I Always Have a Selection of Mundial Kitchen Knives with me in my Mobile Knife Sharpening Booth

Mobile knife sharpening is not my only service — I offer others services and also sell products.

What I want to talk about today is Mundial knives. I believe that Mundial makes a very high quality knife for a very competitive price.

Mundial Forged Paring Knife

Here is the Mundial forged paring knife. This forged line of Mundial's is made in the classic French or German design: forged steel, black handle that is riveted onto the knife.

Mundial Forged 6" Chef's Knife

Pictured above is the 6" chef's knife. I usually have on hand the 6",  and the 8" chef's knife.

Mundial can produce such a quality knife at very competitive prices as it was a German company that relocated to Brazil.

Mundial Knives

Here is a picture of all three of these knives photographed together.

I always have a selection of Mundial knives on display in my mobile knife sharpening business. Mundial makes World Class knives at competitive prices — come by and see for yourself. I have individual knives for sale, and also starter sets.

The started set has either a 8" chef's knife, a 6" serrated utility and a paring knife, or a 8" santoku chef's knife, a 6" serrated utility and a paring knife.

I also have a good selection of Mundial knife edge protectors.

Mundial Knife Edge Protectors

Here are the edge protectors. Knife edge protectors are a must if you store knives in a drawer — and very convenient other times, for example taking a knife to a party. These edge protectors are plastic, with a felt-y feeling coating on the inside to hold and protect the blade.

Is This Knife Worth Sharpening? — or — Can This Knife Be Sharpened?

I get these two questions a lot:
        Is This Knife Worth Sharpening?
        Can This Knife Be Sharpened?

Can This Knife Be Sharpened?

It seems a lot of people think that as a knife gets old it can't be sharpened. I don't know where that idea comes from, but any knife can be sharpened.

That is it can be sharpened as long as the blade still exists. Each sharpening removes material from the blade. Over time the blade gets skinnier and skinnier.

As the years roll by — or even as the generations roll by — eventually the knife blade is so small that it is past its life span. But assuming that the blade is good, then the knife can be sharpened.

The reasons that you may not wish to keep a knife is if the handle is falling apart, or the knife is just not what you like anymore.

My metaphor is a pencil. A pencil can always be sharpened until it gets too short — but you may not want to sharpen the pencil and keep it — if the eraser is worn off or it's too chewed up for example.

Old Knives to be Sharpened

I sharpened these knives for a customer at Lunardi's San Bruno the other day. As you can see the Chicago Cutlery paring knife is a bit worse for wear (it was in a battle with the garbage grinder) and the Dexter (third from top) has been sharpened so much that the blade is just a small bar. This Dexter knife is the favorite knife of my customer's mother, she's 96. She likes the knife and wants it sharp. I sharpened it.

The point is if you like the knife and want to use it, then use it sharp. If you feel the knife is beyond its serviceable life — or are tired of it — then replace it.

PS: I always have a nice selection of knives for sale...

Giant Old F. Dick Chef's Knife

Here is another knife to talk about. This is a giant, old F. Dick chef's knife. This was brought to me also at Lunardi's San Bruno to be sharpened. The customer said he found it buried in his backyard.

He wanted it sharpened — but I suspect not to use it, but just to have it a way a knife should be, sharp and ready to go.

I get some pretty inexpensive knives brought to me to be sharpened, many which I think would be best if they were replaced — but usually the customer likes the knife and wants to keep it. I'm sure once the customer took a nice well made knife on a test drive they would fall in love with it.

Thinking about it, I guess once a customer approaches me with a knife, then they have already made the decision.

It's Garden Tool Sharpening Time!

Spring is just about sprung — which means gardening time.

Felco Hand Pruners Being Sharpened

Here is a tray of Felco pruners that I sharpened for a customer last Sunday at Gene's Fine Foods in Pleasanton.

When I sharpen garden tools, the procedure is usually disassembly, sharpen, clean, reassemble, oil, adjust and test.

Just sharpened Corona Hand Pruner

Here is a shot of a  Corona pruner that was just sharpened. I want everybody to understand that pretty much any garden tool can be sharpened, the tool will then work as well as new, and at much less cost than replacing the tool!

