Nikita Smith’s Aristocuts Cutting Class at the International Salon and Spa Expo, in Long Beach, CA

Here it is! Those who attended the Sunday morning Bonika Shears sponsored class taught by Nikita Smith of Chicago requested the schematics of her cut.

After showing the finished cut on a mannequin, Nikki walked us through the construction and techniques of the style showing the exact sectioning and lengths. So many asked for the photos of the class displays I have uploaded them to my blog with a link to the website.

Nikita talked about the three cutting personalities developed by Bonnie Megowan. She explained the Gorilla, Eagle and Lion. Nikita is a Lion. And there were several Lions and Eagles in the class with a couple of Gorillas.

Her shear of choice was the new 2010 Bonika Shear of the year, the new Tribal Shear designed by Jay Hunter. She further texturized with the 5 tooth Bonika Chunker, the Bonika Silver Sword razor, the Bonika Fishbone shear and some of the curved shears. The finished cut looked identical to the original, although they were different mannequins.

Thanks to Nikita, our Bonika Shears booth sold all the Tribal shears that we brought and had record sales for the Long Beach ISSE show. (See all the photos from the ISSE show on Facebook)

ISSE Show Name Dropping – Derek J.

What a crowd came by our booth at the International Salon and Spa Expo in Long Beach, CA today! Whenever Derek J. dropped by everyone was stopping for photos and autographs.

Derek J has become a celebrity at all the hair shows based on his success in competitions, especially at the Bronner Brother’s International Beauty Shows and his appearance on Atlanta Housewives and Chris Rock’s movie Good Hair. We like to brag we knew Derek J. when he was Derek Johnson and bought a pair of our Bonika ProMaster shears at a now defunct Memphis Hair Show. He promptly entered three contests at the show and won all three, taking home $18,000.00 and the new kick start to his career. Derek says he is loyal to Bonika in spite of his new celebrity status and companies trying to woe him to other scissor brands. Derek works with Belson educating stylists on the use of their fine products. Denise Russell, regional sales manager for Belson stopped by our booth and bragged on Derek. Several of her educators are part of our Bonika Shears family in that they use Bonika Shears. Denise herself uses both the Bonika Fishbone, the Bonika Twisters and the Bonika Baby shears.

Derek has bought perhaps a dozen Bonika shears over the years. This show he purchased our new shear of the year, the Tribal Shear designed by our own Jay Hunter. Derek loved the style and the smooth cut. He asked us to stop by his salon, The J Spot in Atlanta when we get back so that he can get a nice aluminum case to carry all his Bonika Shears when he travels.

We are very proud of Derek and have enjoyed watching his career progress.

Here are some more photos of Derek at previous shows.

California Sharp N Shop

This year’s Sharp N Shop increased in numbers from last year and centered on marketing and selling shears. However, I also did a sharpening demonstration including sharpening a surgical shear and a nipper along with a convex shear. Although the Sharp N Shop was scheduled for one day, it felt so much longer since I worked with Bob Lee for a couple of days more helping him get a great start in his new sharpening career. Later in the week, a couple from Wisconsin dropped in at the show and we swapped sharpening tips as I sharpened at the ISSE show. We also trained a new sharpener from South Dakota who met us in Oklahoma City on the way down. Plus, we will be meeting with a couple of different sharpeners on our travels back across the country this upcoming week on our way home. Sharpeners are everywhere and are telling us business is good.

We plan to have one at the same location about the same time next year just before or after the International Salon and Spa Expo in Long Beach.

Beware! Are you making a mistake on creating the rideline on your shears?

I just wrote an article for next month's ON THE EDGE called "Are You A Sharpening Sleuth?" (I'll publish it below) The jest of the article was recognizing and repairing a shear that had a rideline put on the shear using the flathone instead of a Shapton stone and not placing the pivot area on the wheel. I thought this was something everyone understood and would not do. However, I had a call from a sharpener that I really, really respect his opinion and has made suggestions in the past that have changed my sharpening style. This sharpener was experimenting with the very mistake I had addressed in my article. There are all sorts of correctable mistakes and sloppy errors that can be corrected easily on a ride. However, missing the pivot area in consequent sharpening is almost impossible. Don't work the ride without working the area under the pivot.



Here is the ON THE EDGE article.

Are You A Sharpening Sleuth?

Here are the clues. Let’s see if you can solve this sharpening crime.

The shears presented to me did not cut after a well trained sharpener sharpened them in the usual manner. Here are the clues. What was wrong with these shears?
Ñ The edge was sharp
Ñ The shears folded the hair
Ñ The screw would loosen after a few snips
Ñ The ride line appeared nearly perfect, shiny and even all the way down
Ñ The shears made a terrible noise, especially at the point where they were closed ¾ of the way
Ñ There were deep scratches inside the blade on the hollow around the pivot screw

What crime was committed on these shears in the past and how would you correct them?

Here was my judgment.

The last sharpener was not the sharpening criminal. He sharpened the shear in the correct way he was trained. The previous sharpener committed the crime. At first I thought there was a blade alignment problem but two clues sent me in another direction… the scratches at the pivot and the even rideline. A blade that is out of alignment will usually have an uneven ride. The noise from closing the shears was not at the blade, but at the pivot.

The scratches under the pivot most likely occurred because he honed the ride without including the area under the pivot. Possibly he used a sharpening stone but more likely he used a very fine micron disk on a metal plate and worked the ride on a flathone type system. As he held the blade in place, the metal edge of his plate created the scratches around the pivot. The scratches themselves did not cause the subsequent problems on the shears, they were the clue that allowed me to find the real culprit. When a rideline is worked or created without including the entire area under the pivot hole several problems are created. They may not be noticeable the first or second sharpening, but as metal is worn away the area under the pivot is thicker than the metal on the blade. Even if the shears appear to be adjusted correctly the blades may not actually come together to cut and hair folds. The blade will loosen and the area under the pivot will make noise. This was the problem with this shear.

