only thing I don’t like is that green/yellow color that stains everything. The 6000 is also a really good stone that leaves a finer scratch pattern. Its hardness and low mud make it perfect for straight razors.

Magnus Pettersson hand sharpening in Santa Monica. 1-310-486-6068

Professional knife sharpener, review of Nubatama 1000 grit whetstone.

Posted on February 20, 2012 by admin

Nubatama ume 1000 grit review

Nubatama ume 1000

I don’t know what to say, this was supposed to be an ordinary review, stating the facts and impression of the stone. Fist off it isn’t like any other 1k stone, it feels porous, have a beautiful deep blue color, sounds porous dry, and feels more like a lower grit stone to the touch. My first thought was to compare it to some other very common stones in this grit range, like Sigma ps, Shapton pro, Beston and Chosera.

The second thought was to compare it to some cheap clay stones and I realized that the Nubatama would eat them alive so that would not be fair. Third thought was Chosera 1k, but I don’t use it anymore, because I usually go straight to Bester 2000 wish is my everyday midrange stone. Well after the Nubatama 320 retired my Bester 500, maybe I should compare it to Bester 2k instead. I love Bester 2k, I know even before I start that I will still love the Bester in the end, and that there is no way that I will retire it.

Nubatama ume 1000 vs. Bester 2000

Size: Nubatama wins it’s twice the size
Dry out time: Bester 2k wins 3min 10sec and just 2min 26sec for Nubatama
Cutting speed: Nubatama wins it’s not twice as fast, but definitely much faster
Dishing: None of them dish much, but Bester dish slightly less
Finish: Bester 2k wins, it leaves a much clearer finish
Feel: I love the feel of Bester 2k, but with mud build up Nubatama feels super nice just in a different way.

Ok I realize that it isn’t a fair compare, I love the Bester and the grit is too different to even try to compare them. I went and got my old favorite Chosera 1k, to see if that is a better match up.

Nubatama ume 1000 vs Chosera 1000

Size: Nubatama wins it’s twice the size
Dry out time: They are both thirsty stones but the Chosera wins with a tiny 10sec
Cutting speed: Nubatama wins but not with much, my guesstimate is 5%-10% faster
Dishing: Nubatama wins but not with much
Finish: Chosera wins it has a better finish
Feel: They both feel awesome but very different; I had almost forgotten how smooth the Chosera felt so this is more a matter of taste.
Clean up on higher grit: I give it a slight edge to Chosera, but it is not as much as I would have thought.

Would I replace my favorite Bester 2000 with Nubatama ume 1000, no I would not. Would I choose Nubatama ume 1000 over Chosera 1k. Yes, I would because it is twice the size, dishes less, and doesn’t have that green mud that stains everything. If you care about finish in this grit range, Chosera might be your choice.

Conclusion:

Nubatama ume 1k isn’t a metal-eating beast like Sigma 1k, but it cuts faster than most other 1k stones. It doesn’t dish much and you get a big stone that will last you a while. What is amazing about sharpening on this stone is hard to put down in facts. It is a matter of feeling, after building up the first mud with another 1k stone, it has the magic. That magic feel and sound that makes you drool, awakens that warrior sharpening his sword deep inside, that have been hidden for a long while.

You slow down and close your eyes, hear and feel every stroke against the stone. It makes you feel how the power almost makes your beam energy. Everything else around you disappears. That edge is taken from sharp metal to an edge that will carry a piece of your soul forever.

Do I have to say more, I love the feel of this stone. Now I just have to find use for it. I might end up using it as a step-up stone after Nubatama ume 320. If someone was just buying a single stone to keep their knives sharp, I would definitely recommend Nubatama ume 1k as.

Magnus Pettersson hand knife sharpening in Santa Monica, call or text 310-486-6068 or email.

The master sharpeners, of two professional knife sharpening stones.

Posted on February 19, 2012 by admin

Quality evaluation of Nubatama ume #320 vs Bester #500

I just got 4 Nubatama Ume stones #320, #1k, #4k and #6k. I was hesitant to buy them because the only reviews I could find were from the people selling them. I will start with the Nubatama Ume #320, and compare it to my favorite coarse stone Bester #500. It will replace the bester in my setup if it is up to the task. I love the Bester, it cuts fast and gives decent feedback. The downside is that I use a lot of pressure with the coarse stones, they dish fast and are tough to flatten.

