FALL Issue Sharpeners Report

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SHARPENERS REPORT IS HERE FOR YOU with resources, industry events, shop tips, a Q&A corner, books, videos and networking. Please support our advertisers who make this news report for the sharpening industry possible for more than 40 years.

Articles below include...the Sharpeners Jam winners, A Sharpening Company Name Contest, Educational Events, a Q&A on Clipper Complaints, and Grinding 101 Saw article.

Send our Editor a note what's going on in your area, or a question for our Q&A column. We love to hear from you, especially about New product news from advertisers, why you invested in new equipment, and "How-To" tips  from readers! 

INDUSTRY EVENTS

IF you can afford to travel, here are some educational opportunites around the nation. These have fantastic speakers and/or factory demonstrations. You'll gain skills and make connections to boost your business.

Oct. 14 - 16:  Las Vegas - Above Shears is hosting a sales and service workshop.  Get three days of education for $685.00  Gain factory sharpening demonstrations by shear making experts from the Above Shears plants in Taiwan and China. You'll gain hand-on practices, and professional selling skills. Continental breakfast and buffet lunch included. Held at lodging destination: Tuscany Suite & Casino.   Vendors include The Shop and The Edge Pro representing the grooming side of the business, and there will be others on the beauty side. There will also be multiple machines set up at the show so you can try your hand at what you learn in the different sessions. Call  949-537-3621 or register here: https://aboveshears.com/october-2024-conference/

Oct. 24-26 - Reno, NV: Wolf Industries The Sharpening Show hosted by Wolff, The Edge Pro, Hamaguri and Bonika Shears. It's $299.99/person. Here is the  Registration link.   This event is held at Nugget Casino in Nevada. The closest airport is Reno.  The agenda is on the registration link showing all the topics covered by these instructors:

Sharpening Show Speakers & Educators

Dennis Brooks - Owner, Hamaguri USA
Glen Burke - Sharpening Instructor, Wolff Industries
Jason Sturm - Owner, The Edge Pro
Bonnie Megowan - CEO, Bonika Shears
Zach Sturm - President, The Edge Pro
Gene Megowan - National Sales Manager, Bonika Shears
John Kuipers - Owner, Wicked Sharp Shears
Caleb Snead - Sales & Marketing Manager, Wolff Industries
Cliff Curry - Owner, Curry Custom Cutlery
Judy Brenner - Editor, Sharpeners Report - on our State of the Industry* and Marketing your Brand, time permitting.

*NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: "Hey readers, to give this speech noted above in Reno NV, I'd love to hear what's going on in your area! How is business? What's slow, what's go go go? What costs too much and what is working great for you in this 3rd quarter economy?" Email: sharpenersreport@outlook.com 

2025 SAVE THE DATE Cancun! Next year, Bonika Shears has a July 24-28 Mexico resort educational seminar planned at an all inclusive resort. Iberostar Selection Paraiso Maya You can reserve a spot now by Dec. 1 2024 with a $100 deposit. The entire trip budget is $2200, excluding airfare. Send an email commitment to: admin@bonika.com

Q&A Corner

Q:  When clipper blades  are serviced, and pass a sharpness test, but fail to cut when attached to a customer's clipper, one needs to explain to the customer they may need a new drive. But what is the explaination for this issue?  Especially when old blades seem to work on the same clipper*.

A:  Long answer by a trusted source! 

The physics lessons or the science involves the coefficients of slide friction. A blade drive is failing on old blades and freshly sharpened ones. There may even be physical signs of the drive being broken. Remember that these a small plastic parts and can react differently one to another.

The problem arises when the drive is right at the point of wear-out, yet still works on well worn blades. Coefficients drop as the blade "seats."

Ask the customer to run the blade for 30-60 more seconds; then the blade/ blades in question will start to work because the coefficients drop and stroke increases as it continues to seat.  Then suggest the customer invest in a new drive (for a more consistent experience).

*In the case of the “worn out” drive working, one must recognize these are small plastic parts and sometimes these can do strange and amazing things. For example, if a blade is seated further before it goes on the clipper that was worn;  it will test better. In either case, a new drive/ lever will increase the overall productivity of the clipper. -- Jason Sturm, The Edge Pro

Quality Grinding 101

For saw sharpening, key elements are required. First, a shop must hire a skilled operator/set up person; own a mechanically sound machine, have on hand copius amount of clean coolant, and use the right grinding wheel.

For your grinder, be sure it has solid bearings, and is well maintained.

A good clean coolant will properly cool the tools, helps improve the finish, increases the grinding wheel life, and protects your machine. Know that dirty coolant will shorten your machine's life, it hurts the finish of the tool, breeds bacteria, and gums up grinding wheels!

Common excuses for not exploring grinding wheel choices are, "I'm too busy to try anything new right now." Or, "I don't have enough work to try anything new."  Don't be afraid to try new products! Evaluage the performance, by counting parts, cycle times, and evaluate finishes: the surface and the edge.

