ABOUT US & JAPANESE WHETSTONE
HAND SHARPENING

Leigh thinning a Japanese knife for a customer at Peter’s Mitre 10, Caulfield. Tuesday January 30th, 2024

THE ART & SCIENCE OF WHETSTONE SHARPENING
Our business is based upon the art and science of sharpening knives and tools on Japanese whetstones, which is a practice many thousands of years old refined by many cultures throughout the world including the Japanese, who are most famous for it.OUR TOOLS OF THE TRADE
All the whetstones we use are 100% made in Japan and sourced from small local businesses. We have no secrets and there is no mystery to our work. We invite all our customers to watch while Leigh sharpens your knives by hand. We take great pride in our work and offering this unique service so you can experience the difference in your knives.”We do not take shortcuts and cheat by secretly putting your knife on a belt sander, a Tormek or a high speed grinder after you leave. We see damaged knives from these other methods all the time. Our promise and our guarantee is that every knife is hand sharpened and it is the core of our methodology as sharpeners and we don’t intend to change.” LeighOUR PROCESS
We appraise each knife and tool individually and assess its requirements for sharpening, repair or restoration and discuss the exact process and expected costs with you.”Our process is meticulous. Every knife is assessed prior to service and we communicate with each customer what work will be required if there is more to do than just basic sharpening. Our aim is that customers get the absolute best outcome and we do not compromise on the standard of our work. We frequently reject knives that we know from experience will not hold an edge for the customer as we don't see that as a win/win scenario. It is better to be honest and risk offending some people than taking people’s money and they get an unusable knife and we get an unhappy customer.” CarmenQUALITY OF WORK ASSURANCE
We assure all our customers that their knives will be sharpened exclusively by hand on Japanese whetstones. We provide advice on ensuring the correct care and maintenance of your knife based on the steel type and/or previous damage or mis-sharpening your knife has endured.We are here to support you and the ongoing care, maintenance and preservation of your knives.LIFE OF YOUR KNIFE
We know that a good knife should last many years and can even be passed down to the next generation.
Hand sharpening is the best way to ensure the maximum life of your knife.Here are incentives for you to bring your knives back to us:- 20% Off the Sharpening fee on ANY of the same knives you have had sharpened by us the next time they come in for service within 6 months.(Excludes thinning & re-profiling fees or repairs for any damage and mis-sharpening endured between services & any Category A+ & A+S knives).

SUPPORT A LOCAL LOW CARBON FOOTPRINT BUSINESS
We are a micro business operating out of our 1950s caravan rebuilt from repurposed materials in the Inner South Eastern suburbs. We specialise in Japanese whetstone sharpening and knife restoration which has a low carbon footprint and helps reduce demand for new knives.A SERVICE FOR EVERYBODY
We aim to provide a premium hand sharpening service for knife enthusiasts, home cooks, chefs, gardeners, horticulturalists and tradespeople.ITEMS WE SHARPEN
Our primary focus is on sharpening straight edge knives but we also sharpen bread knives, manual gardening tools, professional scissors, axes, hatchets and chisels.We have also been known to sharpen less common items such as guillotine blades, plane blades, cut throat razors and carving tools.WE DO NOT SHARPEN:
- motorised garden tool blades
- power saw blades
- drill bits
- clipper blades
- non-professional scissors
- hand saws
- electric knife blades
- chainsaw bladesA NOTE ON “PULL-THROUGH SHARPENERS”
We do not advise maintaining your knives on “pull-through knife sharpeners” no matter the brand or the price you paid for them.”They are a sales gimmick and a form of forced obsolescence designed to reduce the life of your knife by knife companies. They go against our philosophy and our methodology.” LeighIf your knives have been used on a pull-through there will often be an extra fee to repair them and sometimes the steel will be damaged long term but we will assess on inspection in person and if its minor damage there will be no additional fee.

Carmen holding three Japanese knives that came in for edge repair, profile fix and sharpening while Leigh works on another knife. January 2024.