I use up 10-15 bester #500 a year, and it dries out way too quickly, so it’s not problem-free for me. I know I could use DMT, but I don’t like the feedback. The list of coarse stones I have tested in this grit range is extended. The one that got closest to Bester was Chosera #400 it did dish but not as much and left a nicer finish. It was not as fast, and time is money.

Nubatama ume 320 and Bester 500 water stones

Drying time test and dish compare of the whetstones

First I will compare, cutting speed, dishing, general feel, and the finish they leave. The Nubatama came really flat, I still gave it a fast flattening to get rid of that glossy new stone feel.

Drying time compair between Nubatama ume 320 and Bester 500

Drying time compared between Nubatama ume 320 and Bester 500

One thing that bothers me with Bester is how fast it dries out, so that was the first thing I tested. The Nubatama is a bit better, 48sec for Nubatama and 34sec for Bester. It’s almost a 50% improvement that will make a small improvement.

2 brand new Kiwi knives to use to compare Nubatama ume 320 and Bester 500

The cutting speed

To make the cutting speed test fair, I have used 2 brand new cheapo Kiwi knives. I know it’s cheap somewhat soft stainless, but at least it will give me an idea of how fast they cut. I have sharpened Henckel twin cermax RC 66 on Bester, but it takes a lot of time, so I know Bester’s limit.

Within time I will test the Nubatama on some tough steel too, and report how it went. I expected Nubatama to be slower cutting than Bester, after seeing how glossy. Well it wasn’t, it just took 6 strokes to get a good burr with Nubatama and 10 strokes to get a burr on Bester. So Nubatama Ume #320 cut faster and it behaves as expected for a #320 grit stone.

Edge finish difference between Nubatama ume 320 and Bester 500

The finish

The Bester isn’t known to leave a nice finish, but Nubatamas finish at least on the burr is even rougher as it should be for a low grit stone. What I think is fascinating though, is that the surface is slightly greyer from the Nubatama which is usually a sign of a finer stone. Time will tell but I think that Bester leaves a better finish.

The difference in dishing between Nubatama ume 320 and Bester 500

Dishing test

Here comes the most positive surprise Nubatama dishes less, but not by much. The picture is taken after 50 strokes on the corner of each stone, and as you see it is obvious, that Bester dishes a little bit more. So taking in effect that Nubatama is faster cutting and dishes slightly less, it should mean much less stone flattening.

Feedback and feel

There was very little difference in sound between them, and the feel was somewhat the same too. The Nubatama doesn’t have the annoying sticky feel under pressure as the Bester has. It feels a bit sandier, and rougher. They both have a similar amount of feedback feeling. I think I prefer the feel of the Nubatama. (it might just be that the Nub is the newest one and that I just have an hour on it)

I did a fast test cleaning up the scratches on a higher grit stone. In this case, I used a Bester #2000 grit. They both cleaned up equally fast, it makes me think that the finish from the Nubatama just looked rougher and they were pretty much the same.

Flattening: They are both pretty hard stones to flatten, but I think it went slightly faster to flatten the Bester.

Conclusion:

Nubatama positive: Twice the size, cuts faster, dishes slightly less, and doesn’t dry out as quickly as Bester.
Nubatama neg: Leave a slightly rougher finish and a bit harder to flatten.
Bester pos: Leave a slightly better finish, easier to flatten
Bester neg: Cuts slower, dishes more, dries out faster

After using the Nubatama a little bit more, I prefer the feel and performance of it over the Bester and it is the coarse stone I will be using from now on. I will keep the Bester, in case the Nub doesn’t perform well on a high-performance steel.

Update: After some heavy use the last week, I still love the stone. I have sharpened some hard steel +rc61 knives on it, and the nub dish as much as Bester if not a little more wish was a bit disappointing. I have realized that it is much easier to flatten than my first impression, so it evens out. One other thing it is a rather muddy stone, and it helps the cutting speed a lot, the mud is the grainy sandy kind so it is a bit messy and not the most pleasant one.

Santa Monica knife Sharpening, call/txt 310-486-6068 or email.

For more of my tests check my Instagram @santamonicashrp

How to sharpen a Global knife as a professional

Posted on February 15, 2012 by admin

How to sharpen a Global knives

Some beautiful Global knives

Global knives outperform any of the German knife brands.

