Well, the short answer is… NO!
Now for the explanation. I think I must have a couple thousand knives out there now…quite a few anyway. If I was expected to keep all of them sharp for my customers, there would be no time to make new ones. So, I have to say no to most requests, even those that want me to just “retouch” the edges.
Also, (and this is just how I’ve come to regard knives in general), if you buy a knife…any knife, you have the duty to learn how to sharpen and maintain it. It comes with the territory. Cut with any knife long enough, and it will get dull; you can’t cheat the laws of physics. Knives as tools should last the owner many years, provided they are taken care of, and I speak from experience when I say that sharpening them is very satisfying. It’s a job I learned to do well at a very early age because I wanted to have a sharp knife, not a dull one. I learned on my own because there was no one in my family with any sharpening skills whatsoever. I took pride in my edges, and my pocket knives blew my friend’s knives out of the water, relative to sharpness. If you weren’t born with the skill (none of us are) it is one that can be learned. I don’t like to hear “but I’m afraid I’ll screw it up!”. Anyone who wishes to make or do something would never even try or get started if they fostered that fear. Ok, some of us have a ‘knack’ for doing it, but don’t let that stop you from trying, practicing and getting good at it
I do plan on making a video, when time permits, that will contain some methods and tips to maintain a convex edge that might help some get started.
Now, dullness due to use is one thing, and a serious accident significantly damaging an edge is another. By that I mean, a severely deformed edge resulting from a drop, or accidentally running the edge over something harder with force. For head knives, I offer a total re-grind that will get the edge back to good performance. But for that I must charge $50.00. I must grind off both the bolsters and handle material to get back to a bare steel blade, re-grind the blade, then install new bolsters and handles. It’s the only way I can achieve the edge angles I think work best for leather. I will NOT do this by hand, a process that would take perhaps hours of my time. The knife’s owner will have something useful again, but maybe with a smaller profile, depending on how bad the damage is. For trim knives, I encourage everyone to sharpen those yourself.
Don’t underestimate your knife sharpening skills! If one person can do it, almost anyone else can too!