Solution? I worked the ride very hard using a 1500 grit Shapton stone. I drew a Sharpie marker line across the entire ride and used more than my usual pressure to pull the entire blade across the stone including the pivot area. I gave extra pressure to the pivot and even worked it at the corner of the stone until I removed enough metal that the ride was flat and even all the way down. Then I moved to a 5000 grit Shapton to increase the smoothness and shine or the ride.

Afterwards I had to resharpen the outer edge of the shears because I had created a bur on the outside of the blade. Then I quickly removed the new bur on the inside with one swift pass on the 5000 Shapton stone. When I reassembled the shears they were quiet, smooth and sliced easily through a wet single ply tissue with minimum pressure. I felt the fact the shears were working were confirmation of my original verdict. Case closed.

Making Deals?

This is the article I recently wrote for On The Edge and it will appear next month. I was inspired to write it because a customer called and told me about two of our competitors were making private deals with him in order for him to buy from them and not from us. He was told not to repeat what they told him, but of course he was. I told him we don't make deals and to know if he took one of those low deals from our competitors, we would still be friends, even "family" and I would hope to sell other items to him in the future over the years. He said he was inclined to buy from me but had not decided. I was not going to budge on price and he seemed to respect that. I could tell he was playing straight with me and not just trying to get me to come down on my price.

I don't think I will change any minds with my article, but the wheeling and dealing we see in our business rankles me and writing helps me let off steam. Undoubtedly sticking with your prices can't hurt business very much. We are up significantly more than last year in every aspect of our business and have broken records in scissor sales and sharpening equipment sales. We anticipate a good year next year and other than a tightening of credit, the recession has had very little affect on Bonika Shears. I hope your year was a good as well and I hope you will enjoy this article....

Don’t Play Let’s Make a Deal

It is tempting with the poor economy and the increased competition to play “Let’s Make a Deal.” However, before you start the game look at some points before you make individual deals pricing sharpening, selling shears or selling any other product.

• Your deal will become public
  No matter how much your customer tells you he or she will not repeat the deal you offered him, within fifteen minutes most people will have told someone. If they tell your competition you can be in real trouble. One of our sharpeners, Ron has a competitor who makes deals on sharpening. When Ron comes across one of his competitor’s accounts rather than getting in a price war, he encourages them to ask for the $8.00 sharpening deal next time from their old sharpener because he knows Sally’s Salon has her shears sharpened for $8.00 a pair. Ron says he feels like he is just doing that salon a favor. Very often they are so angry at their old sharpener they begin using Ron at his customary higher rate.
• You sully your reputation
  Think how you feel about a car dealer and other salesmen who haggle with you on price. Even if you get the sale, very often the customer wonders if you are holding out and they could get an even better price. Once you begin to deal it is hard to stop the spiral. Soon every sale will take three times as long and you will be making less profit because you must negotiate over the price with every customer. Then if you don’t remember that you gave them a deal the time before and try to charge a higher price they may think you are trying to cheat them.
• You can start a price war
  Even if you win a price war, you loose. Once you lower your prices it is hard to go back up. What does it matter if you get all the business and make no profit? It is really so terrible that you share an area with another sharpener and you are both succeeding. A competitive nature can have it’s limitations in business. Set a price and stick to it.
• You are cheating some of your best customers
  A double standard in pricing from one individual to another is in my opinion, wrong. The Bible says, Differing weights and differing measures – the Lord detests them both. Proverbs 20:10 NIV. Making a profit it certainly right and Biblical, but measuring (or pricing) unequally is wrong. Very often it is the arrogant, obnoxious customer who will get the best price while the meek client will pay the most. This just doesn’t seem fair.
  
  If you want to reduce prices and give a deal, you should make this offer to all your customers or have a reason to give a special price. We give 10% off our shears to all students and teachers all the time. We also give 20% off to platform artists, all the time. We may have a razor or dryer give away with a pair of shears but it is offered to all our customers for a period of time or to those who have a coupon. To make on the spot deals to get a buyer may work in the short run but it is a difficult way to run your business. If you start the Let’s Make a Deal Game you may learn to regret it.
  

Born in the USA

Some things are still made in America. We saw that first hand when we were granted a tour of the Oster Plant in McMinnville, TN. The logistics were worked out in the spring through Casper Kiser, the plant superintendent of Oster. Gene and I have known Casper since 1997 when he was with Arius Eickert in Fremont, OH. We were delighted when we heard he was in charge of the shear production at the Oster plant facility. Frank Davis, Ed Wozniak and our Bonika staff, Harry, Jay, Mystie, Gene and I along with a handful wives were able to see the entire facility. This was made even more exciting since tours are rare and we had never seen photos of their operation since photography and videography are strictly forbidden.

What did we see? We saw skilled, efficient friendly Tennesseans each with decades of experience making shears and clippers. Stanley Gross, the business team leader of the blades department proudly gave us a tour of the clipper production area. The facility was enormous and all the Oster clippers are made right there with the exception of the screws and some of the newer small trimmers. The housing and parts were created from raw materials to the final product. We watched heat treat process and cryogenic freezing process of the clipper blades and individually hand sharpened, assembled and tested. Modern machines wound copper wire for the motors and lasers etched the name on each blade.

What did we learn? The comb or upper blade of the Oster clipper is ground flat and the lower blade or cutter is ground hollow at an incline angle on the plate that is a proprietary secret. We also learned innovations are coming based on feedback from the customers and clipper repair folks.

We ended our tour in the area of my interest, shears. Since Oster purchased Arius Eickert a few years back the scissor factory there went through a lot of changes and innovations since they were in Ohio. Now, only the finishing operation, the part that makes the shears cut is made in the factory. We were told the shears are coming in semi-finished from Asia (none from Pakistan). In other words, the 440C shears come with handles attached and polished before they reach the states. The hone, hollow and finishing is completed there in Tennessee. That means the part that actually does the cutting is in fact made in the US.

