Knife sharpening in DC/Silver Spring?

[quix]

I've got a set of Henckel knifes that I'd love to have professionally sharpened (despite all efforts I've never sharpened a knife satisfactorily myself). Does anyone know of a place where I might be able to get this done?

Thanks!

[DanielK]

Sur La Table does an excellent job with knife sharpening.

They have a store in DC in Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights Metro.

$1/inch to sharpen the knives. Twice a year (April, October) they will do any two knives for free, no purchase required!

[quix]

Will they do this any time? I heard a rumor that they only did knife sharpening either on weekdays or weekends. Wasn't sure which, so I wasn't sure when to go.

[DanielK]

I think you may have to leave the knives and pickup at another time - I'm not sure they do them on the spot. Call the store...

[chicken kabob]

William Sonoma, I think...

[WestIndianArchie]

They don't do it on weekends. It's a drop off kinda thing, as opposed to do it while you wait.

I think the butcher shop @ Eastern Market does it too.

[MakingSense]

Yep. Union Meats at Eastern Market in DC does a terrific job. You have to leave the knives and pick them up several days later. Or even a week or two later if you wait until the Holidays. Not a bad thing because you get to go back and buy some more of their really fine meat.

[hill food]

and I think Union charges by the blade, not the inch (although I may be wrong)

JR: they used a grinder? good lord that should only be used on wood chisels and maybe hedge trimmers or lawn mower blades.

[Welcoboy]

just spend a little more and buy a good stone. there is nothing hard or complicated about it but you can't do it with a $2 rock.

[hill food]

I do my own, but have also had good instruction, if the OP tries this route I'd definitely read up, ask around etc. start off on cheap blades you sort of gave up on anyway.

I'm sure there's a thread on General or Not About Food boards for technique/resources.

[JRCann]

a grinder --at least that's what it appeared to be from the damage. I think the guy apprenticed on rotary lawn mower blades. They were never right until I sent them to Tru-hone and they completely re-shaped the blades and corrected the angles.

[hill food]

wow. I know some hard-core woodworkers that won't even use a grinder on their lathe chisels that are prob. wondering right now why they feel goose bumps.

[sallyneko]

This is not DC/Silver Spring area, in Annapolis but just in case if you would like to try... A knife sharpening guy monthly comes to Annapolis Jo Ann Fabric store from Baltimore(Bel Air). He sharpening scissors, knives, cleavers, non-electric garden tools, & etc. I have known this service for years but I had never tried unitl this Tuesday (timely topic). I brought 2 knives from my set of Global knives. $5 per knife; The result was excellent. I am thinking that I should have done this earlier time... According to his flyer, he will come to the store on Aug. 25.

[JRCann]

Watch out !

I had my Henkels nearly ruined by a simular travelling "tinker" at in Annapolis a couple of years ago. Some unknown guy in a van with a grinding wheel can do a lot of damage to a good blade in seconds. Mine were "blued" on the edges (overheated) and left with deep grind marks that essentally turned my good German steel into serrated knives. If I wanted that I would have saved a lot of money by listening to Billy Mays and his "Ginzu" knife pitch. Tru-hone is a commercial outfit that uses high tech (and bloody expensive)equipment to assure proper angles and prevent heat dammage that can alter the hardness of the steel. At about $5 a blade it is silly to risk an expensive knife to "someone, here today, and gone tomorrow." BTW, the store he was "sponsored by" was totally disinterested in taking any liability.

[JRCann]

I posted this a while back on another thread:

to get your old knives back up to speed check out Truhone.com in Ocala, FL My Henckels had been butchered (not a pun) by a local so-called professional. I thought they were ruined. They were never the same, but I suffered for a couple of years. Tru-Hone made them better than new, took out all the little chips and "blued spots"! About $5.00 a blade I recall, sent my knives via USPS and they sharpened and turned them back around same day they recieved them via UPS. So in 5 days all was done. I understand they do a big business with restaurants and food service places.

I think the website is truhone.com -- or google it. Highly recommended -- and its no big deal to mail them.

[rarotonga]

I was at the new Bethesda Sunday farmers' market on Elm St. a couple weeks ago and happened to notice that a knife sharpening outfit had a tent there. Don't know their rep, and I recognize that it's neither DC nor Silver Spring, but thought I'd pass that on.

[quix]

I know the farmers market and I'm there on occasion! I might check that out! Thanks!

[quix]

So, that wasn't actually the farmers market I was thinking of. I was thinking of the Bethesda Farm Women's Co-op on Wisconsin Ave. But a trip there pointed me in the right direction. Discovered new farmer's market too! Sweet!

The company is Sharpen-This. Here's a link to their website. http://www.sharpen-this.com/ They did the sharpening right there. Took about 20 minutes. They use a "Hamaguri knife sharpening system" which utilizes a diamond lapping belt to sharpen the edge. So far, I'm pretty satisfied with the results.

Thanks to all!

[quix]

Thank you! I've e-mailed them for some more information. Good find!

[CoconutMilk]

great question...i would also love to know where to get knives professionally sharpened. please someone answer this!!!