Sharpening
Made Easy
Knife and
Cutlery Sharpening
Information and Equipment
Sharpening Made Easy: the School
The 2010
Season will begin March 22
Click
Here for available dates (Calendar opens
in new window)
Do you want to
improve your
sharpening skills and help revive a this dying art?
Are you
thinking of
starting a knife or scissor sharpening
business? You can earn up to $60 an hour working alone or up to
$90 an hour with an assistant. 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, nail nippers 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
Spyderco SHARPMAKER Manual knife sharpener
Wolff TWICE-AS-SHARP Scissor
sharpening
machine
Viel Tools BELT SANDER for knife repairs, garden tools, axes
and
other 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
You will also learn how salon shears, nail nippers and clipper
blades are different
from the above and why they require different machinery and training.
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.
See detailed course description at http://sharpeningmadeeasy.com/outline.htm
Why we are different
Other
sharpening schools charge
up to $1000 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
you or your group. 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.
The
two
day school (about 10 hours)
is $600. On Day One you will learn
my method of
combining wet grinding with paper wheel honing and stropping, and
become able to sharpen most household knives. On Day Two you will
learn how to sharpen
scissors and garden tools. You
can try any of the listed
equipment and get some practice time sharpening knives and scissors
that you brought. A one day class (about
6 hours) tailored to your interests is available for $400. Two
days is recommended for anyone thinking
about starting
a sharpening business. All classes include lunch.
Sometimes I am working at a market the day before or after class.
Students are invited to come and work as
my apprentice on these dates. You can intake items to be
sharpened, inventory and price orders,
sheath knives, collect money and see my business in
operation.
A certificate is awarded upon
successful completion
of the course.
Two-fer special:
Take the two day class with
a spouse, child, colleague or friend for an additional $100 per
additional person, 3 people max.
Classes for two run about 11 hours total.
The
2010 Season will begin March 22
I teach M-F from
mid-March to the end of Oct. Click
Here for available dates On dates
marked in RED I go to a
farmers market or culinary store. Students are
invited to come and work as
my apprentice on these dates. You can intake items to be
sharpened, inventory and price orders,
sheath knives, collect money and see my business in
operation.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
either book.
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 200
ft. 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