Although we were not allowed to see the actual clamping mechanism we had a general demonstration on how the hollow is put in the inside of the blade and how the so called “twist” is formed. I was impressed with the small size of the wheel (about 3” diameter), which is much smaller than those I’ve seen in other factories. The deeper hollow makes the ride or hone line easier to create and for us sharpeners to maintain. The initial convex shape was created free hand on a large flathone and the final edge precisely ground using a modified clamp on three smaller 6” stone flathones using progressively finer and finer grit. Final alignment tweaking was done with a brass bending block rather than hammers. Between each step of the operation, an inspector tests every shear before in proceeds to the next step on the production line.

Our observation of the shear making process impressed on us the importance of the hollow and the hone as well the skills and abilities of the scissor workers. Casper will be giving a more in-depth understanding of the process when he speaks at the Sharpeners Jam the last week-end of July in Atlanta.

Judging by the Premiere Birmingham Show, the recession is over

We saw the crowds back like in years before at this week-ends show in Birmingham. Special thanks to our great team who helped this to be the best Birmingham show ever. The Sister Twister was one of our best selling shears due to Cory Barnham's cutting classes.

This year we decided to have two separate booths rather than our usual 4 booth island. Gene's team at booth 2507 did not do as well as Mystie's booth at 724 on Sunday. However, on Monday, Gene's booth skunked the other booth. Special thanks to (I hope I don't leave out any names) Mystie and Jay Hunter, Ron Ellis, Harry and Tammy Megowan, Cory and Julie Barnham and their 3 children, Jim Lanier, Nikita Smith, Chuck Bigelow, Ted Powell and of course the whole management of the Premiere Shows. Click on the title to see all the photos I took at the show.

Ohio Sharp N Shop

The Sharp N Shop in Ohio felt like a mini Sharpeners Jam. I picked up some ideas from the sharpeners who attended that I'll pass on.

Idea from Steve Polye on creating an edge on shears. He uses a red Sharpie (no other color works as well, he tried) to paint the rideline and along the edge on the outside. (Convex Edge) When he works the ride, the red line still appears in areas the ride did not touch the stone. He says the sharpie ink does not affect his stone. When he works the outside edge on the machine, he can instantly see where he missed getting all the way to the edge.

Idea from Gordon Baney on fixing regular split screws that won't hold. He uses electrical pliers or a vise grip and with the screw tilted he squeezes the threads at the bottom (opposite of the head) and slightly damages the threads.

Ken Buken gave us a few ideas. He uses clear fingernail polish to hold in finger rests and loose screws. It is cheaper and better than lock-tite. He also said he has been using Mike from Clipper Shacks idea presented at the Jam with the polishing compound on the glass. (see the DVD Best Ideas from the 2009 Sharpeners Jam) He said this makes the shears one step smoother and quieter. He really highly recommended the Sharpeners Jam to everyone.

Ken also had marketing ideas. He says he avoids sharpening shears that are very old and /or in very bad shape from previous sharpening etc. However, if the stylist insist he says "When you can't use your shear anymore, I will work on it. If I can't fix it, there is no charge, but I AM NOT BUYING YOU ANOTHER SHEAR!" Also Ken gives out gift certificates to all the students in the classes where he teaches. The certificates have all his information and are only good after they graduate. This is an adaptation of the ides presented by Ron Ellis at the 2008 Sharpeners Jam and can be seen on the DVD Best Ideas from the 2008 Sharpeners Jam.

Our next sharpeners event will be the Kuda Certification Seminar in Dallas Texas, October 31.

Coming soon! A new affiliation with Hanako Shears.

From the beginning, we decided to position Bonika Shears in the market as the shear to reach the average stylist who might work at a chain salon. Although we now carry some high end shears like the Shoto and Cobalt Classic, by and large, most of our shears have been priced in the $150 to $200 range. This left a gap for those who were looking for higher end shears. We think this gap could be filled nicely with the Hanako Shears.

Last Friday, Gene and I had our third meeting with the owners of JP Plan, LLC of Korea at their USA office. Gene's brother Harry from Jacksonville was able to join us. We spent the morning hammering out how we could be of benefit to each other. As a result we hope to debut the Hanako shears at the upcoming Mid-American Beauty Show in Columbus, OH this week-end and at the Premiere Birmingham Show the following week-end. In addition, we will have them at the Ohio Sharp N Shop. As we proceed, we will have more details about wholesale purchasing.

After our morning meeting and an excellent Italian lunch, we moved on to some advanced sharpening training and critiquing of my sharpening style. I was eager to have a Japanese trained, scissor manufacturer owner give me some one on one instruction. Everyone can learn more. I was asked not to share photos of their sharpening or their technique on line, but I can share some of the suggestions that I received on my sharpening.

1) Sharpening is mental. Always keep in mind the fragileness of the tip, the radius of the shear (which by the way varies from shear to shear and manufacturer and is often a proprietary secret) as well as the thinness of the edge. (edge size 1 – 5 microns)
2) Sharpening restores shears to 70%. The better the shear, the easier it is to sharpen. However, the manufacture of well made shears is so precise that in-salon sharpening will not completely restore the blade to new condition.
3) I was shown some slightly different techniques for removing the final bur and working on 6” and longer shears as well as an improved hand positioning for holding the clamp.
All in all, I came away feeling even more confident in my sharpening technique. I was told that the order of procedure for sharpening was exactly the same as the steps in shear making at the factory. There were no glaring mistakes, no major changes in my method. I don’t know what I was expecting in our shear sharpening session, but I felt pleased that, according to him, I have not been instructing all of you wrong and that my technique and methods were sound.

In short, I have been very impressed with the JP Plan family and their Hanako shear. I hope that our friendship and association can continue in both a genuine enjoyment of each others company and profit to not only ourselves and JP, but to the sharpeners who decide to add their shears to their repertoire.

