100% By-hand on Japanese Whetstones

ENQUIRIESIf you have an enquiry please send us a message via email:info@sharpenedbyleigh.comPlease remember to provide your Name, Email, Phone Number, Purpose of your Enquiry & Postcode.
Thank you!Please Note: We ONLY provide pricing in-person due to ongoing price checking. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes.OUTSIDE MELBOURNE CUSTOMERSPlease send us an email or text to give us a heads up of where, when and what you are bringing and what your time constraints are so we can accommodate you as much as possible.If your job is large or complex we may have to keep your items from anywhere from a day to a week.

PETER’S MITRE 10, CAULFIELD
95 Normanby Rd

EVERY WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY & FRIDAY
9am - 3pmAS WELL AS EVERY FIRST, THIRD & FOURTH SATURDAY OF THE MONTH
8am - 1pmSATURDAYS IN APRIL
5th & 26thEASTER TRADING HOURS
WEDNESDAY 16th - 9am - 3pm
THURSDAY 17th - 9am - 3pm
FRIDAY 18th - CLOSED
SATURDAY 19th - CLOSED
SUNDAY 20th - OPEN at Alphington 8am - 1pm

ABBOTSFORD FARMER’S MARKET

EVERY SECOND SATURDAY OF THE MONTH
8am - 1pmNEXT DATE:
SATURDAY APRIL 12th

ALPHINGTON

OPPOSITE ALPHINGTON FARMER’S MARKETEVERY FIRST & THIRD SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
8am - 1pmNEXT DATES:
APRIL 6th & 20th

MARKET DAY SERVICE TERMS (DOES NOT APPLY TO CAULFIELD)1. No Bookings - First In, First Out2. For Same-day Service Arrive between 8am - 12pm3. Bring Clean Knives Safely Wrapped in a Tea Towel Inside a Bag4. Cut-Off for Same-Day Service is 12pmKnives in after 12pm go in for NEXT-DAY SERVICE and you can select your pick-up location or book in our drop-off service for an additional fee.Contact us before-hand if you require more information.

PRICING & QUOTES

We ONLY provide quotes in-person. We DO NOT give “ball-park” pricing and we are not aiming to be “competitively priced”. We charge by steel, by time and by materials and skill-level required for the job.FOR ALL QUOTING: Come in with your items and we will assess them and provide you with a specific no obligation price in-person.Pics and descriptions do not help us assess damage or repairs on knives or tools. There is only one way to assess things properly: in-person.

DROP-IN SAME-DAY SERVICE

We offer SAME DAY SERVICE on most knives.We have EXCLUSIONS.
Please read about our Knife Steel System below.It is a FIRST IN, FIRST SERVED basis. We treat everyone exactly the same and follow exactly the same process when you first bring your knives by assessing them. Please allow time for us to do this. We are not a drop and run service unless you are already a customer of ours.We DO NOT DISCRIMINATE by price point but we DO WORK TO A STANDARD.MOST KNIVES can be turned around within 2 - 4 HOURS on average but can be longer if we are busy so may run into next day service or if we assess your knives and they require additional work.If your knives need RESTORATION WORK carried out we will discuss this with you and the expected time and fee on assessment of your knives.Carmen Kenny
Manager, Knife Sales, Bread Knife Service Person & Consultant, Knife Handle Restorer

SHARPENING BY HAND HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE BETTER FOR YOUR KNIVES”Tests comparing factory sharpening to whetstone sharpening for Global knives showed factory sharpening led to a reduction in hardness at the edge for reduced edge retention. Therefore hand sharpening is recommended.”Dr Larrin Thomas
Knife Engineering: Steel, Heat Treating and Geometry, 2020

KNIFE CONSULTATION
& SALES

WE SELL NEW, CUSTOMISED, HAND SHARPENED KNIVESWe are a retail outlet for Mac & Victorinox knives and unique, high quality and handmade knife care products made by Carmen.To purchase a knife come in and try a knife with us during our operating hours and locations.WE MAKE & STOCKKnife care products including knife storage options, chopping boards, high quality kitchen scissors, strops, compounds, oil & waxes.CUSTOMISING YOUR HANDMADE OR UNIQUE KNIVESWe are also able to customise new handmade or commercial knives so long as we can assess the steel and check for manufacturing flaws (common in several commercial brands) if you can provide information on the steel and who made it.Please note that like all aspects of our service we need to see the knives in-person in order to develop a customisation plan for it.

