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Our Sharpening Services

Local sharpening, National Sharpening, Mobile Sharpening 

Our Workshop = More Than Sharpening 

While we sharpen chef’s knives, hairdresser's scissors, and many other professional’s items and tools we also work on more mundane items and we don’t just sharpen them. We refurbish items when asked or needed, we also sharpen after repairing many things such as wood chisels and secateurs. Older items may need some renovation, and many bring us items from yesteryear that will respond to some TLC. Misuse is common, wood chisels used to open paint cans are a favourite, hedge trimmers having inevitable cut hedging wire and pinking shears that no longer “pink” after years of use.
We do it locally and we do it nationally. Having the equipment scissor manufacturers use in their factories for production and on which have received training of its use we are well able to put an edge on the hairdressers scissors so they no longer have to send them to Germany or Japan. We use the Swedish Tormek T8, knowing we cannot find a better machine for its many uses, so too with our Sorby ProEdge a machine based on more than a century of production of edged tools.

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Professional Sharpening Services

Wherever You Are Located

If you can or if have a need of immediacy then call us to check if we are here and not out of the workshop on some other task. So give us a call and we can prioristise your work if we are here in the workshop, you will get a seat and a cup of coffee as a bonus and if we can sharpen what you have while you wait.

If you happen by and we are not here then simply leave your items in one of our dropboxes that are alongside the workshop, and then collect when conveinent after we advise they’re re edged to your requirements. 
More info here

If you have an address within a few miles of Bomere Heath (SY4 3PL) then for a small fee we can collect and return your sharpening. We can and do undertake work at up to 15 miles from base for a  nominal fee or for free if there is a more than very few items to sharpen. Call us to see if we can help in this

If you’re a busy Chef, Publican or Cook with several top quality knives that need a real sharpening that will improve your work rate we will come to you and sharpen these for you on site.

If you are located at some distance from us here in Shropshire we offer a mail order sharpening service throughout country. If you have a UK post code you too can have a “local” reliable certified sharpener, we are as close as your Post Office Counter

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Some Advice On Keeping Those Edges  Sharp

Keep a sharp edge on a knife: good ones are not inexpensive so they’re well worth the effort

Cut On The Right Medium

The surfaces that you choose to use for cutting directly affect the condition of your knives. You want to avoid hard or metal surfaces, such as stainless steel, granite and aluminium. On the other hand, cutting on wood, plastic or polyethylene is usually just fine. You are likely to be safe as long as you are using a cutting board made out of the proper materials.

Wash Knives by Hand

Many people put their sharp knives in the dishwasher without a second thought. While this might seem like a great way to get your knives properly clean, the barrage of heat, water and detergent across your blades dulls them quickly. Instead, take the time to thoroughly wash your knives by hand. Although it is good practice to sharpen your knives before each and every use, washing them by hand should help them to retain a sharper edge for longer periods of time.

Store Your Knives Properly

In addition to throwing knives in the dishwasher, some homeowners also put their good knives in with many other kitchen utensils in the ‘knife drawer” But it’s best if your knives have a dedicated storage spot all to themselves. You can dedicate a whole drawer just to your knives. Wooden blocks or knife inserts for drawers are a good investment being ideal for storage. Many private and commercial kitchens use a magnetic wall mounted strip so that their knives are available for quick access with almost zero chance of edge damage. A magnetic system is not really ideal for homes with little children or pets.

Taking Care of Your Knives

When you take the time to take care of your knives, then you are less likely to run into problems, such as when ingredients tear when you are trying to slice them. Knives are a very important part of food preparation . Like any other tool that you use around your home, you need to make sure they are in good condition so as to produce the results you seek. Keep your knives sharp, store them properly and use them on the appropriate surfaces, they will serve you for much longer. It is good practice after we have sharpened your knife, rinse it with water (stay away from that edge - use a brush) and dry it with a soft towel, this to remove any excess metal shavings that we may have missed.
Enjoy the new sharpness of your blades and experience the results in easier preparation.

Scissors

The only way to help your scissors keep their edge is to clean them after use.
Cutting aluminium foil will not sharpen them, adjusting the screw ever more tightly may well hasten their eventual demise.
Never sharpen them from the inner faces, that will turn them into so much scrap metal.
If your scissors are quality take them to a professional sharpener, if you are skilful with a abrasive stone you may get a slight improvement, but it has damage risks.
If you use scissors in your work it’s best to go to a pro to get them sharpened 

Hedge Shears

Clean after use - each and every time, spray with GT85 / WD 40 or similar before storage, when the edge gone off take the machine to a pro sharpener such as ourselves,  who for a few pounds you will give you a real ground edge at the right cutting angle.  Always lubrcate your blades frequently when in use. The best lubrication for tha machine is chain oil as used in a chainsaw, this is very “sticky" so will not get fling off the blades and importantly it is bio degradable, much better than any other form of lubrication for these machines.

How to Damage A Knife In A Few Easy Strokes

The pull through sharpener is sold in may guises, it does produce a better edge than totally blunt, however it has issues in the longer term. The crude action of the two crossed tungsten cutters rips away at the steel’s very structure, often producing a micro serrated edge. This edge is rough and craggy, once initiated it will get more and more rough, so much so that even after a couple of uses the edge is shattered and is visibly damaged to the naked eye. It will cut, but before long the sharp edge needs a refresh and more damage is done.

We sharpen such damaged knives in two stages when we are asked to sharpen such . Firstly we have to remove all the metal to the depth of the deepest notch, that can take some time and we simultaneously form the edge of 15° on each side, 30° total. This is done using a specialist machine using an abrasive called CBN, Cubic Boron Nitride.  This is a new material and is almost as hard as diamond but with the added virtue of putting very little heat into the material so it can be worked dry.
This new edge of 30° is very sharp but also very robust offering long life and a keen cut. Finally we grind that under cold water on a stone to the correct angle. Once ground we then hone it to add some polish to make for smooth cutting edge.

Below is a before and after picture recently taken in our workshop of the edge of an expensive (set) of Global knives. The repairs and sharpening was effected at a cost of a fraction of a small Global paring knife. These “knives for life” are now sharper than ex factory and unless they are damaged again will sharpen with hardly any loss of that expensive metal as the edge undamaged if blunt.

Close Up View - Not very Nice

Pull through sharpeners will destroy the edge of the knife, tearing at the steel it remove chunks large and small.. This is correctable by reforming the edge to the correct angles (usually 15° per side) and taking out the craggyness and any nicks that have been created. This picture is via our digital microscope of a client’s knife sharpened by this method                                         

Close Up View - Very Nice

This is a ground and honed edge; typical of the ones we produce. If the knife is damaged as seen in the other photograph we have a dedicated machine to bring this back to a normal edge. When we have repaired the edge and taken the coarseness and nicks out of it we grind ir further to an accurate angle and hone it smooth on other machines

Ragged Cutting Edge
Honed Cutting Edge
We Say Bin It
Pull thro' sharpener
Hammer this before it hammers your knife 
Hammer on Sharpener
Our Workshop
Our Lccation

   Address

Riddles,
Back Lane
Bomere Heath
Shropshire
SY4 3PL

   Phone

07517 434947

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