Sharpening at a show?

J

Jason Fry

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Jun 5, 2008
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I set up a table at a local gun show, and had several folks ask me if I sharpened blades. They said there was typically a guy at the show sharpening, but that he wasn't there. Looks to me like an opportunity, but leaves me with a few questions.

I typically sharpen on my variable speed 2x72, that I'm not able or willing to haul to a gun show. It runs on 220 anyway, even if I wanted to move it. I typically use a 120, then a worn 400, then strop.

I think I could pull it off with my 2x42 craftsman, which is small and portable, but that runs so fast that I'd really have to have a soft touch to not burn the edges. I sharpened 150 knives or so with it before I had the other grinder, but I also spent more time back then on stones instead of the fine belt. I wouldn't be scared to use it, but I sure don't like it compared to my VS grinder.

Is there a better tool for sharpening at a show?

I don't know what the market rate for sharpening is at gunshows. Any ideas?

I'd have some knives for sale also, just looking for some cash flow.
 
Well. The last time I saw someone offering knife sharpening services they were using a worksharp sharpener. The little belt sander with 1/2 inch sanding belts. I happen to have been given one for Christmas. But I also sharpen like you on my 2x72. Well. One day the person who gave me the worksharp saw it setting on my desk. I had never used it. So he asked me how I liked it. I sheepishly admitted I hadn't yet tried it out as I had my own methods of sharpening. But I also had a few knives in various stages of completion on my desk. So I said (trying to show some enthusiasm for the unused gift) let's try it out. I ran a completely unsharp (finished grpind but no secondary bevel)blade through it and promptly ruined the blade. It bit in near the Ricasso and created a nice swoop in the cutting edge. Hmm. Maybe it's not designed to completely set the bevel. Let me try a thinner pocket knife that just needs a quick touch up. Zip,zip. No more tip! The tip was gone replaced by an unsightly rounded sharp psuedo tip. So any way. Fast forward. To the guy offering sharpening services with the same sharpener. I asked him how he liked it and he said he loved it. My brother was standing there with me, and had a nice benchmade folder that needed a touch up and i told him id like to see how someone who actually knew how to use the sharpener would use it. he paid the 6.00$ and Zip,Zip. No more tip!

"Yep" I said to my fuming brother. "That's what it did to mine was well. You don't use the tip for anything do you?"

I know, I didn't answer your question. But it might be a helpful story. Lol
 
I see sharpening at our flee and farmer markets, they use the Tormec sharping system. I have the Grizzly equivalent, works great,
 
I too have considered doing this at a rather large local craft fair. What about using a little 1x30? It would be even smaller and lighter than the Craftsman. Even though it still is a fixed speed sander, I believe most brands are considerably slower than the 2x42. I have nearly the same belt selections for my 1x30 as the 2x42 including the leather strop.

Chris
 
It's a great little sideline for me.
I don't know how many thousand blades I sharpen a year at markets.....several for sure.
I use a 1x30, but I stay the bloody h**l off the platen- I sharpen just above it, edge down, with a very light touch.
If I hadn't already been making blades on a 2x72, I'd be trashing blades like the rest of em.

The reason I feel that this is better than a Tormek FOR ME is that the 1x30 has instantaneous and infinite angle adjustment....my hands. I can change any part of the bevel according to the steel, how it's used, how it was sharpened before.
Here's a little trick that takes a steady hand but can save those tips: Everyone starts from the heel of the blade and draws it across the belt toward the tip- try going 3/4 of the way and then starting at the tip and blending back into what's already done.
Takes some practice, but it's much less likely to burn or deform a tip.
AlOx belts are ok for the first pass, use Norax for the rest and you'll sharpen hundreds if not thousands of blades between fresh belts.
YMMV. Do not use this technique if you experience shortness of breath, foot pain, or hotheadedness. See your doctor if yadda yadda blah blah....
 
I'm thinking, buy or build a small grinder, maybe modify a fleamarket/craigslist grinder

If you can mount a variable speed drill on the shaft.

or find a motor with brushes = a universal motor
You can use one of those router speed controllers on a universal motor

You don't need high torque or horsepower so it should work.

Or how about one of those slow speed hard stone water cooled things ?
 
I just use my HF 1x30 exclusively for sharpening now. I don't do it for the public but it would be much easier to carry one of those around and use that at a show than a 2x42 imo. Plus it's not nearly as loud. Like above I use Norax belts and it works great. I've never even tried it on my 2x42. I'm afraid it would just eat the blade whole and one little mishap would be a disaster but if you've got a couple hundred blades worth of experience then you've got that figured out.

Also, I just sold my Worksharp this week. The 1x30 is far better for half the cost.
 