Just Sharpened Garden Tools on Display

Here are some garden tools on display that I have sharpened. I sharpen bypass pruners, anvil pruners, hedge clippers — pretty much any garden tool.

Bring what you need to be sharpened to my mobile knife sharpening booth. Look up my schedule at mobileknive.BIZ

Here Comes The Sun!

My mobile knife sharpening business is entirely solar powered.

Mobile Knife Sharpening Booth with Solar Panel

I have a small folding portable 80 watt solar panel which I adjust to exactly face the sun throughout my work day. The picture above shows the panel facing the morning sun in San Jose.

I adjust the tilt so that the solar panel is perpendicular to the sun, and I adjust the direction that they face to track the sun across the sky during my work day.

This system works quite well — quiet clean power that meets all my needs. The panel's 80 watts is less than my knife sharpening needs — which is 180 watts — the battery in the circuit is the magic that allows this system to work.

The battery accepts a charge from the solar panels while my knife sharpening equipment is not running, and sends power to the machines when they are turned on. I carefully designed this system, factoring in the output of different sized solar panels, the size of the battery, the access to the sun at all locations, and the exact quantity of knives and garden tools that I would receive to sharpen during the work day.

Or you could say I guessed.

Being a mobile knife sharpener I wanted to keep the size and weight of each component as small and light as possible. I estimated the resting time of the machines and designed from there. The run time of the knife sharpening machine is never anywhere near 100%. Even during my busiest days the sharpener is off while the knife is inspected or the machine is adjusted, while I am wrapping up the knives, talking to the customers and such. Not to mention the time I am between jobs waiting.

Reading, Waiting for some Knife Sharpening Business

The winter seems to be season that stresses the system the most. I believe — since I can aim the panels exactly at the sun at all times — that I am capturing just as much sun in the winter as the summer, so that's not the problem. 

What winter throws at me that is hard to deal with is long shadows, shorter days and rain. 

With the sun lower in the horizon, buildings and trees cast a much longer shadow — and it gets harder to find a spot for the solar panels that is sunny and that is safe from Granny parking her SUV.

Shorter days means I miss perhaps an hour or so of direct sun during the day — especially since this combines with the long shadows.

Here in Northern California we get all of our rain in winter, so if it is raining, its winter — with the long shadows and short days.

Knife Sharpening Booth Suffering A Northern California Winter Rain Storm

Now — this being the ides of March — the sun is coming back!

Knife Sharpening Solar Panels Aimed at the Sun

I took the photograph above about a week ago. This photograph shows the panels tilted up with the attached legs so that they are aimed square on to the sun. I have the legs positioned so that the panels are tilted as high as possible, and during winter I cannot raise the panels quite high enough to be exactly perpendicular to the sun. With the sun inching up in the sky — last week was the first day of the winter that the panels were truly perpendicular to the sun! From now on I will adjust them down slightly, that is until the winter solstice.

My system has a battery, and this battery protects me from most of these variables. Just not quite. I now have a second battery which I keep charged and with me. If the operating battery is run down I can operate from this spare. I have had to do that twice this winter. Once the main battery is run down and I am operating on the spare then I will charge them at night using a AC powered battery charger. I believe I have done this three times this winter.

With the sun coming back I probably won't have to worry about the power so much. Spring around here usually brings high winds, and summer brings heat, but that is another blog post.

That is to say while I am out on the job I am solar powered

Bought Some Vintage Knives at Garage Sales

I found a few things at my last knife hunt.

Kamp-King Folding Pocket Knife

I bought this old Kamp-King knife. It is a fairly light weight knife — probably an inexpensive knife when it was first sold.

Wusthof Model 4000 Paring Knife

Bought this Wusthof paring knife.

Fixed Blade Imperial Knife and Vintage Hand Pruners

Last is a fixed blade knife and old hand pruners.

The knife is marked:  Imperial Prov, RI USA. 

The hand pruners are marked: Ward's Master. These hand pruners seem old, and they are massively heavy forged steel — but the nut that hold the hinge bolt is a self-locking nut. I don't know when these self-locking nut hit the market, all I can say is that all the old tools I have sharpened don't have the locking nuts.

The Wusthof knife will be put up on eBay, the Imperial knife will come with me on my mobile knife sharpening route; the pruners will probably just be put in a box (so sad...).