I know they were super popular in the 70-80s, but they haven’t gotten the attention they deserve. Maybe because they sold so many of them, and many have been neglected over time. Many of the ones I get need reprofiling and thinning, and most have had bad sharpening jobs.

I love Global knives, they are light, they stay sharp, they look good, and they are easy to keep clean. They are affordable and available everywhere. So it makes me sad, to see how many of them are ruined from bad sharpening. Miss-aligned edges, wrong edge formation, and wrong edge bevel angle. Some are so overheated from grinding machines and belt sanders, that they look like rainbows. If they are sharpened correctly, they are one of the best affordable knives you could have.

This is how you sharpen your Global knives

– They should be hand-sharpened and deburred on stones.

– The edge formation should be slightly convex on the top of the bevel to blend it into the blade.

– The edge should have an angle between 11°-15°, and a 2000-4000 grit finish is optimal.

Global knife performance: Catra test of new knives report

The little video above shows what performance you should be able to expect from a newly sharpened Global knife. Maybe not, if you prefer an edge with more bite, but you should at least be able to slice thin slices of tomatoes and shave with it when it is newly sharpened.

It is definitely possible to get a Global knife way sharper than it was when it was new, check Global’s CATRA report on the “Hand sharpen performance” link above.

My process for sharpening a Global knife

Assessment is it clean, straight, any damages? This is what I take care of first.
I start with a thinning blade right above the edge bevel. 0.2mm thickness behind the edge is sufficient no need to thin more.
After that, I set the bevel at 10 degrees with 700 grit Bester. Making sure I raise a nice even burr, before finishing the bevel with a couple of edge trailing strokes.
After each stone, I test the edge before I continue. My tests at this stage are, does it bite into my wet fingernail and can slice a hard-rolled Kleenex effortlessly?
The second stone is a 2000-grit Bester. I raise the bevel a little to 12 degrees and blend the top edge of it into the blade, rolling it down a little at the end of the strokes. Finally, I deburr with a couple of trailing strokes.
After this stage, I test in the same way as earlier, but also make sure it’s shaving sharp.
For the final stage, I use a natural Japanese stone. Usually, an Aoto of some kind gives a nice finish and bite. The final stone could be anything, but I wouldn’t go over 4000 grit on a Global knife. For finishing I get very light-handed, to refine the edge without building up a wire edge. I just use edge-leading strokes in this step. And I deburr with one stroke on each side at 65-75 degrees, super light not even close to the weight of the knife, on hard super fine stone 10k plus.

Magnus Pettersson hand sharpening, call or text 310-486-6068 or email.

Amazing professionally knife sharpening on whetstones, in Santa Monica.

Posted on February 1, 2012 by admin

Why and where you could get your knives hand sharpened, on the west side.

Best knife sharpening in Santa Monica hand sharpening a slicer

Me doing the final sharpening of a slicing knife

Here is why you should have your knives hand sharpened on whetstones.

It doesn’t soften the steel and ruin the knives, as machine sharpening does, therefor they will stay sharper much longer.
A second benefit is that it doesn’t grid away excessive material, this gives your knife a much longer life.
Also, the extreme edge finish that could be achieved, means that it will stay sharper much longer.
It’s more environmentally friendly, your knives will last much longer, no electricity will be used, and no weird chemical compounds from sharpening abrasives and steels will be released. Have you ever wondered why your knife sharpener is, using a mask while sharpening?

Or check out my post “Why you should spend a little more and have your good knife hand sharpened”

Where you could get your knives hand sharpened

I offer free pickup and delivery in Santa Monica, except during the busy season. That is November and December, you would have to drop them off and pick them up. Always call or text before coming by, to confirm that I have time, and working. If I get them early in the day, I will try to have them sharpened within a couple of hours. The address is 1423 Euclid Street, Santa Monica 90404, call or text when you get there, and I will come out and get them, no need to park,

Magnus Pettersson hand sharpener in Santa Monica call/txt 310-486-6068 or email.

Feel free to connect on Instagram @santamonicasharp

Keeping your knives happy and sharp, after a professional sharpening

Posted on January 26, 2012 by admin

How you could keep your knives sharp.

1. Use the right knife for the job: a Slicer for slicing, a Chef knife for chopping and dicing, a Paring knife for peeling and delicate stuff, a Bread knife for bread, and a Cleaver for heavy-duty cleaving and chopping. Never use them for anything they are not meant to be used for.

