If you have a question about anything that is not covered here, please feel free to reach out to me for some info.
Frequently Asked Questions
"Are you mobile or do you have a brick and mortar?"
We are mobile and can come to you if you are in Portland, OR or surrounding areas! We do ask for $40 minimum orders to travel to you.
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We do not have a storefront, yet! However, we do have a drop-off location! If you'd like to use this option, please take your items to be sharpened to Bread and Roses grocery store on Foster, just east of Holgate.
6360 SE Foster Rd, Portland, OR 97206
What kind of Blades/Tools do you sharpen?
We accept almost any kind of blade: Kitchen knives, Serrated*, EDC and folders, Wide-bevel, Single-bevel**, Chisels**, Planers**, Daggers, Kukri, Multi-tools and Axes. We are not currently accepting swords, sorry. However, even if your blade isn't in one of these categories, we can probably still sharpen it. Send us a picture and we'll let you know! If you want to know more about how we sharpen, check out our FAQs and Glossary pages!
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If there is any significant damage, or if the blade is extra large, there may be a $3-6 dollar fee for the item.
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*Serrated blades with very small teeth, i.e. 1mm or less, are not made with sharpening in mind. We can help you remove the serrations all together for this type of knife, but we don't accept them for normal sharpening.
**Single-bevel Blades will now be a $10 base price.
Which payment methods do you accept?
We accept cash, check, credit or debit cards, and venmo!
How long does the sharpening take?
On average we can sharpen around 10 knives an hour. Extra time is needed for orders with Single-bevel, Serrated, Extra Large or Damaged Blades/Shears.
What kind of Scissors or Shears do you sharpen?
We accept Scissors, Kitchen shears, Poultry shears, Fabric and Upholstery shears, Gardening shears, Trimmers* and Loppers. We are not currently accepting Beauty Shears, Sorry.
*Trimmers are a $17 base fee due to length
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If there is any significant damage, or if the scissors/shears are very large, there may be a $3-6 dollar fee for the item.
What is the best way to sharpen a knife? Are Bench grinders and Belt Sanders okay?
Bench grinders and belt sanders can leave some undesirable results when using them to sharpen. Dry friction generated by these have a higher chance to "burn" the steel of your knife and create either a brittle or soft edge; neither are good for retaining sharpness. For the primary grind, I use an Hikoki-brand (formerly Hitachi) flat-hone style grinder. This style of grinder uses japanese water stones as well as a reservoir of water to keep the steel cool while grinding and prevents heat from dry friction.
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Serrated blades require sharpening along the inside of each individual "scallop". Water-cooled machines that can do this are what knife manufacturers use to put serrations on their unground knives. Unfortunately, they are the size of a small car, very expensive and not scalloped universally. Due to this, I do use a dremel without water cooling. The trick here is to move fast enough that the friction heat doesn't accumulate in one spot enough to negatively effect the steel. (Fun Fact, the tips of the teeth of a serrated blade are actually not what does the bulk of the cutting, but the inside of each scallop) We do our best to work at low rpms and make quick passes to avoid damaging friction heat when sharpening serrated blades.