LEIGH, OWNER
Leigh has extensive knowledge of knives, steel types, manufacturing processes, sharpening methods and specialises in sharpening high carbon, super steel and niche knives correctly and thoroughly by hand to ensure they work for you at their optimum.He applies the same rigour to everything he sharpens and believes the value of a tool is not in how much it cost to buy but in how well it performs it’s function for you.CARMEN, MANAGER
SHARPENS CHISELS, GARDEN TOOLS & SERRATED KNIVES
OVERSEES KNIFE RESTORATIONS
Carmen manages operations and sharpens serrated knives, garden tools and scissors. She uses her knowledge in jewellery making, fine timber work and vintage objects to restore heirloom, rare and fragile knives and scissors.She understands the emotional and familial significance that certain objects hold in our lives and treats heirloom, vintage and sentimental knives and scissors with the same care she treats her own with.

Carmen delicately cleaning a WW1 ceremonial rapier for a customer. August 2022.

KNIFE CATEGORIES

Leigh sharpening a Japanese knife at The King of Tonga. January 28th, 2024.

SIX KNIFE STEEL CATEGORIES: A+S, A+, A, B, C, D
AN EXPLANATION OF OUR KNIFE STEEL SYSTEMOver the last three years and after sharpening and restoring over 7000 thousand different knives made of various steels and heat treatments, with diverse sharpening histories, we have developed
SIX Knife Steel Categories: A+S, A+, A, B, C, D.Categories A+S, A+, A & B we WILL SHARPEN and CAN ensure Edge Retention.Category C we WILL SHARPEN but CANNOT ensure Edge Retention.Category D we WILL NOT SHARPEN.SPECIALISED KNIVES MADE OF A+ STEEL
Category A+S covers KATAHA or Single Bevel Japanese Knives made of Genuine High Carbon Steel.All blades are assessed individually according to the blade & steel type.PLEASE NOTE: We have found that some Yanagiba are not made of A+ steel, if we find this on assessment of your knife steel we will advise you on what your options are.CATEGORY A+
PREMIUM KNIVES MADE OF HIGH CARBON STEEL
Our A+ Category knives are all priced individually according to knife and steel type.
A+ - High Carbon Steel
(Commercial or Handmade, High quality heat treatment).CATEGORIES A & B
REGULAR & COMMERCIAL KITCHEN KNIVES
We categorise the most common kitchen knife brands into three categories A & B. The prices are set according to steel type and length of time to sharpen.A - Commercial Japanese (High Carbon or Similar, Consistent Heat treatment)B - Commercial European (Sandvic or Similar, Consistent Heat Treatment)CATEGORY C - CHEAP, LOW GRADE STEEL & POOR OR SOFT HEAT TREAT
We still sharpen some Category C knives but do not guarantee our edges on these as the heat treatment on certain brands is extremely poor so we sharpen these with a note to each customer before we take them on.Common Category C Brands including but not limited to:
BACCARAT, FURI, MESSERMEISTER, ICEL, LAGUIOLECATEGORY D - DEAD STEEL = DEAD KNIVES
This category applies to knives that we reject to sharpen for some or all of the following reasons:Brands we know will not hold an edge including but not limited to: MUNDIAL, SCANPAN, WILTSHIRE, KLEVACUT, CUTCO, AVANTI, KAMIKOTO, HUUSK
- Scam knives: Knives pertaining to be Japanese steel or handmade
- Poor heat treatment resulting in knives that won’t hold an edge
- Severely mis-sharpened knives resulting in severe damage like cracks
- Damaged beyond repair from mis-use, accident or mis-sharpening
- Worn out, over-used, severely pitted
- Belt-sanded and thinned until edge bends
- Low quality control in factory that results in consistent manufacturing flaws like cracks, jutting heels & bad edge grinds (see list below)
- Knives purchased online with no information on steel typeThere are some knives that we categorise as "Dead Knives" due to errors in the manufacturing process, sometimes we will sharpen them and sometimes we will not. We will assess them prior to service and make a decision. These brands are:
FURI, BACCARAT iD3, BACCARAT DamashiroIf you are not sure about the quality of your knives we will assess them when you bring them in and explain to you what kind of steel they are made of in person. You may be surprised that they are better or worse than you think!AUXILIARY CATEGORY
R - Restoration of Heirloom, Antique & Vintage KnivesSometimes you or your family may have a knife in the family that is very precious. Not because it is a high quality knife but because it was your mother's or grandmother's main cooking knife, your dad's butchering knife that he used for 60 years or was found in a shed after a family member has passed and you just can't bring yourself to throw it away. And fair enough! We completely understand the need to keep objects in teh family for continuity, sentimentality and respect for the labour of those who came before us and the tools they used to help nurture, raise and earn a living from.And this is where we come into the picture to help you keep that item and restore it so it can be either used occasionally or maybe just restored in order to be part of a family heirloom display or put away carefully in respect of its fragility.For Restoration work the quality of the steel, the heat treatment and the damage or wear and tear is not considered. What is relevant is its importance to you and whether you would like us to help you preserve it. If this is the case we ask you bring in the item for a Restoration Assessment and we work out a strategy for restoring it. Sometimes it is straightforward and just involves some cleaning, other times it is more complex and involved.If you are not sure which Category your knives are in or if your knife needs Restoration please contact us.