Schools, Schools, Schools

We have been visiting schools in the Dallas - Ft Worth area all week teaching our "Shear Knowledge" class. We are on our way home tonight feeling tired but happy. The teachers and students seemed so happy to have us. Bob Tiemeyer from Katy, Texas helped with sharpening at the Ft Worth ITS on Tuesday.

I got some more cool scissor tattoo photos. See all the photos on FaceBook.

To see all the photos of the students and teachers at the ITS schools this week including photos of Bob Tiemeyer sharpening and the huge plate of onion rings we ate at Cheddars in Plano go to this link

Gene has his first injury teaching shear knowledge to students. While demonstrating the maneuverability of the Bonika Twister shears he twirled the blades around his face and sliced his forehead. One student alarmed ran out and got him a band-aid. Lucky he didn't snag his eye.

Report on the Texas Sharp and Shop

Yesterday, Bonika hosted a very successful Sharp N Shop here in Dallas, Texas. Once again, the open house format worked well with sharpeners and prospective sharpeners wandering in and out throughout the day. Gene and I underestimated the crowd and the room stayed a little crowded all day, but I think everyone had a chance to see, experience, and purchase everything they needed. We had more than 20 in attendance. The last Texas Sharp N Shop was about a dozen. Gene and I didn't get lunch until 4PM and had our first real experience with Texas BBQ at Pappas BBQ. I had a combo of beef and pork ribs. Yum.

Today we trained a new sharpener who will be starting in Katy, Texas. He already has appointments set up for Thursday and Friday this week. Tomorrow he will go with us to one of the ITS schools where we plan to teach classes and sharpen.

Report on the NTSBG Show for Sharpeners in St. Louis

The National Beauty Tools Sharpening Guild was held in St. Louis this last week-end. It was the first meeting of this group developed by Larry Brooks. I was very impressed with the work Larry and his family put into making this a successful meeting for sharpeners. The vendor room had 9 scissor brands and 6 vendors selling scissor sharpening equipment and 3 clipper-sharpening machines. It was great for prospective sharpeners to compare all the machines in one room and for those who wanted to upgrade their equipment. We received many compliments from the sharpeners who looked at the Scimech for the first time. Frank Davis was there with us and was able to explain some of his internal design features that account for the Scimech. The presentations by Larry, which included the NTBSG supporters like myself, were well prepared, and in depth. Check out the photos of his PowerPoint presentation.

I was thoroughly impressed with the certification process. The sharpeners were given a number that matched the sealed double hidden number on the bottom of their bag. The shears were damaged equally. I actually looked at a set of the damaged shears… a thinner, a convex and a bevel. If I were given these in a salon, I wouldn’t hesitate to fix them. They were all challenging but reasonable damage. All the participants set up their sharpening either in the meeting room or in their vans with monitors. Bumpers and parts were provided for the repairs. Afterwards the judging lasted throughout the night as each shear was tested, inspected and rated. I was able to go in and see the actual sharpening and the judging and took photos. Larry wanted to be very transparent in his methods so that no one could be accused of partiality in the process. In the end, Ian from Australia had the most points, which leads me to believe that Larry should change the name of the NBTSG by dropping the N. Unless an organization’s acronym spells out a word, I don’t think anyone can remember a group name longer than 4 letters.
The dinner cruise on the riverboat was a nice touch and most of us participated. Another great place we found to eat was the Bandana Barbeque restaurant. We went with Sun and Dong of Hanoko Shears. They were able to experience boiled peanuts for the first time. See all the photos

DVD's from the Sharpeners Jam

We now have available 3 new DVD's, 3 new audio CD's and two more coming soon.
Available now is: 2009 Jam Best Ideas in DVD and audio, Dollars for Decades with Bob Schiessl in DVD and audio and Secrets to a 6 Figure Income with Ron Ellis in DVD and Cd.
Here is a link to a clip to a 6 figure Income:

The next DVD I am editing now is Scary Scissors. I think you will like the first couple of minutes. Here is a link

Secrets to a 6 Figure Income

I just finished editing the first DVD from the Sharpeners Jam. Ron Ellis from the panhandle of Florida shared his secrets of success in the shear sharpening and scissor and beauty tool selling business. The entire DVD / CD is 60 minutes. This is a link to a short 2 minute clip from YouTube showing a portion of the DVD.
You can order the DVD version or audio version on line at http://www.bonika.com/6figure.html It's $15 for the DVD , $12 for the audio or $20 for the set.

Announcement: Approval received for CEU with Ohio

This is an announcement that Bonnie Megowan of Bonika Shears has been approved by the State Board of Cosmetology in Ohio to teach a 1 hour class on SHEAROLOGY. This class is approved for Cosmetologists and Managing Cosmetologist, Hair Designer and Managing Hair Designers and will grand CEU or Continuing Education Units. The class will be taught at the Mid-American Beauty Classic in Columbus, Ohio October 11-12, 2009.

In addition, Nikita Smith has also been approved for a 1 hour class on Aristo-Cut Free Style Cutting.

