Questions about offering sharpening service locally

[bsfsu]

You get all kinds of knives in all kinds of conditions, the 3 main stones I use everyday are King 300/800/1200. Sometimes I get to use some higher grit or natural stones .

 

[bsfsu]

You get all kinds of knives in all kinds of conditions, the 3 main stones I use everyday are King 300/800/1200. Sometimes I get to use some higher grit or natural stones .View attachment 185427View attachment 185428View attachment 185429View attachment 185430View attachment 185431View attachment 185436View attachment 185440View attachment 185441

 

[Rangen]

I guess those funny shapes where it curves and narrows at you get away from the heel must be long-term use of an electric sharpener?

 

[mengwong]

Yeah… What do you do about that? Do you ever feel the urge to use a curved stone to sharpen the edge but leave the swale?

 

[Wagnum]

You get all kinds of knives in all kinds of conditions, the 3 main stones I use everyday are King 300/800/1200. Sometimes I get to use some higher grit or natural stones .View attachment 185427View attachment 185428View attachment 185429View attachment 185430View attachment 185431View attachment 185436View attachment 185440View attachment 185441

So far I've been super lucky with the knives people are bringing me. Nothing even close to these poor things

 

[M1k3]

Just give it some time. Someone will make you the lucky victim at some point. And then another. And another.

 

[BoSharpens]

"Just be happy they aren't asking you to sharpen their forks."

Well, I actually have sharpened tangs on a few carving fork sets. The kids probably used them somehow on concrete was all I could figure!

 

[bsfsu]

Yeah… What do you do about that? Do you ever feel the urge to use a curved stone to sharpen the edge but leave the swale?

I have a 1000 in those stones but I need the other ones too.

I just got a new 300 king. My old one is about 9 months old.

 

[tostadas]

An example of something from friends and family for sharpening

 

[Wagnum]

An example of something from friends and family for sharpeningView attachment 185499

Looks like someone learned that cleaver isn't for bones

 

[BarryMM]

Love it guys! Maybe we could start a thread about the horrors of knife sharpening. I've been sharpening lots of typical Wustuf and Zwilling chefs knives with the horrible bolsters. If they were really bad, I would grind down the bolster on my atoma 140, sometimes on the belt grinder. Just to make sure the the whole blade would touch the cutting board again. People love diamond rods to ruin the knife profile.

 

[Mr Kooby Shemayrew]

I am an aspiring professional sharpener. Here is my simplified business plan so far:

1) Buy a lot of really nice gear.
2) Sharpen stuff for free.
3) ???
4) Profit

I haven’t quite got step 3 worked out yet. Step 1 and 2 however are going really well, especially step 1.

 

[BarryMM]

I am an aspiring professional sharpener. Here is my simplified business plan so far:

1) Buy a lot of really nice gear.
2) Sharpen stuff for free.
3) ???
4) Profit

I haven’t quite got step 3 worked out yet. Step 1 and 2 however are going really well, especially step 1.

That's the spirit!

 

[Ruso]

I am an aspiring professional sharpener. Here is my simplified business plan so far:

1) Buy a lot of really nice gear.
2) Sharpen stuff for free.
3) ???
4) Profit

I haven’t quite got step 3 worked out yet. Step 1 and 2 however are going really well, especially step 1.

Step 3 - find a full time job?

 

[BarryMM]

Step 3 - find a full time job?

No! Then we have no time left for sharpening

 

[McMan]

I am an aspiring professional sharpener. Here is my simplified business plan so far:

1) Buy a lot of really nice gear.
2) Sharpen stuff for free.
3) ??? Buy more knives
4) Profit Beer

FIFY

 

[Mr Kooby Shemayrew]

FIFY

The Wife-O-Meter has fact checked this as:

 

[Kawa]

I'm also in the process of starting a sharpening service. So to get a feel for the knives I would get and my name out, I'm sharpening for friends. Just today I received a bunch of knives to sharpen...butter knives

It is all about raising goodwill, an investment

I received the same from my mother in law and my wives aunt.
After that (finished them all on 120 gritt) came the real knives.
Real, crappy stainless steel knives

 

[mikaloyd]

I happened across an ad today from a sharpening business that Ive never used and am not endorsing or complaining about So i wont say their name here But I did like the ad Apparently much of their sharpening business is from shears and scissors used in salons barbershops pet grooming places and in medical businesses . The interesting part though is food service knives. They offer normal sharpening but also offer knife leasing to food preparers. Heres a copy and paste of that . It seems like a good idea

• Lease four or five knives of any combination for $4.75 per knife, rotated every two weeks.
• Lease six or seven knives of any combination for $4.25 per knife, rotated every two weeks.
• Lease eight or nine knives of any combination for $3. 75 per knife, rotated every two weeks.
• Lease ten or more knives of any combination for $3.50 per knife rotated every two weeks

Lease payments will be made upon receiving knives and will be paid every two weeks thereafter when dull knives are exchanged for sharpened knives. Any lost or damaged knives will be the responsibility of the lessee and will be charged as per the chart below.

