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Study The Blade | Austin Knife Sharpening Service

@studytheblade

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• Don | Chef-owned. Chef-trusted.
• Sharp blades. Good vibes.
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I didn’t plan to become a knife sharpener. This year has been the most insane one yet.

But after 10+ years of building brands, chasing titles, and burning out—I realized I needed to create something of my own. Something real.

I started in kitchens. Then moved into DTC marketing. Built my career at companies like Made In, Favor, and Self. On paper, it looked great.

In reality? I was drained.

During the pandemic, stuck at home and craving something hands-on, I picked up a whetstone. Started sharpening my own knives. Then friends’ knives. Someone told me, “You should charge for this.”
That’s how Study The Blade was born.

What started as a side hustle turned into something way bigger. I eventually walked away from my career and went all in.

Now I sharpen thousands of knives a year, restore blades, teach others—and get to work with some of the best chefs in Austin and beyond.

But I didn’t stop there.

I co-founded @charredhospitality, my private chef and live-fire events business. And outside of that, I’ve even cook for the Blue Origin space launch crews.

This journey has been anything but linear. But if I’ve learned anything, it’s this:

👉 Burnout isn’t the end. It might just be the beginning. Chase the weird idea. Start the side hustle. Bet on yourself.

You never know what it might become.

If you’re chasing a dream, I want to hear about it! Or if you have a dream and nervous to take the next step, I’m here to listen and lend any advice 🤘

#knifesharpener #smallbusiness #chaseyourdreams by @studytheblade

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10 months ago

🤘BIG NEWS🤘

Honored to have been a recent guest on @chefspsa podcast along with the incredibly talented @livengood_grindhouse for some knife talk.

We break down choosing the right knife, sharpening and care basics, the unwritten kitchen rules, swap war stories from restaurant life, and talk plenty of shit along the way.

Stream it now on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.

Hope you enjoy it!

#podcast #knifemaker #cheflife BIG NEWS

Honored to have been a recent guest on @chefspsa podcast along with the incredibly talented @livengood for some knife talk.

We break down choosing the right knife, sharpening and care basics, the unwritten kitchen rules, swap war stories from restaurant life, and talk plenty of shit along the way.

Stream it now on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.

Hope you enjoy it! by @studytheblade

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10 months ago

Hello world, it’s me, Don. The face and bizarre personality behind Study The Blade.

Welcome to all the new members of the community and yoooooo to all the day-ones 🤘

Taking a moment to say hello and tell you what I’m all about. I operate my knife sharpening business in Austin, TX and have over 5 years of experience brining dull blades back to their former glory.

I’m also a freelance marketer, private chef, and weirdo content creator😎

Thank you for being here and supporting this journey to be Austin’s best knife sharpening service!

Drop a comment and say hi and thanks for following along🤘

#cheflife #knifesharpening #knifesharpener #365thingsaustin #austin #contentcreator by @studytheblade

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2 years ago

Longer video but stick around — this one’s worth it.

Belts vs whetstones: which is better?

My answer is both. And here’s why.

Each has a specific role depending on the knife, the condition it’s in, and the outcome I’m going for.

Belts are great for sharpening lower tier knives at scale. Fast and efficient. But they can easily damage a knife if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Whetstones are my preferred method. They take longer and require more skill, but offer a cleaner, more controlled result. Better edge geometry, better finish, better outcome for knives that deserve that level of attention.

Here’s my firm belief: you need to understand whetstones before you ever touch a belt. That’s where you build your foundation. Edge geometry, angles, technique, the fundamentals of what sharpening actually is. Without that, a belt is just a fast way to make expensive mistakes.

Drop a comment with your thoughts. Curious where you’re at with this.

#knifesharpening #knifesharpener #cheflife #cookingtips #kitchentips by @studytheblade

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6 days ago

So many knives and projects have come through the shop these past few months, and if you’ve noticed the content slow down, you’re not wrong.

