Knife and Scissor Sharpening Business

Every house in America has different kinds of knives and scissors. One may require to sharpen their knives and scissors at least every three months. This is where the knife and scissor business comes into play. This dying art can be converted into a lucrative, low investment business idea.

The first thing you must know before starting a knife and scissor sharpening business is how to sharpen knives and scissors. You must have proper knowledge as you can damage the tools by over sharpening or wrong methods. It may also cause grievous injuries to you.

Knife Sharpening Methods
There are various methods with which you can sharpen knives. You just need to follow the instructions for knife sharpening before starting off with knife sharpening business. Few of the knife sharpening methods are:

Using Sharpening Steel: You need to hold the sharpening steel in your left hand and the knife in your right hand at an angle of 10 to 25 degrees. Draw the knife on the steel rod several times. Repeat this step until the sharpening steel has been drawn across both sides of the blades.

Using Whetstone: Whetstone is made of carborundum and is available in three densities; coarse, medium and fine. Coarse is used for Chef's knives, medium for all-purpose sharpening and fine for slicing or boning knives. There are two types of whetstones available; oil and water based. Oil whetstone needs a few drops of oil to form a light film across the stone and water stone needs to be immersed in water for 15 minutes, before starting off with the sharpening process. The knife blade is placed at an angle of 20 degree to the heel of the stone. Draw the blade towards you steadily, sweeping in an arc. Draw the blade in one direction. Never draw the knife back and forth. Repeat the step on both sides, at least 10 to 20 times.

Commercial Knife Sharpening Machines: There are many commercial knife sharpening machines available in the market that can be used for your knife and scissor sharpening business. You have to draw the knife blade through the mechanism towards you till the knife is sharpened. You should read the instruction manual or booklet before operating the machine. It is better to have a live demo from the dealer before purchasing an electronic knife sharpening machine.

Scissor Sharpening Method

Scissor Sharpening Stones: Scissor sharpening stones are also known as oil stones or water stones. They have different grades of grit; rough grade is used to smooth irregularities and fine grade to sharpen dull blades without irregularities. Rub the sharpening stones from the screw end of the beveled side of the blade to the end. Repeat the same sharpening process on the other blade too. Wipe the blade clean and test on paper or fabric to check sharpness.

Scissor Sharpening Equipment:Just like the knife sharpening machines, various scissor sharpening equipments are also available. A round sharpening stone that can be housed in the spinning machine made especially for sharpening scissors, is used in these equipments. To sharpen the blades, they are held against this sharpening stone.

After practicing your knife and scissor sharpening skills, you can move on to start your business for sharpening blades. Do some research on the various other knife and scissor sharpening businesses near you. Get adequate knowledge of their market position and design your business according to the business competition.

It's time to build a customer base. You may run your business from home or have a mobile business. Visit the local butchers, restaurants, chef's, tailors, salons, gardeners, even homes and offer a free trial. Give each and every customer your visiting card mentioning your name, address, and the services offered. Keep visiting your regular clients at regular intervals. Offer clients with discounts on every 10th knife that you sharpen. Come up with unique marketing strategies to build a larger customer base. If you have a mobile business, then put large banners on your trucks, advertising your business.

Set your prices at an affordable range. You can earn up to $50 an hour working alone or $90 with the help of an assistant. It is a great business to sharpen knives, scissors, home and garden tools using various professional knife sharpening tools. You can sell new and vintage knives and even second hand good quality knives and scissors that will add up to your business profits. You can demonstrate your skills in sharpening creatively, that will help build a crowd around you and bring you more business.

The key to a successful business is proper business growth strategy and marketing. Follow good business etiquette for building a good market image. Build a successful business working on a sharp edge!