I Sharpen Garden Tools in My Mobile Knife Sharpening Business

With spring arriving here in Northern California everything is starting to grow — so I think this is a good time to re-remind my blog readers that I sharpen garden tools.

Sharpened Corona Hand Pruner

The above picture is an old model forged Corona bypass pruner that I sharpened.

Sharpened Felco Pruners

Here is a pair of Felco pruners that I sharpened for a customer.

Used Sharpened Garden Tools for Sale

This picture is of some of the garden tools that I have collected, sharpened, and offer for sale in my mobile knife sharpening booth. You see hand pruners, an axe, and a hand trowel — I also sharpen loppers, hedge trimmers and most any other garden too!

When I sharpen pruners, what I'm really doing is refurbishing them. The pruners are taken apart, sharpened, cleaned, reassembled, adjusted, and oiled.

Bring me what you need sharpened! All while you shop. Drop them off with me, go shop (or run another errand) and they will be ready quickly!

My schedule is on mobileknife.BIZ

Mobile Knife Sharpening Business Verus The Weather

OK this 'wet' drought needs to ease up a bit.

Mobile Knife Sharpening at Zanottto's Market on Naglee

This picture was taken Friday at Zanotto's Rose Garden market on Naglee in San Jose. I visit this supermarket every Friday from 2pm to 6pm. 

I make every effort to keep a regular schedule, be on time and consistent. This is done so that the customer knows when to expect me, so that they can bring their knives with them when they go shopping, leave them with me, and take them home after they are done shopping.

Well, all manner of events and conditions conspire against me to make my regular schedule irregular!

Lazy bones is one. I feel I have a good work ethic — but man, some days it is hard to get up and get going. Then we have car problems, family, vacations, and of course weather.

I imagine if one wants to do outdoor mobile knife sharpening then Northern California's Bay Area is probably a good choice. The weather here is quite mild overall. 

Fog Bank Approaching Lunardi's San Bruno Supermarket Parking Lot

Here is fog approaching my knife sharpening set up at Lunardi's San Bruno supermarket. While the fog bank looks rather nice now — afar — once it hits the parking lot there goes my solar power, my comfort and warmth— and my tools and products all get drenched.

Some weeks ago we had (for this area) bitter cold — but generally it has been a rather warm and dry winter. Until now. The storm track is back to being lined up properly and we have been having a lot of rain. 

I tough it out and set up in light rain — but with gusty, windy, heavy rain then no — I cancel.

Today is Saturday morning and it is raining very hard. It is supposed to let up so I am planning on going to Kirkwood Plaza in Campbell and set up for knife sharpening, let's see how t hat works out.

PS: I'm not complaining, just explaining!

Estate Sale Knife Hunt

Went out estate sale shopping the other day.

I bought six knives — three Carmichael Cutlery knives, a Buck filet knife and two Cutco knives.

Carmichael Cutlery Knives

Here are the three Carmichael Cutlery knives. I don't know that anybody wants them — I don't have a spot for them in my kitchen.

The only real reason (besides a bad case of Knife-Fever) I got them is that I never heard of Carmichael Cutlery before, and am interested in knives. I wanted to research the brand, get information on them.

I didn't find much — just this line on a PDF: 

The Organic Tool Co. has taken over production of these Food Industry products which used to be supplied by A. D. Cowdrey Co., under the brand name “Carmichael Cutlery.” The Cowdrey folks eased into retirement. These are the perfect addition to OTC's line of harvest and Field Knives. 

Cutco Chef's Knife Model 1725

I picked up two Cutco knives — the chef's knife pictured above, and a butcher style knife. I sharpened the Cutco knives and put them up for sale on eBay.

Speaking of which — I always get asked if I sharpen Cutco knives. The answer is always "yes, I sharpen Cutco knives." The procedure for sharpening a Cutco chef's knife is exactly the same procedure as sharpening a Henckel or any other brand of chef's knife.

Buck Model 123 Filet Knife

Also picked up this Buck filet knife. It was in bad shape, in a box of junk in the garage. The point of the knife was broken off, the edge was chipped and such — it needed to be rescued!

I re profiled the point, cleaned it up, and sharpened it. It is on eBay.