A set of Japanese chisels sharpened by Carmen, March 2023.

CATEGORY A+S
SPECIALISED KNIFE IN HIGH CARBON STEEL & EXCELLENT HEAT TREATKATAHA / SINGLE BEVEL KNIVESEg, Yanagiba, Deba, Sobakiri, Takohiki.

CATEGORY A+
PREMIUM STEEL & EXCELLENT HEAT TREAT
COMMERCIAL & HAND-FORGED JAPANESE, HIGH CARBON, FOLDED & POWDER STEELSEg, Commercial brands: Mcusta Zanmai, Miyabi.

CATEGORY A
JAPANESE STAINLESS HIGH CARBON STEELEg, Global, Shun, Mac.

CATEGORY B
CONSISTENT STEEL & HEAT TREAT
COMMERCIAL/PROFESSIONAL BRANDSEg, Wusthof, Victorinox, F. Dick, Sabatier, Zwilling, Masterchef

CATEGORY C
LOW QUALITY STEEL
MIXED QUALITY BRANDS
Eg, Messermeister, Brazilia, Cutco. Icel.

CATEGORY D
DEAD KNIVES
Eg, Mundial, Scanpan, Wiltshire, StaySharp, Furi.
We will not sharpen knife certain brands & steels due to their inability to hold an edge from poor heat treatment and/or manufacturing flaws. We also may inform you that your knives are Category D and that we will not sharpen them if they are severely damaged, mis-sharpened or heavily worn out.

Types of Damage

NOTE REGARDING WESTERN KNIFE RESTORATION
Damage to knives varies widely in terms of type and severity. This can influence the cost of edge restoration.

*Pitting, mis-sharpen or pull-through sharpener damage is the result of a variety of factors. In the case of pitting it can be over-exposure to variations in heat, moisture and acid and in the case of mis-sharpening or pull-through damage there may be disintegration of the steel beneath the surface. These types of damage means the knife may continue splintering and fraying while it is being sharpened.

Close up of a Global knife with severe pitting (small black spots on a knife from extensive rust damage) and mis-sharpened by a previous sharpener, August 2022.

A Global knife set that came in with overheating from being put on a grinder so severe the metal folded over itself. Furthermore, the edge was so damaged it had cracks, discolouration and was not very sharp in the end for the customer who paid for them to be damaged. Possibly some of the worst mis-sharpening we have seen by a previous sharpener, October 2022.

A rare ceremonial slaughtering knife called a Chafti with its edge corrected and sharpened by Leigh for a Jewish customer. January 24, 2024.

Leigh sharpening working through the pre-Christmas rush of knives at Peters Mitre 10, Brighton.. December 2023.

Two Japanese knives thinned, profile corrected and sharpened by Leigh. January 30, 2024.

NOTE REGARDING JAPANESE KNIFE RESTORATION
Japanese knives vary in the thickness of the steel depending on the type of knife. This can influence the cost of edge restoration.