Answers for Left Handed Hair Stylists

• How many stylists actually cut left-handed? Statistically, depending on who is doing the research there is anywhere from 7 – 15% of the population who is left-handed. Of these, according to an on-line survey only 68% will cut with their left hand. That means only 6% of hair stylists cut with their left hand. Of these it has been our observation, only half will use true left-handed shears and the others will cut with a right handed shear in their left hand.
• What is a “true” left-handed shear? A left handed shear crosses backwards. This means that no matter how you hold them, the left blade is always on top. This also means when the blade is closed in a relaxed way with the left hand, the blades are pushed together rather apart. This is very different than the so called “ambidextrous shear” which is really a right handed shear with the screw on the opposite side. A right handed shear held in the left hand, even if the screw is reversed, will force the stylist to cut with a “crab grip” in order to force the blades together which would be naturally pushed apart with a relaxed hand.
• Why is left-handed shear selection so limited? Since only about 3% of stylists will use a true left handed shear, due to supply and demand the selection of left handed shears will be limited. Most companies, like Bonika Shears, must produce a minimum of between 50 and 1000 shears of a specific length and model. This means that a right handed model like their Bonika Jazzy Shears may come in 3 to 5 lengths and the left hand version, if available, may be only one length. Approximately 15% of their shears are left-handed versions. Others like the Shoto and Fishbone can be special ordered in a left-handed version. However, we normally do not recommend to our distributors that they carry a large selection of left-handed shears since it is not a sound economic decision for them. This is why most stylists will learn to use a right handed shear in their left hand because these shears are usually more available and often cheaper.
• Why do stylists have trouble adjusting to left-handed shears? Most stylists who have been cutting with right handed shears in their left hand will have problems switching their cutting style to accommodate a true left handed shear. If a stylist has been cutting for a number of years using a crab grip it will feel natural to them, even though their hand is strained. Cutting like this with a left-handed shear will cause the blades to push apart and the hair will fold instead of cut. Even though the shears may be very sharp, aligned perfectly and have no mechanical problems, the stylist will perceive the shears to be dull. This is why it is recommended and even required by law in some countries that schools provide left-handed shears to their left-handed cosmetology students. If these future stylists will learn to use a left-handed shear correctly in the early days of their career they can often extend the number of years they can cut hair since it will reduce the repetitive motion hand injuries that left-handed stylists suffer from.
• How can a left-handed stylist learn to switch to a left-handed shear? There are several suggestions that can help the seasoned stylist switch to the more ergonomically designed left-handed shear.
  o First, the stylist should practice cutting with a relaxed hand. Think of merely closing the shears with the least pressure possible rather than forcing a cut. The less effort they use, the better the shear will cut.
  o Second, test drive several left-handed shears. Often one style or model will work better for a particular stylist. In general, the Left handed Twisters or a swivel thumb model is the easiest design to bridge the gap. The odd feeling of the turning thumb ring forces the hand to cut in a more relaxed position.
  o Thirdly, put in extra thick finger insert rings. In order to cut with the familiar crab grip, a stylist will thrust their finger and thumb far into the holes and bend them in, often causing an indentation on the thumb and ring finger. If the holes are made too small to push the thumb and finger through, a crab grip is impossible to do and the hand will naturally assume a more relaxed, but less familiar a position. Eventually the thicker rings can be removed much as training wheels once the hand has become accustomed to the new position.
  o A fourth suggestion is to play with the adjustment of the tension screw. Lefties can sometimes cut more easily with left-handed shears if the screw adjustment is a little tighter than the suggested norm.
  
  It is certainly worth the effort for left-handed stylists to switch to left-hand shears in spite of the barriers. Left handers tend to be high achievers and it should take only a little determination for a south paw stylist to retrain their hand to cut in a more healthy, left-handed shear manner.
  
  By Bonnie Megowan, Bonika Shears. www.bonika.com August, 5, 2009. Please request permission before reproducing any part of this article either on a website or printed use.

My day today sharpening and how it was changed by the JAM

I rarely sharpen anymore due to my schedule and arthritis, but there are a limited number of salons that insist that I am their only sharpener. So I charge $30 per shear with no quantity discounts.

Today I am eager to sharpen for one of these accounts and put into effect the things I learned at the week-end sharpeners Jam. It is pouring rain and as usual I get lost which I always do going to that salon. So I travel down familiar roads which turn out to be wrong roads. Eventually I back track and find I was on BriarLake and not BriarCliff and find the small shop. I park in the alley in the back because it is closer to the door. The salon is packed, busy and hopping. There are 9 stations in this booth rental shop with only one station not occupied. The owner greets me and helps me clear off this spare station loaded with Avon orders, purses, product and usual salon debris.

I set up my machine using the positioning proposed by Johnny Cash of Tallahassee. It has become my position of choice since the clamp and shear rests on the arm, yet I can clearly see the bur as it pops up. I try setting up my station like Jay Hunter, neat and organized with all my tools set out before I need them. Everything is set up in about 3 minutes and I’m ready for my first shear.

Ted, the only male stylist in the shop … in fact the only male in the shop, hands me his shear. Ted is new. He surprises me when he gives me a swivel thumb Vortex. It surprises me because I know it’s the most expensive shear in the shop except the ones in my case. I am surprised because he has never seen me and gives me his expensive shear. But, I am even more surprised because 2 days ago David Trissel of Virginia, Jay Hunter and I had a thorough discussion of this same shear. David was concerned about sharpening the white Teflon ride on this shear. Jay said he always hangs the ride off the stone when doing the inside hone, I said I always place it on the ride. David had heard that working the Teflon area could embed tiny pieces of metal in the ride causing noise. He also said the Teflon needed to be higher than the metal to work correctly. The first observation seemed reasonable and could be solved by using a clean waterstone. The second observation did not seem reasonable since I had sharpened shears with the Teflon popped out, and the shears still functioned.

So, now confronted by this same brand of shear with a Teflon ride I use a clean hone, which I might not have one week prior. I also lay it on the hone and lift it off in the method Jim Turner had demonstrated at the Jam.

I wash off my micron pads before sharpening like Frank Davis’ suggestion. I did notice a better shine. I sharpen at a 40 degree angle in my usual manner. (I used 40 degrees since the shears were severely nicked and I assumed by observation that Ted rarely did slide cutting… he was doing a roller set.) After sharpening I now test them in a different way from a week prior… I use very wet toilet paper. Horrors! I would have died rather than test a shear like that seven days ago, but David Trissel two days earlier was using toilet paper (cheap Cosco brand) and wet it thoroughly. I wanted to prove his method was inferior but in a comparison test, his toilet paper caught some flaws that passed my wet single ply Puff. So I have adapted and changed.

