Tag Archives: Sharpen

Knife repair, giving new life to a broken knife

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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.




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Sharpness testing, professional knife sharpener explaining what sharp is happy

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Sharpness scale from 0 to 5

Customers say that they want their knives super sharp.  I have to ask them how sharp that is, which they never could answer. Instead, I asked them what or how they cut, meat, produce, or boxes. The follow-up question was if they sliced or chopped, and if they pulled or push cut. If we had a scale from ridiculously sharp as five down to a dull 0. Let’s start with sharpness 5 which is the hanging hair test (HHT).

Hanging hair test

Hanging hair test

5 the hanging hair test

You see that this old knife 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 came in with a bit of an angle lining it up. Next up is sharpness number 4, which is to smoothly slice cigarette paper from heel to tip or push cutting it.

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

4 cigarette paper cutting

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. This is too sharp for a kitchen knife, except for single beveled knives, and delicate fillet knives. 3, which is that it should be able to push-cut Para-cord without a problem from heel to tip and be able to shave 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

3 shaving hair and push-cutting paracord

These tests are passed easily; 3 is a good sharpness for most thin kitchen knives like slicers, and fillet knives. Sharpness 2 is to slice magazine paper from heel to tip, slowly, and smoothly without any snagging.

Slicing magazine paper easy and smooth

Slicing magazine paper easily and smoothly

2 Slicing magazine paper smoothly

This knife is almost too sharp for this test I’m pretty sure the paper will dull it. 2 is good for medium, and heavy-duty kitchen knives. Believing that most people would be comfortable with 2 sharpness of their kitchen knives. To be able to slice ordinary printing paper, cutting into the side of a tomato or lemon without slipping is the lowest sharpness.

Slicing lemon paper thin

Slicing lemon paper thin

Slicing printing paper smooth for heel to tip

Slicing printing paper smooth from heel to tip

1 Slicing magazine paper

This is still a good sharpness for your heavy-duty kitchen knives and cleavers. If you don’t pass the test, your knife is dull and needs 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

Other sharpness testing is better but takes more skill and danger

Finger nail tests, Does it dig into the nail and grab it? Does it slide smoothly over the nail? If put a low angle against the nail does it stay? The test could all be modified, and be done with a plastic pen but with less feedback.

Slice test, Hard rolled Kleenex, wet rolled towel, tomato slicing, hemp rope slicing, slicing into the side of a standing toilet paper roll.

Thumb test, feel for burr, feel how much it sticks to the finger.

Machine test, Njut, Catra, Bess, Lasergionometer.

Magnus Pettersson hand knife sharpener

1423 Euclid Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

To request sharpening call or text 310-486-6068 or email.

Please follow my Instagram @santamonicasharp

Why you should make your knives happy with professional whetstone sharpening

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natural Japanese stones,

Santa Monica knife sharpening is all about hand sharpening quality knives on whetstones, to perfection.

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

Never take your expensive knife anywhere, that doesn’t use whetstones to sharpen them by hand, or at least use a water-cooled system. 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 remove too much metal, and apply excessive heat to your knife. This could ruin the heat treatment, softening the steel and the knife will go dull faster. 

Avoid the ones using sharpening gadgets

Kitchen supply stores, and mall shops, use machines like Truehone, and Chefs Choice to sharpen their knives. These machines also overheat 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.

Most likely your knives are not permanently damaged

I have been fixing knives for customers who have taken their really expensive quality knives to these places. The only way for me to fix them is to grind the knives down past the “de tempered” and damaged steel until I get back to the hard steel.

Machines have a few advantages like; Perfect angles, uniformity, and speed. The downside is that; it could overheat the edge, and it grids down way more material than needed.  Of course, this shortens the life of your knife. If the blade doesn’t need it, grinding off excessive material is just throwing money away.

Why hand sharpen knives on whetstones are superior

I hand-sharpen all knives on Japanese water stones because I think a good hand-sharpened edge beats a machine-sharpened edge. The blade bevels come out polished without rough grinding marks, and the hand sharpening also allows for a minimum of steel removed 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. 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 is recommended

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 knife sharpener

To request sharpening call or text 310-486-6068 or email.

Please follow me on Instagram @santamonicasharp

Stay amazingly happy and healthy professional, sharpening knives

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Knife after repair, regrinding and polishingSanta Monica Knife Sharpening

Since I was a little boy I have had a fascination with edges. If it slices, dices, cuts, guts, shaves, etc, it fascinates me, and I want 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 the rhythmic sound of the blade against the sharpening stone give me bliss. The satisfaction of putting a new edge on the blade, makes me feel that I have treated everyone involved in making the knife, from the beginning with respect.

The knife sharpening 

I have sharpened knives and tools for as long as I can remember, as a teenager, I worked with a Swedish “Skärslipare” during the summers. I learned a lot, but mostly about sharpening Scandi-grind knives, and I started to recognize extremely sharp, truly hair-popping sharp straight razors.

The rocky road of learning knife sharpening in every way

After this, I spent time sharpening woodworking tools. While I worked full-time sharpening butcher knives at a commercial meat processing plant. I often sharpened several hundred knives a day, but the passion was gone. I love knives, and I knew all the machines that were used were ruining the knives. 

I took a well-deserved break from sharpening

I stayed away from sharpening and finished college with a degree in fine arts. Got to realize how hard it was to make a living as an artist, and I started an art gallery instead. Running an art gallery gave me a lot of extra time. I started a little hand-sharpening business in the back. Everything was good and I loved it.

The hobby sharpening years

Like all good things, it didn’t last forever. Hard economic times led to the closure of the gallery. I ended up in the consulting business, which meant a lot of travel and no time for my beloved edges. However, it gave me time to hunt for the optimal edge. Matching stones and different steels to cutting duties, grit, type, and so on. Deburring became a big mystery. All of the wizardry we do as professional knife sharpeners has to do with burr formation. 

Knife sharpening on a new continent

In 2001 I moved from Sweden to Santa Monica. I got introduced to Japanese knives, which made a great impression on me. Never before had I seen knives that well made, and the blades were talking to me. I got possessed, and an old passion was reborn. I called my brother in Sweden, to have him send me all the sharpening stones that I had there.

The passion for Japanese knives and whetstones

I researched and read everything I could, and lay my hands about Japanese knives. I couldn’t wait for my sharpening supplies to arrive from Sweden. 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, dating with the stone.

The amazing sharpness of Japanese knives

The result was incredible, the edge of a kitchen knife, got tacky sharp right away. The steep angle was challenging, and I did get some small scratches between the bevels, I realized that getting the perfect texture on all surfaces would take me a while. 

Japanese knives still humble me, getting them razor-sharp and even polished is hard. With a mirror polished and straight even lines and a perfect polish is art. Getting it all right at once takes time and patience, I have been hand-sharpening knives daily for 20-plus years. Still, I doubt I will ever master it fully. 

Magnus Pettersson hand sharpener

1423 Euclid Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

Feel free to visit my Instagram @santamonicasharp

Call or txt 310-486-6068 or email.

Santa Monica Knife Sharpening

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Super sharp japanese knife

A beautiful sharp knife

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

Magnus Pettersson hand sharpener

call/txt 310-486-6068 or email.

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