I'm 14 years old and ive been collecting knives since i was 7 and it started with a victorinox i now edc a para 2 but im a pretty good sharpner and i sharpen police officers knives for money but its getting slow so i thought if anyone has a dull knife and isn't comfortable or dosent know how to sharpen lease send you knives in i charge 5 us dollars for folders and 10 us dollars for fixed blades please help me out and let me sharpen your knives if interested reply
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is available! Price is $250 ea (shipped within CONUS).
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/
Trying to make money please give me a chance
- Thread starter Cody2025
- Start date
- Status
Yes you can. Out of interest what do you use to sharpen?
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2008
- Messages
- 1,647
Cody2025 - I find it a great offer for everybody who does not want (or can't) sharpen their knives themselves to be able to send it to a place like yours. However, u must be aware that u have quite a competition here on BF, a competition of very experienced and "senior" knife enthusiasts/sharpeners with an excellent track record. Some may want to do this exact thing, send it away for sharpening but we love our knives and may have some quite expensive ones or just knives that have a sentimental value etc.
Don't u think that a bit more information and advertisement is necessary? What is your technique, how do your end results look like, do u have a video or at least some pictures of how your edges look like? Do u sharpen big knives, 10 inch blade camp knife for instance etc. How about single bevel knives etc.?
So, just my two cents, kudos to u to start "a business" but make sure your "business card" is up to snuff! This is important for everything in life!
Don't u think that a bit more information and advertisement is necessary? What is your technique, how do your end results look like, do u have a video or at least some pictures of how your edges look like? Do u sharpen big knives, 10 inch blade camp knife for instance etc. How about single bevel knives etc.?
So, just my two cents, kudos to u to start "a business" but make sure your "business card" is up to snuff! This is important for everything in life!
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2014
- Messages
- 867
with picture uploaders like tinypic . com
Here's a thought- depending on where you live (like a neighborhood with a lot of homes), there might very well be people/neighbors in your area that have loads of dull knives in their kitchens. Everyone has kitchen knives, but not everyone knows how to sharpen them, or has the tools to do so. Instead, they just live with dull knives.
So here's an idea- Print up a bunch of flyers, something like "Knife Sharpening. Low prices. Will pick up and deliver. Satisfaction guaranteed", etc, etc. Provide your name, your contact info, and your prices. Then go around your neighborhood and distribute the flyers. But DON'T knock on peoples doors, people generally hate that (I know I do), just stick the flyers in their screen doors or somewhere they will see it.
If you see anyone out in front of their house, Smile and say "Hello, excuse me, can I hand you this flyer for my knife sharpening service". And if they say "No" or "No thanks", just smile, say "Have a nice day", and move on to the next house.
If you are a Boy Scout, wear your uniform. I think people would be more receptive to a teenager in a scout uniform.
You would have to create a simple price list. You certainly don't want to try and charge $10 for a single kitchen knife. Bulk discounts would also be a good idea.
And don't get into details like "What steel are your knives made of", or "What bevel angle do you want", because most people won't know what you are talking about, and they might get turned off. Just put a sharp edge on their knives and they will be happy.
Your biggest obstacle in starting your own sharpening business is your age. While there are many capable and responsible 14 year olds, people might be reluctant to hand over their knives to one they don't know.
I could go on and on about starting a knife sharpening service, but this is enough for now. Good luck to you.
So here's an idea- Print up a bunch of flyers, something like "Knife Sharpening. Low prices. Will pick up and deliver. Satisfaction guaranteed", etc, etc. Provide your name, your contact info, and your prices. Then go around your neighborhood and distribute the flyers. But DON'T knock on peoples doors, people generally hate that (I know I do), just stick the flyers in their screen doors or somewhere they will see it.
If you see anyone out in front of their house, Smile and say "Hello, excuse me, can I hand you this flyer for my knife sharpening service". And if they say "No" or "No thanks", just smile, say "Have a nice day", and move on to the next house.
If you are a Boy Scout, wear your uniform. I think people would be more receptive to a teenager in a scout uniform.
You would have to create a simple price list. You certainly don't want to try and charge $10 for a single kitchen knife. Bulk discounts would also be a good idea.
And don't get into details like "What steel are your knives made of", or "What bevel angle do you want", because most people won't know what you are talking about, and they might get turned off. Just put a sharp edge on their knives and they will be happy.
Your biggest obstacle in starting your own sharpening business is your age. While there are many capable and responsible 14 year olds, people might be reluctant to hand over their knives to one they don't know.
I could go on and on about starting a knife sharpening service, but this is enough for now. Good luck to you.
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 13,502
There are also liability issues for potential customers to think about, in allowing minors to do such (possibly) hazardous work for them. It's a cynical thought, but it's an all-too-real risk these days. A 14-year-old's parents or guardians will likely need to give permission (including written/signed proof of such), if a resident hopes to avoid being held liable for injuries to a minor, incurred in the perfomance of such work.
Years ago, a couple of young kids showed up at my door, offering to mow the yard. Both were girls, one maybe 6-8 years old, and the other even younger, maybe 4. The 'mower' they showed up with was a John Deere lawn tractor, and neither girl was big/tall enough to reach the deck & foot controls (brake) on the thing, while sitting on the seat. I had visions of some really BAD things happening, if either of them were to fall off while the thing was in gear. I was impressed that they were motivated to do such work (probably just trying to help out their family, I assumed), but I couldn't allow it on my property, without proper supervision from an adult (I didn't see a parent or any other adult accompanying them, which gave me more worry).
It's good to see such incentive and motivation in young kids these days, but all involved need to be careful about how these things are done.
David
Last edited:
My parents have already gave consent to the police department for me to sharpen their knives and I have flyers all over but no one bites at the bait
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 13,502
It's good to hear you've already taken that step. :thumbup:
I do hope it works out for you. I would've been happy to be doing such things at your age, if I had even known how (didn't, way back then).
David
Last edited:
are you sharpening the polices knives? i would use that to get a network, tell the officer if he refers a friend he gets one free sharpening of any type.
- Status