2. Always use a soft cutting board: end-grain wood board or a soft plastic board. Never use ceramic cutting boards, plates, or counters for cutting.

3. Always store your knives in a knife rack or use a magnetic knife holder. Never store your knives in a drawer with other knives unprotected.

4. Hide your grooved steel so you can’t find it, because it is a 99.9% chance that you are doing more harm than good with it to your knives. I don’t care what your butcher or celebrity chef on TV says or does, go and hide that steel now. I would say that half of the knives I sharpen, I do because the client has steeled them dull. Instead, use a ceramic or leather strop. Done regularly a few strokes on each side should be enough, and it will keep your knife sharper much longer.

5. Always rinse and dry your knives after use, don’t leave them dirty on the counter. Never put them in the dishwasher, not even if they say that they are dishwasher safe.

6. Get your knives sharpened before they go really dull, and they will last much longer.

Best knife sharpening in Santa Monica shows how to strop a knife

Stropping knife on a leather strop

Magnus Pettersson hand knife sharpener

1423 Euclid Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

For sharpening requests call or text 310-486-6068 or email.

You are welcome to follow me on Instagram @santamonicasharp

Happy Professional sharpener, shows how to sharpen a knife better

Posted on January 26, 2012 by admin

What you need to do before you can sharpen your knife

Start with making sure that the knives are clean, and straight, also determine if they have chips or other damages that need attention. You also have to check if the edge bevel is straight, with the correct angle for the knife. All of this needs to be corrected before sharpening could begin. Straighten and do all repairs, for this, I recommend a really coarse DMT plate which makes it fast and easy, and for bevelling something in the 500# grit range is perfect to set the initial edge.

Putting the correct angle on the knife

Before starting, prepare the stones and make sure they are flat and clean. Find the right bevel angle for the knife, somewhere between 15-20 degrees is a good starting point. An easy way to find the angle is to measure the height of the blade at the heel, let’s say that your knife is 2” high at the heel, as in the picture below.

best knife sharpening in Pacific Palisades measuring knife blade height at heel

Measuring knife blade height at the heel

In this case, you could just divide the height of the blade, to get an estimated height that you need to hold the spine above the stone. Below I have a large heavy-duty knife of bad quality so I decided to give it an obtuse edge angle of 30°. I divided the height of my blade by 2 and that tells me that I have to hold the spine one inch above the stone, see the picture below.

Measuring knife spine distance from stone

Here is a table of rough estimates of values to divide the blade height for different angles.

For 30° divide by 2

For 24° divide by 2.5

For 20° divide by 3

For 15° divide by 4

For 12° divide by 5

The knife sharpening process

When you have fixed everything you need and the angle is right you can start sharpening. I usually start with a coarse stone 700# grit till I get a smooth straight even edge with a burr. Next, I continue with a medium stone in the 1000# – 2000# grit range making sure that I keep it tight and have a light burr. I usually hold the knife diagonal over the stone to avoid wobbling, see the picture below.

best knife sharpening in Los Angeles Hand sharpening knife diagonally to avoid wobbling

Santa Monica hand sharpening knife diagonally to avoid wobbling

After this I deburr with some light edge trailing strokes on both sides and a few slicing strokes on a cork or a piece of wood, before moving on to the finishing stones.

Edge tailing strokes on fine sharpening stone to deburr

Deburring knife edge on cork

Finishing the edge to your desire

Usually, I start the finishing work with a fine stone in the 4000# – 6000# grit range. While using lighter and lighter pressure, this stage it’s a lot about feedback. What does it sound like, does the water roll up on the edge evenly, and so on? If the groundwork has been done correctly on the coarser stones 10 strokes per side should be enough. This should be enough for most ordinary kitchen knives, just deburr on a cork. At this stage, you should be able to shave with the knife with a little bit of pressure.

If you want you could continue with super fine stones, but that is pure vanity. I most often only use a 8k# and 12k# stone to get that shiny mirror finish. Of course, you could continue to refine it even more, but that is more for straight razors.

Things to remember

Make sure the stones are flat and clean.
Don’t use too much pressure, let the stones do the work.
Avoid doing it too fast, so you don’t wobble.
Try your best to keep the angle, after a while it will come naturally.

Magnus Pettersson hand knife sharpening