Tag Archives: Sharpen

Santa Monica Knife sharpening blog

Posted on by

Santa Monica Knife sharpening, the best hand sharpening service in Los Angeles

Santa Monica Knife Sharpening just finished sharpening a slicing knife

A newly sharpened slicing knife

I’m a knife sharpener, my name is Magnus Pettersson, and I hand sharpen every knife on Japanese water stones. If you truly care about your knives and want them as sharp as possible, let me sharpen them for you. I work out of my home, and offer free pickup and deliver, with no minimum charge on the westside.

Here is how it works, email me at magnus@memagnus.com, or call/text me at 310-486-6068 and let me know how many knives you have and when it would be a good time to come by and pick them up. The turn around is usually a few hours, and at the latest the next day depending on how busy I’m.

Why you should have your knives hand sharpened?

Please check out my customers reviews on yelp!

My hand sharpening prices for knives are:

Knives less than 5 inches $7 each

Knives between 5” – 9” inches $9 each

Knives over 9”  $11 each

For other sharpening check my price list

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.

Knife repair, giving new life to a broken knife

Posted on by
Reply
Santa Monica Knife Sharpening
old broken knife with chipped edge

Unsharp broken knife before regrinding

This knife was given to me by a good friend, at first look it doesn’t look to bad except for the big chip right there the heel starts. After a closer look I realized that the primary bevel was concave and parts of the edge was folded over, I also realized that the secondary bevel was way wider in the back and at the tip. Look at that tip I could have folded it by hand, it was thin as aluminum foil. At the moment I just saw two different ways to fix it, one was to leave the primary bevel concave and try to give it a new edge on the side of a sharpening stone, or regrind a new flat primary bevel and give some sort of compound edge. I decide to give it a new primary bevel to get rid of all edge damages and big scratches on shinogi.

illustration of edge before and after regrinding

Illustration of edge before and after regrinding

Above is a little illustration what it look like before and after, and what I would like to achieve. First I went to work with a large blacksmith file, because of the amount of material that I needed to take off, just to realized that it didn’t give me much precision, tried a bunch of different coarse stones, the one that eventually seams to do the best job was Beston #500. With this stone I worked until I got an even flat primary bevel all the way to the edge, I also used it to set the secondary bevel. After that I changed to King #1000 to smooth both bevels out and did some initial sharpening. After that just a fast brush with Bester #2000, before starting with my favorite stone it’s a man made blue Aoto rated to #2000 but feels much finer. This blue Aoto gives that perfect mist to the soft steel on the primary bevel, its super soft and have great feedback; the only thing is that if you don’t want your hand to look dirty for days after, use glows. For final sharpening and finishing on the secondary bevel I use Kitayama #8000 also a great stone, after this just some light stropping, before setting the micro bevel with Shun #6000 wish gives a nice bite to the edge.

I also did some clean up and light polishing just to make it easier to clean, I’m using it daily now, and its one of my favorite knives. I realized that I’m not good at always cleaning and drying the knife after use, so it started to get some stains/rust on the pretty mist on the primary bevel, so I gave it a light polish with #2000 sandpaper and all is good now. Yes of course its sharp, not hair popping sharp, but sharp enough to shave with or to slice cigarette paper into small strips. Pictures of the knife after regrinding below.

Knife after repair, regrinding and polishing

Knife after repair, regrinding and polishing

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.




Increase your website traffic with Attracta.com

How sharp is sharp?

Posted on by
Reply

I many times hear people that they want their knives super sharp, and I always ask them how sharp is that? So I have decided to make a sharpness scale from ridiculous sharp that I give sharpness number 5 down to dull that I give number 0. Let’s start with sharpness 5 that is the hanging hair test (HHT).

Hanging hair test

Hanging hair test

As you see this old knife that I in my household call “The bacon slicer” doesn’t pass the test, because the hair is hanging on the edge. The pieces of cut off hair on the paper, came from that I had I little to much tension while trying to line the hair up. Next up is sharpness number 4, which is to smoothly slice a cigarette paper from heel to tip.

cigarette paper slicing

cigarette paper slicing

cigarette paper cutting with knife tip

cigarette paper cutting with knife tip

cigarette paper cutting with knife heel

cigarette paper cutting with knife heel

As you see the old knife passes this test, the only thing was that I felt a light resistance at the back and of the heel starting. Anyway, this is crazy sharp, it’s actually sharper than an ordinary surgical scalpel new out of the box, their are scalpels like the ones that are made for eye surgery that I’m sure would pass the test though, but I don’t have one. This is to sharp for any kitchen knife, except for maybe the most delicate fillet knives, and it wouldn’t last very long. Over to sharpness number 3, which is that it should be able to push-cut Para-cord without a problem from heel to tip and being able to shave arm hair.