I continue sharpening and set out my shear tray and select shears for the stylists to try based on what they are currently cutting with. I am actually taking my time sharpening the shears so that there is plenty of time for them to test the shears. I chat with a stylist’s ten year old daughter who is watching me and tells me she wants to work in a hospital when she grows up. I say doctors need their tools sharpened, too and that sharpeners work in hospitals. She is interested in what I am doing now.

Another stylist drops by and I hear about her frustration with her son-in-law. In the conversation I accidently sharpen a convex edge and put on a bur at 30 degrees (the setting from the last bevel edge Tondeo scissors). I knock off the bur and redo the ride on that blade and resharpen at 40 degrees. I finish up the shears and they cut perfectly. I can not tell the blade I made the mistake on.

I take back a Kuroto shear. (I’ve never seen this brand anywhere else. It’s marked “Japan”. The stylist has been cutting with the Disco and the Promaster. Everytime I’ve been in I’ve tried to sell her a pair of shears because I have been sharpening these same Kuroto shears for 14 years. She says, “I haven’t bought a new pair of shears in 20 years, maybe it’s time.”

I agree, “You deserve it,” I say.

She tells me she has just turned 65 and now has Medicare. She wants to spend the money the would normally pay for her health insurance. “How much?” she asks.

I tell her the Disco is $119 and the ProMaster $199 fully expecting her to pick the Disco. “Why does the Promaster cost more?”
“Better steel, better workmanship. They are made in Taiwan, not China.” She buys the ProMaster.

I finish sharpening. One shear is a Diane shear for the stylist at the station next to where I am working. I would have been surprised if the shear cost more than $25 and I am sharpening it for $30. I apologize for the price. “I can’t charge differing prices, but I feel bad charging you $30 for this. You really need to upgrade your shear.”

“Yes, I have had these since beauty school but I can’t buy without talking to my husband.” She pay me $35.

“That’s too much.”

“No, the $5 is a tip.” It is my only tip that day.

I explain handle styles and hand positioning and help her in a selection in case shear purchases later. Meantime the Kuroto stylist walks over and peruses my tray of shears. “I think I might need a thinner, too.”

“The second shear is half price,“ I reply.

“Sold,” she says.

I’m caught up on my sharpening and the shop owner is ready to give me her shears. She has 2 thinners, a Tondeo, a Dovo, a Prism and a Kaleidoscope. All but one thinner and the Tondeo she has purchased in the past from me. I test them all first and decide two do not need sharpening.

She likes the rainbow color shears and selects a blue Disco from my case. After I sharpen she says, “I think I’m ready for another pair. These cut nice and they are pretty.” I add them to her receipt. As I am leaving she asks what the other stylist bought.

“She bought two shears, a ProMaster and a thinner.”

“She bought two?” she asked surprised.

“The second is half price.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I want to save money, too. What thinner did she buy?”

I showed her and she bought it. I then set up an appointment for February. This was a suggestion from Jay that I would not have done last week. They are excited to get an appointment card because they prebook all their appointments.

I briefly think about putting my head into the spa and nail area to see if anyone needs sharpening but decide against it. It’s 2PM and I’ve been there since 10:30. I walk out in the rain to my car with over $600 in my wallet.

Last adventure is getting out of the alley. It seems I’m blocked in. I get so frustrated I call Gene to come rescue me but as I find out later he has forgotten his cell phone. I suck it up and decide I’m a big girl and slowly, carefully in the pouring rain back out with my rear wipers working frantically.

Mystie is happy with my receipts each marking the name of each shear sharpened and the angle.

Survey Results and new Scrapbook of the 2009 Sharpeners Jam

I just finished the rough draft of the new photo scrapbook of this year's jam. I've also compiled the results of the exit survey. Looks like the jam was a success, judging by the results. Here is the survey.

