Sharpening
Made Easy
Knife and
Cutlery Sharpening
Information and Equipment
Sharpening Made Easy: the School
2008 Season
begins April 21
Click
Here for available dates (Calendar opens
in new window)
Are you
thinking of
starting a knife or scissor sharpening
business? You can earn up to $50 an hour working alone or up to
$75 an hour with an assistant. Do you want to revive a dying art
or just
want to improve your
sharpening skills? Whatever your motivation, consider the
Sharpening
Made Easy School. You will spend a day
or two with an experienced sharpener and learn how to sharpen knives,
scissors
and
other home and garden tools on a variety of professional sharpening
equipment. You can learn what equipment is
right for you
before you invest.
This is NOT a school on sharpening beauty salon shears or
clipper blades.
We are located near Cleveland, OH. Feedback
from a student who drove 750 miles each
way:
"... yesterday was a very positive
and worthwhile experience for me.
Thanks for your time and patience. It was well worth the money, the
time, and the drive."
Instruction and hands-on experience is available on the
following equipment:
TORMEK Wet grinder for knife, scissor and tool sharpening
PAPER SHARPENING WHEELS - To hone and strop knives
F. DICK RS-150 Two stage commercial knife sharpener
F. DICK SM-111 Three stage professional knife
sharpener - grind, sharpen, polish
CHEF'SCHOICE Knife Sharpeners including the 2000 Commercial
knife sharpener
TRU-HONE Knife
Sharpener
EDGEPRO Manual knife and scissor sharpening
system
EZ-Sharp BladeSharpener Manual knife sharpening
system
Spyderco SHARPMAKER Manual knife sharpener
TWICE-AS-SHARP Scissor
sharpening
machine
Belt Sander Sharpeners for knives, axes, garden tools and
convex edges.
And of course there are a variety of other smaller sharpeners
and tools
that we can use and talk about.
You will learn to sharpen:
Knives, including
repairing tips
and reducing bolsters
Serrated Knives
Household and dressmaking scissors
Industrial and Upholsterers shears
Pinking shears
Garden tools
Your customers can include:
Chefs and home cooks
Restaurants
Farmers Markets
Culinary stores
Fabric shops
Upholstery shops
Quilt makers
Tailors and dressmakers
Alteration shops and dry cleaners
Gardeners
Schools
Senior Centers
Church and other community kitchens
and many others.
Other
sharpening schools charge
up to $800 a
day and only teach you how to use the equipment they make.
Some even sell a complete franchise package for $60,000 to
$80,000. My approach is different. First, I cover a wide
variety of
equipment so you can choose what meets your needs and budget.
Second,
instruction is a one-on-one and tailored to
your needs. Third, my price is reasonable.
Finally, I focus on knives, household
and dressmaker scissors, and garden tools. I do not get into
salon shears, clipper blades, power tools, saws, etc.
One day
sharpening school (about
6 hours) is $350 including lunch. In one
day you can learn my method of
combining wet grinding with paper wheel honing and stropping, and
become able to sharpen most household knives; or you can focus on
scissor and garden tool sharpening. The
two
day school (about 10 hours)
is $525 including lunches. In two days
we can get into more depth; you
can try any of the listed
equipment, get more practice time, and learn knife, scissor and garden
tool
sharpening. Two days is recommended for anyone thinking about starting
a sharpening business. A certificate is awarded upon
successful completion
of the course.
Two-fer
special: Train with
a spouse, child, colleague or friend and get the 2 day class for
$600.
Two-fer classes run about 11 hours.
2008
Season Opens
April 21
I teach M-F from
mid-April to
mid-Oct. Click
Here for available dates On dates
marked in RED I go to a
farmers market or culinary store.
Students are welcome to stay an extra day and observe me at work.
All
classes are one-on-one and by appointment. Phone
or e-mail for an
appointment.
$100 deposit holds your date and
includes copies of Sharpening
Made
Easy and
How to Start
Your Own Knife Sharpening Business. The balance is due at
start of class. A credit will be given if you previously purchased SME
or HtSYOKSB.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Cancellation deadline is 7
days before scheduled class. A refund of $50 will be made for a
cancellation (you keep the book and booklet), or the full deposit
credited for a postponement.
Cancellation or postponement within 7 days will not receive a refund or
future credit.
Physical requirements: Sharpeners need to be able to work on
their feet for up to an hour at a stretch. To attend my school
you need to be able to climb two flights of stairs and walk 100
ft. If you cannot climb stairs there is an alternative route
where you will walk 250 ft. on level ground. If weather and your
fitness permits
we will walk about .7 miles to lunch.
Smoke-free house and shop.
Click here to
print
an application and mail it to me. You may enclose a check for the
deposit or pay it by PayPal
by clicking the button below. When your deposit is received you
will receive a confirmation e-mail with a link to How to Start
Your Own Knife Sharpening Business download and a copy of Sharpening
Made Easy will be mailed to you.
Steve
Bottorff,
South Euclid, OH
(Cleveland area), steve
at bottorff dot com,
216-382-1777