Push cutting paracord easy 1

Push cutting paracord easy 1

Push cutting paracord easy 2

Push cutting paracord easy 2

Shaving hair

Shaving hair

These tests are passed easy; sharpness number 3 is a good sharpness for most thin kitchen knives like slicers, fillet knives and so on. Sharpness number 2 is to be able to slice magazine paper from heel to tip, slowly, smooth without any snagging.

Slicing magazine paper easy and smooth

Slicing magazine paper easy and smooth

This knife is almost too sharp for this test, I’m pretty sure the paper will dull it. Sharpness number 2 is good for most medium and heavy duty kitchen knifes and I think this is the sharpness most people are comfy with on their kitchen knives. Over to sharpness number 1, this is to be able to slice ordinary printing paper, cutting into the side of a tomato without slipping and slice paper thin slices of lemon.

Slicing lemon paper thin

Slicing lemon paper thin

Slicing printing paper smooth for heel to tip

Slicing printing paper smooth for heel to tip

Well this is still a good sharpness for your heavy duty kitchen knives and cleavers, but if you don’t pass sharpness number 1 test, your knife is dull and need sharpening. I call this sharpness number 0.

Sharpness:       Test:                                                    For:

5                      Hanging hair test                                 Straight razors

4                      Slicing cigarette paper                         Delicate slicing knives

3                      Push cut Para-cord, shaves                 Thin kitchen knives, fillet knives

2                      Slicing magazine paper                       Most medium kitchen knives

1                      Slicing printer paper smooth               Heavy kitchen knives and cleavers

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.



About Santa Monica hand sharpening

Posted on by
Reply

Santa Monica knife sharpening is a blog about hand sharpening quality knives,
shears, scissors, tweezers and razors.

Why you should spend a little more and have your good knife hand sharpened

Never take your expensive knife to a so called “professional” knife sharpener, that doesn’t use water stones to sharpening it by hand or at least use water cooled rotary stones. Most often they will sharpen your knife on a machine that looks like a belt sander or on a grinder, and sparks will fly. These machines are very abrasive and will apply excessive heat to you knife, and ruin the tempering. This over heating of the
edge while sharpening it will actually “de temper” the steel of the edge and
make it softer, and the knife will go blunt very quickly.

Also avoid kitchen supply stores, mall shops and so on that use machines like “chefs choice to sharpen their knives. These machines also over heating the edge, and they seldom have the correct edge angles. Please don’t use these machines at home either, because you are ruining your knives! Anyone who has ever tried to put a decent edge on a kitchen knife with an electric grinder can attest to this, a grinder is the quickest way to ruin an expensive knife.

I have been fixing knives from people who have taken their global’s, mac’s, shun’s and other really expensive high quality knives to places that use these kind of machines. The only way for me to fix them is to grind the knives down past the “de tempered” and damage steel, until I get back to the hard steel.

Machines have a few advantages like; Perfect angles, uniformity, and speed. But the downside is that; it could over heat the edge, it can’t adjust for minor variations and imperfection and grid down way more material than needed, wish shortens the life of your knife. If the blade doesn’t need it, grinding off excessive material is just throwing
money away.

I hand sharpening all knives on Japanese water stones, because I think a good hand sharpened edge beats a machines sharpened edge. The blade bevels come out smooth polished without rough grinding marks, and the hand sharpening also allows just the right amount to be taken off to provide a superior edge. Blades with sweeping curves, such as kitchen or restaurant knives, really shine with a good hand sharpening job. The edge is certainly less mechanically precise, but the sharper edge and polished bevels more than compensate, requiring less effort to get through the same material.

Why you need a sharp knife:

1. A sharp knife is important in order to
preserve the true flavors and beauty of fresh ingredients. Cutting with a dull
knife will damage food on a cellular level and alter its taste and appearance.

2. A sharp knife is also important for
safety. A dull knife is more prone to slip on food and may result in bodily
injury.

3. A Sharp knives are also important for
kitchen efficiency. It will take more time and effort to cut with a dull knife
than a sharp knife.

4. Using a sharp knife is also undoubtedly
much more enjoyable to work with.

Santa Monica knife sharpening recommend

If you like your knives sharp, I recommend you buy a few water stones and learn how to sharpen your knives yourself. If you are not able to or not having the time to sharpen your knives yourself let a professional hand sharpener sharpen your knives for you.

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.




Increase your website traffic with Attracta.com

Knife sharpening

Posted on by
Reply

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.




Increase your website traffic with Attracta.com

Santa Monica Knife Sharpening

Posted on by
Reply

Super sharp japanese knife

A beautiful sharp knife


Santa Monica Knife Sharpening, is a blog about hand sharpening knives.

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.

More about Knife sharpening in Santa Monica

Service | About | Knife sharpening blog




Increase your website traffic with Attracta.com