Tom Whittington

[Tom Whittington]

I’ll put some thought into it over the weekend, and could work on a template with some of the info we compile as the copy text so folks can tweak or rework it however they like but don’t have to design it from scratch.

Maybe a quick list of “did you know?” type things that aren’t especially common knowledge, like Clay’s findings that an expertly sharpened knife actually cuts cleaner and extends the shelf life of produce versus a dull knife. Little things like that help; people will look at them and realize maybe there’s more to having a sharp knife than the possibility of nicking themselves with it 🙂 Some other things that I have on my sharpening page of my website include properly sharpened blades staying sharper for longer, being able to tune the angle and finish for your usage, etc.

Personally my sharpening hangup flyer at these flea markets and such has a giant bold heading asking potential customers “HOW SHARP IS YOUR KNIFE?”. You’d be surprised how few people can answer that, and how many more think a butter knife is adequately sharp! Attention grabbers are a great way to at least get people to take a look, and like I mentioned in another thread actually being there sharpening something (even if it’s a dollar store made in china kitchen knife you bought just to wreck over and over) will help draw attention too.

[Tom Whittington]

This is a really great idea, and I can’t believe I missed this thread! When I first started gunsmithing I whipped up a flier that had a large, important looking notice across the top similar to those you see when buying used guns or at auction telling the buyer to have the gun checked by a competent gunsmith. The hook was “have you ever seen this message before?” and that now they knew where to find a competent gunsmith 🙂

I also included a couple of coupons on the flyer but honestly have never had one used in three years… go figure. I doubt coupons would do much for a sharpening gig, but maybe as mentioned earlier a volume discount of sorts could be a draw!

[Tom Whittington]

For me the cost is the big factor, I’d gladly acquire every set of stones, ceramics and several strop sets on down to using CBN sprays… but enough sandpaper to last me 6 months costs ten bucks and I’ve gotten pretty quick at cutting strips neatly measured to paddle size. I have absolutely no doubt the stones are vastly superior, but I make do with what my gunsmith’s budget allows 🙂

That said, I’ve done some very nice polishes using paper: 1000->1200->1500->2000->2500->3000, then strops. I still regard sandpaper as a fill-in until I can get more stuff for the WEPS, but it’s a pretty nice fill-in all things considered once you trim the fat in the process of actually cutting out strips. I also don’t replace the strips for every knife, which I’m sure goes against the grain where consistency is concerned, but it works just fine for me! For now anyway 🙂

[Tom Whittington]

Haha, we really got ourselves confused in here! Part of it is my fault for bringing up using light oil as a quick-clean on the stones. It’s not necessary by a long shot and a proper cleaning with soapy water will certainly do a better job. I just use the oil and dab it clean when it’s getting really loaded up and I don’t have time to clean properly. I have to stress the importance of a light oil, because anything that will get gummy will just make it that much harder to clean later on.

I started doing that after seeing some of Clay’s info on using soapy water to catch particles while sharpening. I think the first mention was on a youtube video on his channel, but it’s come up here on the forums before, too. I like the idea of keeping the particles from getting all over my work area, but I honestly had not considered the slurry being detrimental to the finish. In my case I very rarely polish beyond 1000 grit, so it might not be a problem at all for me and my usage.

Additionally I try to keep Teflon (PTFE) based lubricants away from places they don’t belong. Teflon got really big in the gun world many years ago, so everyone and everything had Teflon in it for a while… until people started to notice that it wasn’t useful or was outright bad in some applications. Teflon doesn’t like heat for example, so burning off oil with Teflon in it actually releases some nasty fumes! The oil I use for my impromptu cleaning is 100% vegetable based, just in case!

Man, all this talk reminds me to clean my stones good and proper 🙂

[Tom Whittington]

I use a similar needle oiler as well:

I get these in three-packs for a little over $5 at Brownells. I use many different oil and lube products in the shop so I have a bunch with different things in them, and grab whichever works best for a given purpose. I think the dry film is definitely one of the best for knife use though 🙂

@EamonMcGowan – I can’t count the number of great tips and tricks I’ve picked up around here. Hopefully I’ve shared a few as well. That’s what makes this forum awesome!

[Tom Whittington]

Very cool! I wish I had the funds to get more WEPS stuff and attachments like this, but I’ve got enough going on with the shop as it is 🙂 I’m definitely looking forward to the scissors and serrated blade stuff in the future, I think those will take precedence for me over the chisel attachment initially… but I plan to get all of them someday!

[Tom Whittington]

I’ve seen issues like this, even had it happen to one of my websites a few years back when the host’s email servers got breached by some spammers out of Turkey. They started sending emails in bulk from different websites before the host shut down the outgoing email system entirely to fix it!

The internet is an amazing tool, but it’s also full of amazing tools looking to take advantage of others… I often wonder if spammers even think people fall for that stuff. I guess enough do to make it a marketable tactic.

[Tom Whittington]

I’ve lived in three houses my entire life, all of them within a few miles of each other. My dad was in the Air Force and traveled a lot, but that was long before I came about.

I’m sitting on a nice little ten acre plot in the quiet country town of Windsor, Pennsylvania. Not too far above the Maryland line, and almost equal distance from Pittsburgh and Philly.

