knife restoration and sharpening business?

[chasewatmatters]

Hi, like most of us on here, I am a knife collector and enthusiast. I have a good setup for sharpening my knives and taking care of them, doing modifications.. Things like that. I would say that I am pretty good at doing these things, since I've been doing it for a while now. I also like restoring old knives. It crossed my mind to start a small side business, providing these services for other people. Any thoughts on this? Do you think there is any money in a business like this? Enough clientele? How would you advertise it? Any thoughts would be appreciated... Just kind of brainstorming at this point.

 

[Bludgeon]

There has got to be a market for it since I've had many friends ask me to sharpen all their household knives. Maybe start there and they will spread the word in your community. Enclose a small box of bandaids and a few business cards with the sharpened knives as your calling card.

 

[Omega Leather Works]

As far as resto/mod, for me it wouldn't be worth the risk. I've seen a couple of cases where the customer didn't get what they wanted and the cost of replacing the knife was on the service provider. The problem is that communication can be an issue, or the customer may just not like what you provide. This is true in knife making, or most services, but you're working with their property.

If you do decide to go forward, I'd recommend a thoughtful set of policies that you can have the customer review and agree to. I'd also consider communication by phone.

 

[Kevin Wilkins]

You are soooooooo right!

Sharpening knives is not without a risk to the service provider, but moding knives? Take your money to Vegas first.

Buying old knives you find at flea markets and restoring those and selling them, that could be a fun hobby that might pay for itself - or at least you could tell your wife it does! There you have no outside risk, but the minute you take a customer's property on, you risk having to replace or pay for it. And sooner or later you will. I remember back in the day when I helped a friend build Alfa Romeo engines and asked him why they cost so much. He said cause sooner or later you're gonna mess up and the thing goes bang when you turn the starter. Then you pay. So ever job has to bring in enough profit to put some aside for that day... principle is the same with working on customer's knives.

As far as resto/mod, for me it wouldn't be worth the risk. I've seen a couple of cases where the customer didn't get what they wanted and the cost of replacing the knife was on the service provider. The problem is that communication can be an issue, or the customer may just not like what you provide. This is true in knife making, or most services, but you're working with their property.

If you do decide to go forward, I'd recommend a thoughtful set of policies that you can have the customer review and agree to. I'd also consider communication by phone.

 

[Drew Riley]

Knives rarely get sharper with age, so I'd say yes, there is definitely a market for that. If you're able to get a few referrals, and maybe some repeat clients like a restaurant or two, I'd say you could make a decent amount of side money if you are fairly competent and quick.
As for modding, one just needs to take a look through GB&U to see how that works for many "modders".

That said, it seems like the issue is almost always COMMUNICATION, more than anything else, and then actually following through with what you say you'll do, when you say you'll do it. For example, don't quote a guy 6 weeks to complete, and then take 2 years to send his knife back unfinished. If you quote 6 weeks, try to finish in 5.
Also make sure the client understands what exactly you'll be doing, and what exactly it is that they are asking for. If you try something you've never done before, be prepared to replace the knife (and make sure it's replaceable to begin with, not their late father's first knife that was handed down through generations)

There are plenty of guys you make a decent business out of modding and sharpening, but be sure that there are even more who should have never started a business in the first place. Figure out which side you'll end up on, and act accordingly.

 

[braillediver]

There was a thread a while back where a guy wanted to do the same thing. There was a lack of communication he sharpened \ ruined a Shun kitchen knife and the owner wanted it replaced.