Knife# 1510-4
Knife # 1510-6
Knife # 1510-8
Knife# 1515-6
Knife # 1520-8
Knife # 1520-1 OML
Knife# 1520-10LW
Knife # 1520-12
Knife # 1520-1 OLM
Knife# 1520_ 10LW
Knife # 1525-8
Knife# 1530-SE
Knife # 1530-1 O
Knife # 1530-12
Knife# 1530-10E
Knife# 1530-12N
Knife# 1540.S
Knife # 1540-9
Knife# 1540-10
Knife # 1540-12
Knife# 1551-12
Knife # 1555-12
Knife# 1555-14G
Knife# 1562-10
Knife# 1563-12
Knife# 1564-12
Knife # 1570-6
Knife # 1580-12
4″ Paring knife
6″ Boner Straight knife
8″ Fillet knife
6″ Boning Curved knife
8″ Cook knife
10″ Cook knife Reg. Width Heavy
10″ Cook knife Light wide
12″ Cook knife
1O” Cook knife Light/Medium
10″ Cook knife Light/Wide
8″ Santuko knife
8″ Breaking knife
1O” Cimeter knife
12″ Cimeter knife
10″ Breaker knife
12″ Cimiter Narrow knife
8″ Serrated knife
9″ Offset Serrated
1O” Serrated Slicer
12″ Serrated Slicer
12″ Ham/Lox Slicer
12″ Roast Beef Slicer
14″ Granton Slicer
1O” Lobster knife
12″ Fish knife
12″ Fish Splitter
6″ Cleaver
12″ Cheese/Watermelon knife
$3.50
$8.50
$9.50
$8.50
$15.50
$17.50
$17.50
$18.50
$16.50
$16.50
$13.00
$13.50
$11.50
$19.00
$14.50
$19.00
$9.50
$12.00
$10.50
$11.50
$16.00
$16.00
$20.50
$29.50
$25.50
$27.00
$24.50

Well the prices didnt stay with the knives But otherwise Is this common among food preparers and their sharpeners?

 

[mikaloyd]

I'm also in the process of starting a sharpening service. So to get a feel for the knives I would get and my name out, I'm sharpening for friends. Just today I received a bunch of knives to sharpen...butter knives

You should be able to put a factory edge back on those in no time

 

[stringer]

I happened across an ad today from a sharpening business that Ive never used and am not endorsing or complaining about So i wont say their name here But I did like the ad Apparently much of their sharpening business is from shears and scissors used in salons barbershops pet grooming places and in medical businesses . The interesting part though is food service knives. They offer normal sharpening but also offer knife leasing to food preparers. Heres a copy and paste of that . It seems like a good idea

• Lease four or five knives of any combination for $4.75 per knife, rotated every two weeks.
• Lease six or seven knives of any combination for $4.25 per knife, rotated every two weeks.
• Lease eight or nine knives of any combination for $3. 75 per knife, rotated every two weeks.
• Lease ten or more knives of any combination for $3.50 per knife rotated every two weeks

Lease payments will be made upon receiving knives and will be paid every two weeks thereafter when dull knives are exchanged for sharpened knives. Any lost or damaged knives will be the responsibility of the lessee and will be charged as per the chart below.

Knife# 1510-4
Knife # 1510-6
Knife # 1510-8
Knife# 1515-6
Knife # 1520-8
Knife # 1520-1 OML
Knife# 1520-10LW
Knife # 1520-12
Knife # 1520-1 OLM
Knife# 1520_ 10LW
Knife # 1525-8
Knife# 1530-SE
Knife # 1530-1 O
Knife # 1530-12
Knife# 1530-10E
Knife# 1530-12N
Knife# 1540.S
Knife # 1540-9
Knife# 1540-10
Knife # 1540-12
Knife# 1551-12
Knife # 1555-12
Knife# 1555-14G
Knife# 1562-10
Knife# 1563-12
Knife# 1564-12
Knife # 1570-6
Knife # 1580-12
4″ Paring knife
6″ Boner Straight knife
8″ Fillet knife
6″ Boning Curved knife
8″ Cook knife
10″ Cook knife Reg. Width Heavy
10″ Cook knife Light wide
12″ Cook knife
1O” Cook knife Light/Medium
10″ Cook knife Light/Wide
8″ Santuko knife
8″ Breaking knife
1O” Cimeter knife
12″ Cimeter knife
10″ Breaker knife
12″ Cimiter Narrow knife
8″ Serrated knife
9″ Offset Serrated
1O” Serrated Slicer
12″ Serrated Slicer
12″ Ham/Lox Slicer
12″ Roast Beef Slicer
14″ Granton Slicer
1O” Lobster knife
12″ Fish knife
12″ Fish Splitter
6″ Cleaver
12″ Cheese/Watermelon knife
$3.50
$8.50
$9.50
$8.50
$15.50
$17.50
$17.50
$18.50
$16.50
$16.50
$13.00
$13.50
$11.50
$19.00
$14.50
$19.00
$9.50
$12.00
$10.50
$11.50
$16.00
$16.00
$20.50
$29.50
$25.50
$27.00
$24.50

Well the prices didnt stay with the knives But otherwise Is this common among food preparers and their sharpeners?

Yes. Very common business model for people with bench grinders in vans. Restaurants, hospitals, hotels, will use this kind of service.

 

[BarryMM]

You should be able to put a factory edge back on those in no time

Someone had semi removed the serrations already. I used a Shapton glass 500, super soft steel to set the bevel. Was not really any effort. Finished on the Naniwa 800. Just to remove some scratches. She wanted them really sharp . I explained to her that cutting bread on ceramic plates will dull the knives very quickly. That was no problem. She was happy.