INFO FOR CHEFS & RESTAURANTS

INDIVIDUAL CHEFS’ KNIVES1. Chefs’ knives often require more work as many have been mis-sharpened or over-used. As a result we may not always be able to turn chefs’ knives around same-day UNLESS you are already a customer of ours (so we have Leigh’s edge already set on your knives) or your knives are new or have no inherent manufacturing and mis-sharpening issues.2. Please contact us to let us know you are coming & let us know how many knives you have, types and condition. Please note: pics are not helpful.3. If you have an urgent need for your knives on the same day we ask that you contact us & arrive as early as possible and if we have jobs ahead of yours there will be a 20% Bump Forward Surcharge to bump your job ahead. Again this is only possible if your knives have no inherent issues which can only be assessed in-person.RESTAURANT KNIVESWe are able to accommodate a very small number of restaurants as their dedicated sharpener. We have three staff and have a limited number of days per month available where we can either travel to your location (further details required) or knives can be brought to us.PLEASE NOTE: We will NOT undertake sharpening work for the following types of food businesses:
- commercial fast food
- large scale catering
- food processing
- where quantity and speed are of higher value than quality
- looking for convenience over quality sharpening
- expecting discounts for higher volume of knives being sharpened***On the other hand we can accommodate your business if it is looking for a 100% by-hand sharpening service.We will require the following:
1. A phone call or email from the manager or owner expressing interest in our service and their reason for selecting us.2. A general overview of the types of knives already used by the business and the food focus of the business (ie, cuisine type, meat based, vegan, patisserie etc) and the standard of work they will be expected to perform.3. If the process moves forward past the first stage we will arrange a consultation with the Head Chef and Owner or Manager. On agreement of a contract that will reflect the needs of both parties, a schedule will then be set for the sharpening of the businesses knives.To discuss your restaurants’ sharpening needs please contact Carmen:
info@sharpenedbyleigh.com

HANDMADE STROPSCarmen designs and makes leather strops that we recommend our customers use to maintain the edges on their knives. They come with compounds, a cleaning brush and a bag and a tutorial with Leigh. If you are a customer of ours you are welcome to place an order. If not please bring your knives in for sharpening and we can discuss strops with you then.NEW HAND-CUSTOMISED KNIVESWe sell new knives hand-sharpened and customised for each customer by Leigh. To purchase a hand-customised knife we ask that you first become a knife sharpening customer of ours so you can learn and understand the difference between knives sharpened by other means and hand-sharpened knives. If you have no good knives to sharpen or we reject your knives due to various reasons then you will be invited to make a time for a new knife consultation. We are able to accomodate consultations on-site or you can make an in-home appointment with Carmen for a minimum purchase fee, which we discuss prior to a booking.

Coming to Peter’s Mitre 10, Brighton, November 12th

ABOUT SHARPENING
BY-HAND

THE ART & SCIENCE OF WHETSTONE SHARPENINGOur 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 TRADEAll 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.OUR PROCESSWe 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.QUALITY OF WORK ASSURANCEWe 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:- Between 10% - 20% Off the fee on the same knives you have had sharpened by us the next time they come in for service. Excludes Repairs, Restoration and Category A+S Knives.Repairs and Restoration may include: thinning, re-profiling, damage from mis-use or mis-sharpening endured between services & all A+S knives. There are no discounts given on these specialised services.