I think I may go back to the 2x42 and sharpen my wife's kitchen knives, just to see if there's anything there. I've been pointed toward the tormek and toward http://www.thesharpshoponline.com/ but I don't really want to drop hundreds of dollars just to see if there's viable money there. I've got a few ideas about something I might could fabricate if the 2x42 isn't doable.
 
Jason Fry said:
I think I may go back to the 2x42 and sharpen my wife's kitchen knives, just to see if there's anything there. I've been pointed toward the tormek and toward http://www.thesharpshoponline.com/ but I don't really want to drop hundreds of dollars just to see if there's viable money there. I've got a few ideas about something I might could fabricate if the 2x42 isn't doable.
Click to expand...

What I was saying about the variable speed drill, walmart sells them for less than 20 here

If you take the disc off the 2x42, try putting a drill on that shaft to drive it.
 
Out here in the West you can find 1 or 2 sharpeners at every gun/knife or just knife shows. They usually charge about $1.00 per inch of blade. Most of them use the paper wheel system which is quick, easy, and seems to do a good job. At both the Oregon and Washington knife shows there is a guy using an EdgePro who does an excellent job. He is always mobbed, so you usually have to drop off your knife and come back a hour or two later.

I have tried the small belt grinders and unless you have a very soft touch they are too fast - I ruined too many blades when I tried them.

Tim
 
I sat next to a guy at the Tulsa Wannamacher Gun Show in Nov. and he sharpened about 500 knives in 2 days on a cardboard emery wheel with a cardboard buffer all on a 1750 bench grinder. He obviously knew what he was doing also. He charged between $2 and $10 to sharpen. Most took about 20-30 seconds and it seemed all were very satisfied. A cardboard setup costs about 30-40 bucks plus the bench grinder. He was the busiest guy out of 3500 tables!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was also the most tired guy at the show! He used a variable speed grinder and had it on s l o w.
 
John L said:
I sat next to a guy at the Tulsa Wannamacher Gun Show in Nov. and he sharpened about 500 knives in 2 days on a cardboard emery wheel with a cardboard buffer all on a 1750 bench grinder. He obviously knew what he was doing also. He charged between $2 and $10 to sharpen. Most took about 20-30 seconds and it seemed all were very satisfied. A cardboard setup costs about 30-40 bucks plus the bench grinder. He was the busiest guy out of 3500 tables!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was also the most tired guy at the show! He used a variable speed grinder and had it on s l o w.
Click to expand...

Dude that would be a good check!!
 
I sharpen at several farmer's markets. Been doing it for years. I set the bevels with a Tormek,
refine and de-burr and buff on paper wheels. The combination works very well for me.:thumbup:
 
Ive seen guys do it at craft fairs..They were using Paper wheels..We have a set of paper wheels and thought about it doing it just never get around to it honestly..We also have a 1x30 and a 2x42. Lisa sharpens all the time on the 2x42 and occasionally on the 2x72..I think she finishes on the 2x42 with a 800 grit belt then hand strops. Leather belt on the 2x42 works great too.
 
Great thread!

I use a 1x30 laid on its back platen on, edge trailing, to raise the burr at 120 then go to the fine side of my norton india then to the fine hard atkansas then to the strop. \

Count!! thanks for the idea about the variable drill!! If I could slow down the 1x30 that would be even more fool proof.
 
I use a Wicked Edge to sharpen my knives. I'm not sure that it would be the best if you wanted to do a lot of knives in a short time.
 
I saw you at the show and loved that camp knife and the one with the wood I can't pronounce!
It was nice to put a face to the awesome work I've seen here and on your site.

If I didn't already have my Ratmandu I think I'd have found a way to buy that camp knife.
Not like I camp much anyway lol, most of my hard use is recreational.

I would have to second the WorkSharp idea.
If you're familiar with a real grinder, which I am not, the cheaper original version should work quite well.
I have the Ken Onion edition and it does a magnificent job.

Only possible downside is convex edges only.

Hope this helps or you at least find a solution.
I wouldn't have expected to see someone sharpening at the show, but I kniw I would have probably gotten at least one of the blades I had on me done. It would be nice to compare my "sharp" to the "sharp" of someone willing to sell their skills.
Just my .02
 
No way in hell would I use a high speed belt grinder to sharpen knifes for other people. Could it be done? Sure. But one foul slip and you ruin a knife. I'm not even sure how you would make a situation like that right. I'm confident in my abilities to sharpen knives but I'm just not sure it's worth the risk.

I'd only use paper wheels for stropping or removing a burr. Ideally I'd have a Tormek/Grizzly wet grinder for flat ground edges and a variable speed belt grinder for convex. I might add in a paper wheel polishing wheel on a high speed buffer for quickly polishing edges. The Tormek/Grizzly would be nice because you could set up the jig for certain edge angles.
 
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