FAQ's
What do you sharpen?
We sharpen all sorts, although the things we see the most of are kitchen knives as they’re in every home and get a lot of use. We also sharpen Scissors, both tailoring/dressmaking and household/kitchen, axes and hatchets, guillotine blades (of the traditional variety), chisels, woodworking and carving tools and all manner of garden hand tools like secateurs, shears, loppers, hoes and machetes, to name but a few, please check our price list for a comprehensive round up (but please do get in touch if your item isn’t listed).
Are there any things that you don’t?
Yes, we don’t sharpen ceramic kitchen knives nor do we specialise in hair cutting scissors, we do sharpen them for domestic customers but if you’re a hairdresser looking to give yours a service then we recommend https://www.scissorhands.co.uk/contactus
We don’t sharpen chainsaw, hedge trimmer or cylinder mower blades but can recommend https://www.otleyhirecentre.co.uk/
If you do happen to have something that needs sharpening and it isn’t on the list, please do get in touch via our contact form and we’ll try and help.
How long does it take?
We aim to have your items back to you as soon as we can, at the moment items are generally ready for collection by the end of the same week they're dropped off (as long as we have them by Wednesday), sometimes it may take a little longer be we will always keep in contact to discuss progress.
How do we work out how much it is going to cost?
All of our pricing is outlined in detail here , however, our knife sharpening services are by the inch, so to work out how much it's going to cost just measure the length of BLADE to be sharpened and multiply be the relevant price (£1.20 for standard kitchen knives).
Can you sharpen any knife, no matter how bad it is?
Almost! It’s unusual for a knife to be so bad that it can’t be repaired and sharpened, although it’s possible that it might not be economically viable, if we feel that this may be the case we’ll get in touch to let you know.
How do we get our stuff to you?
There are several ways for you to get your knives to us. You can either bring them to our shop in Ilkley, post them to us or bring them along to one of our pop up events.
Do you offer a postal service for those out of your area?
You’re welcome to post your items to us for sharpening, our address is on the contact us section. All items will be returned to you after sharpening by Royal Mail.
Do I have to pay in advance?
No, costs are calculated after sharpening has been carried out.
How do you actually sharpen?
We sharpen all kitchen knives on traditional Japanese whetstones. For everything else we use a combination of whetstones, diamond plates, files and a whetstone wheels and grinders.
How long will my knife stay sharp?
Good question! But unfortunately it’s unanswerable. It really depends on how the knife is treated, the quality of metal it’s made from, what it cuts on and what type of things that it cuts. We can guarantee that it when it leaves us it will sharp enough to pass the paper test, after that it’s down to the aforementioned factors. The good news is that with minimal effort it is entirely possible to prolong the life of your knife edge by simply honing it every time you use it, this only takes a matter of seconds and is very effective. There is some confusion on how to go about this and improper technique can quickly ruin an edge so please watch this short video for instructions.
We can’t stress enough how invaluable this process is, if you like your knives sharp, it really is a must. You might already have a knife steel or hone at home and if so, dust it off and incorporate its use into your cooking routine. Personally we favour a strop or a ceramic hone and you can find our recommendations here.
Do you sharpen on site?
Absolutely, we regularly offer our services on site at restaurants and at pop up sharpening events around the North. If you're looking to get knives sharpened for your team or would like to host us for a pop up, please get in touch via our contact form.
Do you offer sharpening lessons?
We do, regularly at our Ilkley shop and occasionally at other venues around the north, please check the Sharpening Courses section of our shop for current availability. If you're interested in hosting a sharpening event or would like an on site visit for your group then please get in touch via our contact form