• 
  2009 JAM Survey—1=Poor, 5=Excellent
  1. Sunday’s Jam Session
  Benefit to you of the ideas presented 4.7
  Effectiveness of the method in presenting the ideas 4.4
  What you liked most about the session: new ideas most comment. Also camaraderie, inspirational uplifting speakers, sharing of ides, hearing everyone’s heart
  What you would like to have changed about the session: time limits adhered to, more participants
  2. Worship Service led by Chuck White and don Fisher
  Benefit to you 5
  Effectiveness of the worship leaders 5
  What you liked most about the service: response and participation, left with good feeling, God’s love
  What you would like to have changed about the service: more singing with Billy leading, more talk about God’s love
  3. Scary Scissors w/Bonnie Megowan
  Benefit to you of the material taught 4.8
  Effectiveness of the teacher in presenting the information 4.9
  What you liked most about the class: several comments about the big screen closeups and seeing new scissors they had never seen, also variety of problems, easy to understand, screw information and angle choice information, good teacher
  What you would like to have changed about the class: more hands on
  4.Dollars for Decades w/Bob Schiessl
  Benefit to you of the material taught 4.3
  Effectiveness of the teacher in presenting the information 4.0
  What you liked most about the class: good human interest success story, enjoyed real life history of what it takes to get started and build up a sharpening business, best joke of the week-end, spoke from the heart.
  What you would like to have changed about the class : even more jokes
  5. Six Figure w/Ron Ellis
  Benefit to you of the material taught 4.3
  Effectiveness of the teacher in presenting the information 4.5
  What you liked most about the class: his knowledge makes selling easier
  6. Vendors Tables
  Benefit to you of the merchandise available 4.4
  Enjoyment of the shopping experience 4.9
  Ease of the shopping experience 4.5
  What you liked most about the vendor room: several mentioned the people, friendly, helpful, open and non competitive also bargains and selection and separate room
  What you would like to have changed about the vendor room: other sharpening machines, larger room with more vendors, more specials
  7. Clipper Repair Class Bob Schiessl
  Benefit to you of the material taught 4.3
  Effectiveness of the teacher in presenting the information 4.3
  What you liked most about the class: lots of relevant information, indepth knowledge
  What you would like to have changed about the class: more time
  8. Sharpen Nippers Class Mike Borsch
  Benefit to you of the material taught 4.3
  Effectiveness of the teacher in presenting the information 5.0
  What you liked most about the class: interesting, speed and accuracy of the equipment, how to tighten nippers
  What you would like to have changed about the class: improve flow of the class and ability to see demonstration
  9. Sharpening Boost Class Bonnie Megowan
  Benefit to you of the material taught 4.5
  Effectiveness of the teacher in presenting the information 4.5
  What you liked most about the class: everyone learned something in the class, hands-on format
  10. Clipper Sharpening Class Bob Schiessl
  Benefit to you of the material taught 4.5
  Effectiveness of the teacher in presenting the information 4.5
  What you liked most about the class: nice machines, liked Bob, Bob had in-depth knowledge
  What you would like to have changed about the class: more time
  12. Bending Class taught by Ed Wozniak
  Benefit to you of the material taught 5.0
  Effectiveness of the teacher in presenting the information 5.0
  What you liked most about the class: thorough
  14. Hotel
  How was your overall experience Country Inn and Suites? 4.6
  Was Country Inn and Suites price reasonable? 4.4
  How was your experience with the hotel staff? 4.9
  Suggestions and Comments: excellent meeting place, great choice, very pleased with service
  15. How times have you attended a Jam? Average 4 times
  How was your overall experience at this year’s Jam Session? 5.0
  Benefit to you and your business 4.8
  Enjoyment of the experience 5.0
  Are you likely to attend again? 100% YES
  Would you recommend the Jam to other sharpeners? 100% YES
  What you liked most about the Jam: several answers meeting other sharpeners, mixing with sharpeners, friends. Many answered fun learning experiences
  What you would like to have changed about the Jam: more time, don’t want to leave,
  What suggestions on topics and speakers do you have for next year? knives,
  16. What additional paid classes would you like to see next year?
  Knife Sharpening on a Flathone 4.1
  Clipper Sharpening 2.5
  Clipper Repair 2.8
  Sales Presentation 4.4
  Administration Class 4.2
  Surgical Sharpening 4.2
  Advanced Shear Sharpening 4.8
  Shear Sharpening Review 4.0
  Basic Shear Sharpening 3.2
  Dental Tool Sharpening 4.2
  Podiatry Office Sharpening 4.0
  Dryer Repair 3.8
  Nipper Sharpening 2.8
  17. How long have you been sharpening shears? 4.5 years
  18. How much do you charge for sharpening? $22.14
  19. How long does it take you on average to sharpen a shear? 8 1/2 minutes
  20. How many hours per week do you work your business? 25 hours
  21. Would you recommend the sharpening business to others? Yes 90% No 10%
  Why or why not? Yes: Great business No: Too many sharpeners
  22. How lucrative do you see the sharpening business for the time invested?
  I can get by 33% It’s an ok living 17% Great Income 50%
  23. How has the changes in the economy affected your business?
  Sharpening: average answer: same
  Sales: average answer: somewhat decreased
  

Take a sneak peek at the Picaboo Book of the Sharpeners Jam

More news from the Sharpeners Jam

Today the total Jam officially ended with our second group training today. It has been a wonderful total of 5 days for our Bonika Shears staff. We have learned so much from our sharpeners that it will take me awhile to digest it and share some of it here.

If you look on the right of this blog you will see the slideshow of photos from the Jam. If any of you want photos, just click on the slideshow and it should take you to Picasa where you can download photos or have them developed. I plan to make another photo book like last year's Jam. If anyone wants a copy, let me know and I will let you know the price.

On Monday, after Ron Ellis spoke, Gene took about 10 minutes to explain the way to create $60,000.00 per year in sharpening with 200 salons as sharpening clients. Several of the sharpeners attending asked for a copy of his figures. This is below. It will also be available on DVD and Audio CD as soon as I get them edited ... most likely September.

Here is the $60,000.00 Question.

Statistically the average salon in the US has 6.3 stylists. From observation the average stylist has 4 shears.

6 stylists with 4 shears each = 24 shears per salon
12 sharpening @ $25.00 each = $300.00

200 salons at $300.00 per year = $60,000.00
25 calls per week
5 calls per day

Sharpen 2400 shears @ $25.00 = $60,000.00
48 per week $1200.00 per week
9.6 per day $240.00 per day

Average retail sale $200.00
Profit $100.00
Each shear sold reduces the number of shears you need to sharpen by 4

2009 Sharpener's Jam Report

Yesterday ended the 2009 Sharpener's Jam. I plan to put in a more extensive blog on the details, but from all accounts it was the best Jam ever. It was more like a family reunion than anything else .. even for the newbies who were enjoying their first Sharpener's Jam. Below is the list of some of the ideas shared at the Jam.

