I would starve to death if I did this for a living

[Anonymous]

I’mm no pro but I have been gifted with good hands and an analytical mind. IN short order I have been able understand the sharpening process used to make a ver impressive edge on many different knives.

I spent 8 hours sharpening 12 knives, I spent 30 minutes cleaning my stones, strops, and ceramics. The 12 knives I sharpened are so sharp I’m almost afraid to touch them, they are that good. **** But ***  If I even charged 10 dollars a knife, that would only be 120 dollars for a days work. Hardly what I would call a living. I have no idea what people are willing to pay to have a knife sharpened. When I retired from General motors as a design engineer 15 years ago I was making 50 dollars an hour. Did not  get paid by the hour but was making 2000 a week+ bonus.

Right now sharpening knive is fun… I would not want to turn fun into a four letter word  ( W O R K ).

Right now the feedback I get for successfully sharpening a knife to extreme sharpness, is worth the effort it takes in doing so. I don’t mind spending 30 minutes to 45 minutes making a wicked edge. IM actually afraid that if I touch a sharpened knife ever so lightly and I move my finger slight , Ill be cut.. it actually happened with the first knife I sharpened using the wicked edge… I didn’t even know I was cut until the blood started gushing.

Bill aka ET

[Mark76]

I did this not for a living. But for fun. About 40 knives a week (all with the weps) and I really enjoyed it.

After some time the “zen” went off it a bit, but knife sharpening is still a hobby of mine. Even though it I now only do it for friends and family.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Anonymous]

I can see my sharpening skills going no further than family and friends.  It is fun.. since for 50 years my thoughts of a sharp knife was a lot different than one day understanding the process and using the wicked edge. I never imagined I could ever get a knife this sharp…  I now have a new respect for a sharp knife. I Use to use serrated knives because their ability to saw their way through was more advantageous. Last night I sliced a tomato with an un serrated knife, and was able to slice the tomato into extremely  thin slices. I smiled and said to myself, now ” That’s ” a sharp knife. This wicked edge makes for some very very sharp knives.. I do a lot of research before I buy anything.. this system is pricey but it delivers something extraordinary in the fact that even a non- hands on person can get an extremely good edge, with very little understanding. Once they understand how important making a full length burr is to the sharpening process. The wicked edge system is worth every penny, and would not hesitate to recommend this system to anyone without pricing prejudice.  Prior to becoming very sick, ( Two years ago ) Advanced stage Cancer… I had a lot of hobbies.. hunting, fishing , wild life photography, Post process Photography, archery, competition pistol and rifle shooting and high end air rifles and pistols… Also heavily involved with the Corvette community, as a Factory  engineering consultant for the 5 million member Corvette Forum.

Still love photography, still shoot my EDC  ( Kimber 45 ACP every week at my Gun club just to keep my edge. This New focus will keep me occupied through the winter along with my other interests..  I still made the right decision to go with the Pro Pack II system over the Gen III cam lever system.

Bill aka ET

[Allgonquin]

I think most would agree that it would be hard to make a living doing this.  I think pro sharpeners use belts and have multiple belt grinders set up with finer stages of belts – they do not take near the care that we do and spend only a minute or two per knife.  Like others, I do this more or less as a hobby but I have run a few ads in my local pennysaver and basically paid for my WE with paid customers.  I am an engineer as well and I don’t count my time in this case.  Also I have gotten much faster with kitchen knives, and I stop at the 1000 stones as there is not much point going sharper, IMHO.  A bit of tooth is good for a kitchen knife, I think.  If I get a name brand pocket knife I’ll go to the ceramics and a bit of stropping.

Anyway I enjoy the variety of knives I get in response to my ads, and I get a lot of satisfaction when a customer calls me and marvels at how sharp the knives are.  Especially love it when friends do this.  I have a tradition that I sharpen our friends’ knives for Thanksgiving, and we always eat at their place.  Seems like a fair trade.  If it stops being fun, I’ll stop doing it.

Glad to hear you are chugging along, Bill, I like my 1911 too, and back in the day I had a ’69.  350/350 4 speed.

[Anonymous]

I just asked my butcher about their knife sharpening service.. its an old fashion Butcher shop.  he said the service takes 8 knives, minimum and charges 16 dollars… he also picks them up and delivers them. The butcher says they constantly use a steel on their knives but after about three weeks, they need to be sent out again. Just some insight as to how their knives are sharpened, also the type of steel use is important also, most butchers use High carbon steel… in the 150 to 250 dollar range.