Choices of grinding wheels must be appropriate for the work.

• Alumium oxide
• Silicon Carbide
• Seeded Gel
• CBN
• Diamond

Remember that Diamond Wheels must be pushed within machine limits to achieve their full potential, AND Coolant must be clean and in large volume flooding the grinding zone. -- Source: Wayne "DocDiamond" Wheeler, Advanced Superabrasives, Inc. in Mars Hill, NC (SharpFest speaker).

Sharpeners Jam Contest Winners!

Winners for Best Idea Contest:

The Sharpeners Jam took place last month and there are videos of wonderful ideas you can use in your business. Online voting took place and here are the top winning ideas. Watch the videos to see these examples in action.  Scroll down for some photos with links.

1st Place John Waterhouse for UFO Pyramid

2nd Place Mike Yazbek – Mobile Phone Alignment Bar 

3rd Place Cody Garner – Solar Mobile Trailer and Damascus Steel Test

TIE BREAKER Note: People who offered two ideas gained bonus votes when there was a tie. For example, John Waterhouse offered two ideas, so while he and Mike Yazbek actually tied for second place with John’s Clipper Cradle idea, John moved up to first place.

*The third place was actually a 4-way tie with 1) Lois Raposa (Use rubber pencil decorators as nipper blade tip protectors), 2) Roy Dearman (He created a curve cutter for trimming micron abrasive pads), 3) Cody Garner (Please use a lead test kit and test blades you suspect have lead content before sharpening them to avoid inhaling poisonous lead), and 4) Luis Marrero (Create a Loyalty Membership Program).  

Sharpening 5-n-1 Clipper Blades

Those 5-n-1 Clipper Blades are disposable, but there is a way to sharpen them, and you can view how on the Sharp Talk Live show mentioned above. Instructor Jason Sturm of The Edge Pro and David Norcutt of Oregon-based Rogue Valley Mobile Sharpening both demonstrate how to sharpen them. Jason does them by hand on a diamond (old worn) plate, while David uses an automatic sharpening machine made by The Shop, Inc. Both instructors say to avoid taking too much metal off. It requires very light quick passes, no more than three or four. "Any agressive pass will compromise the blade," they all agree, as Mitch Kingsland, owner of The Shop Inc. demonstrated with a dial indicator at the SharpFest held in Hickory NC years ago. After inspection before and after, the process requires an expert touch and feeling for a burr. Sharpeners interviewed for this topic typically sharpen 50 to 100 blades in a week.

Reminder: Remove your Classified Ad if your item sold. Thank you!

Sharpeners Report Name Contest

Sharpeners Report Newsletter is fishing for the most awesome company name among our readers. Nominations start now, and voting starts in October and ends in November.  Nominate your company or one you admire for its name.

Two Prizes: The Winner gains a lifetime subscription to our digital Archives, a $100 value! Readers who enter (nominating themselves or a fellow sharpening company) will be entered in a raffle for a free book from our "Best of Sharpeners Report Collection."

Next issue, you'll get to VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE! NOW we need those creative names submited to our publisher. By October 15, please enter this sharpening company name contest by email to info@sharpeners-report.com. Please include:

• SUBMIT Your First / Last name, City/State, and Tel. or Email.
• CONTEST ENTRY: The company name you are nominating, and if different than your own, include the owner's name, his or her city/state and contact info, including website or FB page if there is one. Send a photo of the name on a sign if possible, but not necessary.

Did you know that we ran a business name contest in 2012? There have been so many retired and so many new entrepreneurs, it is time for this contest again! 

Sharpeners Jam Contest Entries:

Be sure to watch all of the fun sharpening ideas on YouTube to see the winners and all entries with wonderful creative ways to save you time and keep you safe. Here are just a few photos from the videos with links to the people who narrate their idea for you!

Final thoughts - The Purpose She Found After Trauma

Larrisa Camp, beauty stylist, visited the Sharpeners Jam as an inspirational speaker at the Bonika Shears sponsored Sharpeners Jam this year. Ms. Camp's talk gave me chills and cheers. Here we can see custom shears made for a greater purpose. These shears helped a talented stylist continue her career.  Click on the photo above or here.

As the editor and pubisher of Sharpeners Report, I enjoy writing about brave people who enter this business with a dream. I love that Larrisa did not give up her dream as a business woman even after adversity and trauma. Some of you know I wrote a novel --The Moments Between Dreams --with a theme of raising awareness about domestic violence. I know too many that have experienced it, from emotional to financial abuse and worse. Having seen this video of her speaking, and seeing my writing worlds collide here with my passion for writing about the sharpening industry, plus raising awareness of a very separate issue, truly made me watch this clip twice and enjoy her energy,  her grateful attitude, and her resilient faith. I hope you might take the time to give this clip a listen.

Judy Brenner, Publisher - Sharpeners Report, Novelist and Editor