Advice on starting a knife sharpening business please.

My grandfather did it for four years after he retired from the railroad. Although he advertised and spent much time on the road it just didn't pan out and most often he was lucky if he just broke even. Later he went into partnership with a guy who started a beer and bait shop and made out real good. Good Luck to You and hope you can make it worth your time. Mike

I don't think you can do a door to door sales business any more. People simply won't open the door. I offered knife sharpening on my web site for a couple of years. It wasn't worth the effort. I sharpen knives now in my retail store but we rarely do more than a half dozen per day. I think the only approach is to call on restaurants. Some of them own their own knives and might want such a service.

Fred Knife Outlet http://www.knifeoutlet.com

That would be nine pieces of cake, assuming I ignore the triple points and just do the big serrations. That's the whole **** cake! If I tried to get it all, 25 pieces! **** big cake!

Sorry, I'll stop whining now.

I have a friend in the business. He does a lot of leafleting, direct mail notifications and such. He says he's going to be in the area on a certain day; makes regular rounds of restaurants, hotels and such. He carries 'used' knives of good quality. Mostly he gets 'chipped' ones, refurbishes them and resells them; flea market and garage sale finds, trade-ups and so on. He's got a 2X72, a couple of the cardboard wheel set-ups, a lapping wheel and jig for some specialty blades; all in a 'step-van'.

for larger blades- to about $12.50 for regrinding the whole profile after major chipping or whatever. He does the quick stuff on site and returns them to the user- more difficult stuff he does and returns it in 24 hrs. Seems to do ok for him.

Think he'd be willing to post some advice?

I knew you'd come through, Chas; good man.

Dunno about knives, but there's a few guys here in the suburban Dallas area that drive a route of beauty and barber shops, walk in, and do scissor sharpening in their truck. They do it on a regular basis, so there must be some $$$ in it . . . they charged $5 (or was it $10?) and they really clean up when they hit the barber schools. Last time a new guy did my scissors, and they just haven't been the same since. Gotta get 'em re-done . . .

Actually, I think he thinks he has a 'scam' and would be loathe to give it to someone else You see him at the local flea markets and such; driving around in his van. I met him years ago and nod when we see one another. People in Denver see his truck marked 'the Knife Man'; he's a fixture around here.

Got's to buy the specialized jigs- the lapping wheels that are a good 16' in diameter; maybe even a couple of them- same for the blades in barber/vet clippers. Costs a lot to set up, and then you have to learn the skill as applied to forty different brands of scissors/clippers. The days of pedaling a sandstone wheel are over.

There is a guy here that sets up at the farmer's market which opens twice a week. He does business out his panel truck. He uses various wheels. I think he gets $1.00 an inch for pocket knives but I am not sure. He also goes around to restaurants and sharpens the chef's knives.

Back when I worked in a meat packing plant we sent our knives out once a week, I think. That was in middle 60's. Twice a week at most. Cutters used a steel the rest of the time. But that trade is mostly gone. All of the meat gets cut up out west now and shipped cut.