[kpromero]

I just received mine during the week and have been really busy at work to where i am too tired to mess with it but have done a couple and still trying to learn techniques like which is the better angle to use and setting it up in holder correctly. when i am able to spend more time with it i am sure it will get easier to operate.

[Alan]

This is such a great thread.  Thanks for posting.

Knife sharpening is a hobby for me.  I’ve several knife sharpening systems, Sharpmaker, DMT stones, ect.  I’ve enjoyed sharpening for many years.  Some folks like to garden, others like to crochet, I like to sharpen.

Make it a job for me and then it’s no fun anymore.

A couple of weeks ago my neighbor, a plumber, across the street and two doors down, and I were having a chat in the street.  Somewhere in the conversation, I mentioned that one of my many hobbies was sharpening knives.  He told me that his wife had told him that their knives wouldn’t cut a tomato very well.  Well I told him I could fix that.  I mentioned that my spigot on the side of my house had a drip, and that I also had a clogged drain in the small bathroom.

Long story short, I sharpened all his kitchen and steak knives (great therapy for me), and he repaired my plumbing issues.

Ya, I’d starve to do this for a living.  It’s just a hobby, something really I enjoy.  But a few extra bucks now and then sure don’t hurt.

Alan

Alan

[Anonymous]

I have lots of hobbies… adding another hobby, only allows you to diversify your time so you don’t get burned out doing just one thing.  I’ve been retired for 15 years, but through out my life I’ve done lots of stuff.. I do a lot of pistol and rifle shooting, I belong to a sportsman’s club, hunting and fishing.. I’m very deep into automotive technology, I do wild life photography and have 80,000 photos on line in a secure vault, ( a professional hosting sight ) Photos are always available to embed in any of the five forums that I participate in.  Cars, Cameras, and photography, Guns and Knives, high end watches. Over my 70 years of life, Ive experienced many things, and always willing to share those experiences…

As far as making a living, that’s in that category called work.. ( I can barely remember what that actually is. )  I spend anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour sharpening one knife… But I’m new to this , just a few weeks in. Ill probably shave some of that time off with a little more experience, but I’m sure my OCD will keep me focused on a scary sharp knife edges every time, not one that is just ” good enough ” …

I poste a photo of a bandade on the first knife I sharpened with this system. I had no respect for the potential of a really sharp edge produced with this system… the good news is that ” I DO  Now ” … I wonder just how many other people have cut themself doing the same thing.

[Josh]

I still think it’s fun, although it gets wearisome at times. And yes, it’s difficult to make ends meat after all the expenses but I get to work from home which is great ?

[Anonymous]

working from home is a good thing for sure….

Playing from home is even better.

Bill aka ET

[Josh]

Anonymous wrote:

working from home is a good thing for sure…. Playing from home is even better. Bill aka ET

Very true… but I’ve got a long way until retirement as I’m only 31 hehe.

[tuffy braithwaite]

first off get yourself kevlar gloves.

i worked my first farmers mkt. using edge pro in 2012 in may……in july i bought a WE and used it thru. july of 2013…….by this time, i could not keep up with the knives at the market and i would have to bring many home and sharpen and return them on sunday…….then i bought a 1 x 30″ HF belt sander to pre-sharpenat home……..sept of 2013 i bought a 1 x 42 kalamazoo sander and i could finally keep up.

in nov/dec i worked at whole foods locally 3 day before thanksgiving and 3 days before christmas………..nov i did almost 400 knives and dec i did 132….nov i had to call my buddy in to help me….had 2 hr. wait and customers were limited to 3 knives per visit……..THIS WAS COMPLEMENTARY KNIFE SHARPENING…….FREE…..Whole Foods paid me by the hour to sharpen customer knives……sat. and monday i used 4 ….1 x42 sanders and sun…..we used 8.

these days i start my WE pricing at $25.00 per knife and up from there depending on the knife…….and time………1 x 42 pricing is from 3 bucks to 9 and takes 5 mins or less.

i work all the local gun shows here and carry both sharpens……..in 3 years i have had no one want the WE sharpening for $25.00 +and i understand that.  at these shows, we have a fellow who offers FREE knife sharpening and he sells one of those pull through jobs……hoping they will buy one from him…..he is always busy sharpening knives and has a pile of metal flakes on his table……

it is tuff out there.

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