[Tom Whittington]

Oh yeah I didn’t mention that in my other reply, whoops! I only have the Pro Pack 1 stones, so they are all diamond stones… 100/200, 400/600, 800/1000 paddles. I don’t have any waterstones or ceramics, though I suspect honing oil or any light oil would not be detrimental to ceramics. Clay would know more than I do on that though.

I can say from experience that using a little oil on the 1000 stone works well, and does seem to make a smoother cutting action. That’s the one grit I prefer to use oil on pretty regularly, but of course being diamond stones they work just as well dry 🙂

[Tom Whittington]

I use Gunzilla gun oil to clean off my stones and prevent loading up. It’s not a great gun oil to be quite honest so I repurposed it for use on stones. Usually I’ll drip some on and work it in a bit with my fingertip to loosen up the crud on the stone, then just mop it up with a paper towel pressing firmly down on it. This is a stop gap while I’m out doing something or just don’t feel like thoroughly cleaning the stones.

I’ve found that a light oil like Gunzilla, Rem Oil etc can float particles out of the nooks and crannies pretty well so that a full cleaning isn’t absolutely necessary for a lot longer. Really helps when I’m at flea markets and things like that!

Sometimes I’ll lightly oil my stones as I work, sort of similar in nature to Clay’s suggestion to use slightly soapy water. It does well capturing particles if you want to keep grit out of a work area, and might give a little smoother cutting action but I can’t be sure of that 🙂

[Tom Whittington]

PTFE (teflon) dry film lubricant is great for a lot of uses, it’s a pretty popular item in the gun world as well. The oil I use has teflon in it too, though I’m told you should generally avoid putting anything with teflon in contact with very hot surfaces since teflon burns off by releasing a noxious gas. For the WEPS it’s perfect though!

I’ve noticed that after a lot of use my rods get some gunk on them and need cleaned off, especially if I’ve been using honing oil or something on the stones to keep them from loading up too much. Somehow that stuff always works its way into everything and eventually needs cleaned out and properly oiled!

[Tom Whittington]

Tom
What kind of demo knives did you order for sale so they do not buy your demo stock? I was thinking that is a great idea to have some folders to sell and I was curious to the brand you were using to keep the prices down some. I have been doing very well with my reworked thrift store kitchen knives and this would also add revenue at the new places I plan on sharpening at. Such as for the police, sheriff, state police, fire and EMT stations. These are usually knife guys who are not loaded but something that is a good price with good quality should peak their interests.

That’s definitely a good option, I don’t have a lot of kitchen knives on hand but seeing as I set up at flea markets/community sales most often I usually comb the other vendors for old butcher knives and things like that 🙂 I even got a nice old cleaver last time for $5!

For new knives which I’ll sell with a sharpen job included on the price tag before they take it home, I try to stick to sub-$25 pocket knives with reputable brands and known steel. For example I have a couple of Kershaws that I could stick a $20 price tag on including sharpening. I also like well made Buck clones (Winchester has a 110 clone that comes with a leather belt sheath for cheap!) and got a Puma Bobcat folder which is VERY nice for the money. It’s also nice to have a handful of knives that generally “run the gamut” feature wise… tanto vs. other points, assisted and non-assisted, different blade lengths, thumb studs vs. flippers. This way folks who are really interested in knives can check them out and you get a chance to chat with them about what factors go into choosing the right pocket knife for them.

I have on rare occasion sold expensive knives such as a titanium frame CRKT for over $60, but mostly people like the budget blades so I go out of my way to find good steel, reputable brands and fit that price point.

Buck, Browning, Winchester, Gerber (make sure you know the steel!), Puma, Ontario, Kershaw are all examples that I have on hand right now or have sold in the past. A lot of knives in this price range will be made in China, but that’s why I emphasize knowing the steel first and foremost.

[Tom Whittington]

I travel with my WEPS, some bundled up demonstration knives (mostly folders), a small spritz bottle of rubbing alcohol and some honing oil packed neatly into a re-purposed Bushnell spotting scope case much like this (not my picture):

I also use folding tables and tend to sit down to sharpen, but the podium or similar idea is a good one!

I recently had to order some budget-minded pocket knives as both merchandise and demonstration pieces, because people keep buying my demo knives! I also make sure to keep either some junk catalogs or scrap paper strips handy to show off sharpness. I think it’s important to have a couple things handy to work on and show off between customers; it seems to draw a lot of attention just sitting there sharpening something 🙂

[Tom Whittington]

I wish it was so simple! It was a bomb but at least a bomb in the middle of the. The IT guys are back to the drawing board and going to try again next week…

Happens to the best of us! I can’t count the times I’ve screwed up my site trying to update it or add features… and I’m using the most user friendly site software on the planet (WordPress)!

[Tom Whittington]

I can agree that raising the burr and reprofiling are by far the most time consuming portions, especially on knives that have really seen better days and haven’t been sharp for a long, long time… I think in my case I tend to want to err on the acute side angle wise, and should just match the existing angles to speed up the process, raise a quick burr and polish it out to 600 or so. Oddly enough, 600 and a few whacks on the 5um leather does REALLY well for a general purpose edge. I’ve been playing with 600+strop a lot lately and rarely go beyond 1000 grit except for special requests.

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