FAQ

Most frequent questions and answers

What do you sharpen?

We sharpen just about anything. See our services page to see a detailed list. We service/sharpen many different knives/scissors/tools for several different purposes and industries.

How do you sharpen?

We use state-of-the-art sharpening systems in all of our work. Knives are sharpened using various stone types and leather. Scissors, depending upon the types, are sharpened using machines that restore the original polished edge. Convex shears/scissors are sharpened using diamond and leather materials. Garden tools are sharpened using INM of the art procedures. Saw blades, saw chains, circular saw blades, planer blades, clipper blades, etc. are sharpened using borazon or diamond wheels

How long does it take to sharpen my knives/tools?

Knives/tools brought to our shop are sharpened as soon as reasonably possible. Depending upon our workload, it could be done the same day (usually not very likely, unless an appointment has been arranged), or several days. Items brought to one of our events at JoAnn’s Fabrics or the Santa Fe Master Gardener Fiar are done onsite on a first come, first serve basis.

How often should my knives/tools be sharpened?

This is a very subjective question. What works for one person may not work for another. So many factors play a role in this question. What type of knife/tool are you working with? What type of steel is it made from? How was the steel made? How are you using it? What type of surfaces are you using it on? How often are you using it? Based on our regular customers’ habits and feedback, you can use the following as a guide: customers have us sharpen their knives/tools a minimum of twice annually while others every few weeks. Restaurants, on average, regularly use our services every 2-4 weeks. When the knife/tool begins to not perform well, then it is time to have it professionally sharpened.

Is it true that a sharp knife is safer than a dull knife?

Yes. A dull knife will often cause the user to put more pressure on the knife. This increases the potential for knife slippage, whereas a sharp knife will immediately cut into the object. With that stated, sharp knives need to be handled with great care, in order to avoid injury.

Is your work guaranteed?

Absolutely! You will see our guarantee in several locations on this website. If for any reason, you are not satisfied with our work, we will gladly refund your money. No questions asked.

Does a sharpening steel or other sharpening device actually sharpen tools well?

Depending upon the type of sharpening device and the angles of the tool, they can sharpen the tool for a time. Most will only realign the edge. Both diamond steels and the RPT Kinetics knife sharpeners, which we carry, have received great reviews from my commercial customers. We have not found a good scissor sharpener.

Can you sharpen serrated knives?

Yes. We do this regularly. Because the knife will lose a small amount of teeth each time it is sharpened, this should only be done when the knife is not working well.

Can you put the serration back on a serrated knife?

Yes and no. Because there are so many serration patterns on different types of knives, we are only able to re-serrate certain patterns. As companies invent new ways or serrating knives, more patterns may be available in the future.

Can you sharpen one sided blades?

We have the skills to sharpen any type of knife so well, that when we are finished, the knives will easily shave the hair on your arms.

What types of shears and scissors do you sharpen?

We sharpen all types of shears and scissors using our state of the art sharpening procedures and equipment.

Do you sharpen pinking shears?

Yes. Approximately 95% of all pinking shears are easily sharpened. 5% are beyond sharpening. The only way to determine this is to sharpen the pinking shears and make the appropriate adjustments. I only charge for pinking shears if we can get them to work. If we can’t, there is no fee.

Do you sharpen rotary cutters?

Yes!

Do you sharpen clipper blades?

Yes. We sharpen several thousand annually. We also carry replacement blades and parts.

Can you repair damaged blades on tools, scissors, knives, etc.?

Yes. This is part of the regular sharpening. Unless they are extremely damaged, there is no additional charge for this service. We do carry spare parts and some accessories for grooming and beauty shears, clippers, and clipper blades. We do not repair handles or other parts of most tools.

Do you sharpen dado sets?

Yes!

Can you replace the carbide teeth on circular saw blades?

We do not do this at this time.

Do you sharpen ceramic knives?

Yes we do. We have the machines with the diamond wheels needed to sharpen them.

Do you sharpen carbide saw chains?

Yes. We sharpen almost anything!