SUPPORT A SUSTAINABLE, LOCAL, LOW-CARBON FOOTPRINT BUSINESSWe 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 by-hand and knife restoration which has a low carbon footprint and helps reduce demand for new knives.A SERVICE FOR EVERYBODYWe aim to provide a premium sharpening service for most people and many trades that use knives and tools our primary focus is home cooks and knife enthusiasts.ITEMS WE SHARPENOur primary focus is on sharpening straight edge knives but we can sharpen a limited range of bread knife brands, manual gardening tools, scissors and axes.We have also been known to sharpen less common items such as guillotine blades, cut throat razors and carving tools. If you have an item we have not listed but are looking for a specialist sharpening service please send us an enquiry here:
info@sharpenedbyleigh.comRESTORATION OF HEIRLOOM & ANTIQUE KNIVES & TOOLSIn the case of Heirlooms and Antiques we approach things differently. We discuss the outcome of the item in question in consultation with the owner and we work out the best, most gentle method of restoring and bringing the best out of an old, fragile or unusual item so it can remain in your family and not suffer further deterioration. Sometimes this just includes cleaning of handle restoration and it may or may not include sharpening.WE DO NOT SHARPEN:- motorised garden tool blades
- power saw blades
- drill bits
- clipper blades
- cheap or damaged scissors
- hand saws
- electric knife blades
- chainsaw blades
- chisels and plane bladesA NOTE ON PULL-THROUGH “SHARPENING” DEVICESALL “Pull-Throughs” are terrible for knives. Please throw yours out and bring your knives in for assessment as soon as possible. We do not advise maintaining your knives on “pull-through knife sharpeners” no matter the brand or the price you paid for them.After sharpening over 10,000 knives by hand Leigh states that they are a sales gimmick and a form of forced obsolescence designed to reduce the life of your knife by big companies.“They operate by using lateral force that shears the steel to replicate a sharp edge but effectively rips it apart and leaves tiny particles of sharp steel in your food. I have had many pieces of steel stuck in my fingers from sharpening this kind of damage. We can read pull-through damage on almost any knife due to the shape of the chips and grooves they leave on the knife edge and blade.”
Leigh

OUR TEAM

LEIGH, OWNER, CHIEF SHARPENERLeigh has sharpened well 10,000+ knives by-hand as well as an extensive number of hand forged axes, scissors, cut throat razors and Japanese gardening tools. His extensive knowledge of knives, knife steels, manufacturing processes and sharpening methods means he has the ability to read every knife individually and adapt his skills in order to refine its cutting ability.He specialises in sharpening high carbon, super steel and niche outdoor hunting and military knives correctly and thoroughly by hand to ensure they work for you at their optimum.CARMEN, MANAGER,
RETAIL KNIFE SALES, SERRATED KNIFE SPECIALIST, HANDMADE PRODUCT MAKER,
KNIFE HANDLE & BLADE RESTORERCarmen manages operations and after three years of working on serrated knives has developed a method for sharpening and maintenance. She drsigns and makes the strops, waxes, blade oils and cleaning clays. She restores knife handles and works on any heirloom, rare or fragile knives and tools to clean and restore them prior to sharpening (if possible).

OUR KNIFE STEEL SYSTEMOver the last three years and after sharpening and restoring over 12,000+ different knives, tools, scissors and garden tools made of various steels and heat treatments, with diverse sharpening histories, use and damage we have developed our own Knife Steel System.SIX Categories
A+S = Specialised Steels & Knives
A+ = High Carbon & Handmade Japanese Knives
A = Commercial Japanese Knives like Global
B = Commercial Western Knives like Wusthof & Victorinox
C = Low Quality, Mass-Produced Knives like Baccarat & Furi
D = Dead Steel knife Brands like Mundial, Scanpan & WiltshireNOT SURE WHICH CATEGORY YOIR KNIFE IS IN That’s ok! Just bring all your knives and we will assess them as part of our service to each customer.

RESTORING VINTAGE & ANTIQUE SCISSORS & TOOLSWe have restored handles and blades on hundreds of vintage, heirloom and antique Western and Japanese knives, scissors, garden tools, pocket knives, hunting knives, cleavers, butchers’ knives, axes, plane blades, chisels, swords and handsaws.We approach each restoration differently according to its age, steel, condition and what the customer wants out of the work we carry out.We also offer the best possible advice and will assess each item individually but may not always detect flaws or damage until the item is being cleaned and sharpened. So it is important for customers to understand that some items may not be able to be restored to an as-new or fully functional condition.Please bring your restoration items in for assessment and quoting. Restoration work can take anywhere from a couple of days to several weeks.

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