Filming has taken a back seat. Honestly, between running Study The Blade, working as a private chef, and operating a small freelance marketing agency (it’s just me, the agency title is generous 😂), the days fill up fast.

And if you’ve ever been in a Texas workshop in the middle of summer, you know filming content is the last thing on your mind when it’s 100F.

But I’m making a conscious effort to get back to the tips, tricks, and educational stuff. I know a lot of you genuinely find value in it and that matters to me.

More coming from STB. A lot more.

#knifesharpening #knifesharpener #cheflife #content #austin by @studytheblade

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15 days ago

Brought back from the dead. A family cleaver, stamped International Edge Tool Co. — Newark, N.J., no. 9.

Decades of rust, a damaged edge, and a handle that has been through it. Cleaned up, re-profiled, and ready for a proper display in memory of their grandfather.

International Edge Tool Co. ran out of Newark, NJ from around 1929 until it closed in 1977, supplying butcher shops with heavy carbon steel cleavers and splitters forged from German steel and finished stateside.

#knifesharpening #knifesharpener #restoration #cleaver #cheflife by @studytheblade

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25 days ago

Ever wonder what the black finish on a Japanese knife is?

It’s called kurouchi, the natural iron oxide left from forging. Beyond its rustic aesthetic, it provides light protection against rust and connects each blade to centuries of Japanese knife-making tradition.

#knifesharpening #knifesharpener #cheflife #japaneseknives #restoration by @studytheblade

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a month ago

Bones, frozen meat, dishwashers, battlefields: things to keep your knives away from.

This blade has seen some shit. Chips, rust, wear, and tear. The works.

But it’s been given new life and will live to fight many more days.

Chips gone. Geometry thinned. Rust polished away.

Shoutout to my friends @knifewear for the mail-in referral 🤘

— Don, Study The Blade™ | Austin, TX

#knifesharpening #knifesharpener #japaneseknives #restoration #cheflife by @studytheblade

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a month ago

“Can you fix my chipped knife?” — a question I get a lot.

It makes sense. There’s a real lack of education around knife maintenance and repair, so I’m never surprised when someone thinks a chipped blade is a death sentence for their knife.

It’s not.

A knife is a tool and it will break down over time. No getting around that. But with the right expertise it can be restored, refined, and returned to its former glory.

If your knife is chipped, worn down, dull, or just not fun to use anymore, bring it in. I’d love to give it another life.

— Don, Study The Blade™ | South Austin, TX

#knifesharpening #knifesharpener #cheflife #restoration #austin by @studytheblade

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2 months ago

It’s okay to be a little petty.

Spa day for this petty knife and after some time in the shop, she’s rejuvenated.

No wise message today or bits of advice. Just a clean looking knife ready for service.

Study on my friends 🤘

#knifesharpening #knifesharpener #cheflife #restoration #cookingtips by @studytheblade

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2 months ago

If you know me, you know I’m not a Shun guy. And this serration design is a prime example of why.

Not impossible to sharpen—just unnecessarily cumbersome. The teeth are inconsistent and the geometry makes clean edge work a headache.

Thankfully my client feels the same way and asked me to transform it into a paring knife instead.

I gladly obliged🤘

#knifesharpening #knifesharpener #cheflife #japaneseknives #kitchentips by @studytheblade

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2 months ago

So why did I start a knife sharpening business?

Sometimes, I have no clue 😂

Working for yourself is not for everyone. You think you’ll have so much freedom, but you really are controlled by your own work ethic. I always feel behind or chase the next thing. It’s never ending.

Sure, it’s a rewarding lifestyle (most of the time), but the amount of pressure you put on yourself can be heavy.

So I do my very best to live in the moment and reflect on what I’ve built. I’m truly proud of Study The Blade and there is much more to come.

If you’re ever questioning everything (I get it), hit me up—always down to chat through things!

#knifesharpening #knifesharpener #selfemployed by @studytheblade

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2 months ago