• Bonika Shears Sharpeners Jam 2009 Ideas
  
• George Ross FL 4 months sharpener
  Be open with the stylist, tell her what is going on. Explain problem and what will be done. Get feed back and adjust until they are happy. This results in trust and repeat business.
  Round the tip of the shear to keep stylist from cutting fingers when point cutting.
  Send note to each stylist after visit a salon.
  Yellow page advertising under sharpening. Had 5 calls last week.
• THIRD PLACE Jim Turner SC 41 years
  Look for burs on clipper blades. After sharpen look for burs along the edge of the teeth with a magnifying glass. Not sharp unless there is a bur. Debur with a scrub brush and valve cleaning compound.
  Test groomer scissors on cotton balls thinned out. This works for groomers who cut fine poodles.
  New rideline method less chance to rock, ride is more even. Lay on plate heel to top. Pull across, not up and down.
  Battery operated drill / flathone for salons with no place to plug in your equipment.
• HONORABLE MENTION Ed Wozniak NC 5 years
  Look up shears sold 4 – 5 years ago and contact the stylists. Told them he wanted to check up on the shears. Most are in new salons and can get pass the “gate-keeper.” Try to get their cell phone number when write a receipt for shears so you can find them later.
  Portable Hair Show. Set up the miscellaneous items from hair shows in a old scissor display case. Gator hair clips, highlight combs, razors. Put price list in center.
• Fred Mueller KY 4 years
  Cardboard spray guard “swarfenator”
• SECOND PLACE Terry Fisher NC 25 years
  Improve the “spirit” you carry to your job. Customers will love you, not because you are a good sharpener but because they like you. Learn their names, touch them and tell them “I really appreciate your business.” To love this business you must love people. Make the customer your own. Mental attitude is to bless that person.
  Bubblegum machines Gave a cheap shear in order for stylist to place a gumball machine in their salon. Had his sharpener name on the machine. Made money from the machine and every customer became loyal sharpening customer.
  Sammy Cheema GA
  4 things are important. Honesty, integrity, patience and self confidence. (not cocky!) Be professional, generous, kind and patient. It pays in the long run.
  Bobby (Maury) Harris
  Keep your faith. Love your Lord, love yourself and your customers will love you. Watch movie “Fly Wheel” Money is a necessity but it doesn’t need to be a priority. God will supply our needs.
  Take trade-in of a ruined shear for price of sharpening toward an inexpensive shear.
• Ken Buken OH
  Give something away to paid sharpening customers… pair of cheap scissors, babywhack, scissor case Write on card customer information 3 X 5 pull a name out of a tub.
• Jay Hunter GA 9 years
  Be sure your plates do not fill with swarf. It will scratch the surface of the shear. Wash your plate to get a better shine.
  Fill one case with shears organized by price to show to customers. Have a monthly promo. 30 day warranty. Sharpen on site. If at 12:30 – 1PM you get both groups.
  Have your sharpening kit and set up very organized so can sharpen quicker.
  Appointment card Leave schedule card behind with date and call to confirm a week before.
  Tips improved. Spray water on 15 or 30 micron plate. Lightly rub and roll tip, cut on paper towel. Fixes tips that pull tissue.
• FIRST PLACE Chris Maholick GA 2 years
  Put Plexiglas on cover of the aluminium case. Made a special comb display. Keeps you from looking like every other salesman.
  Business cards needs your photo. Use the back for promotion.
  Sweep up hair in a salon. Ask about them, don’t tell them about you. Read the “Little Train that Could.” Smile when you walk in the door. Sharpen knives discounted for the policemen.
  Shorten tips. If tips pull they may be slightly bent. Look at closed scissor horizontal and just shorten out the tiny amount that is bent. Don’t try to bend it.
  Belt Sander Eraser to clean plates. Buy at Sears, Lowes, etc.
  We all have to learn to sell. Recommended books from library: Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins, Jeffery Gitomer. www.gitomer.com Free Sales Caffeine newsletter.
  Payment plans. Make “installment plans” (payment contract) Have terms put on a 4 ¼ by 5 ½” paper. Get cosmetology license and drivers license numbers along with name and address.
  Study competitor’s scissors. Test your competitors to check out their work.
• Harry Megowan FL 5 years
  Repair too sharp tips. Run tip across fingers to see if the tip will cut stylist run open shear tips across a 30 micron plate. (no machine)
• Billy Hime TN 2.5 years
  Ask God where am I going today. Don’t start with a negative about yourself.
  Use degreaser on waterstone to clean. Just a few drops in a quart spray bottle.
• (TIED FOR HONORABLE MENTION) Shawn Swartz FL 16 months
  Take trade-ins. Most stylists have a newish shear they don’t like. Fix up and resell.
• Mike Borsch OH
  Simple Ride Polisher Glass on board 5 X 7 Use finest automotive rubbing compound from auto parts store (not a scratch remover). About 10,000 grit. Polishes and leaves a fine film of wax to get that final smoothness. Won’t change the ride, it makes it close smoother and feel better. This is in addition to the Shapton stone and this will add an additional polish and smoothness without washing out the tip.
• Robert Lonski OK 3 months
  Continue to educate yourself because technology changes. Don’t worry about competition, keep yourself educated. Always praise your competition.
• Chuck Bigelow MI 4 years
  Way to remove deep nicks. When there is a big chink in the shears remove the metal needed at the proper angle with a 100 micron grit. Then go through the steps of sharpening.
  Don’t drink until after ya done working.
• Alex Manzo FL
  Clipper sharpening customer retention. Offer customer what they need, not what you have to sell. Customer savings, customer loyalty, competitive protection. Puts on label “last sharpening” when a blade is ready to go. (clipper blades) Create a bin for the customer charge them $5.00. The bin holds salvageable parts that you use only for that customer. This saves them money, protects your customer from competition because they no they have their parts. They can at anytime get all their parts back. (the $5.00 pays for the bin) Make an inventory sheet for the customer.
• Ron Ellis FL 5 years
  Replace business. There is attrition and you need to make up for those who leave. Go in ready to sell.
  Don’t discount from one person to the next. Have one price and live with it.
• Frank Davis WI 19 years
  75% of stylists do not know who sharpened their shears. Stylists are less loyal than groomers.
  Cover the whole area around your customers or you may loose them. Stylists talk so don’t charge a different amount for different salons. Also, don’t assume your competitors have the entire area.
• Bill Hall TN 20 years
  Sell something that is a higher price. Sell good quality 10” and 8” carbon combs and clips. Don’t need too many. It gets too complicated if there are too many choices. Stylists like to brag about prices. They will say they pay $600 - $900 when they paid $200.00.
  How to fix nipper point. 90% of nippers with problems is not because they are dull but because the tip is bend. Use gorbet file (jewelers file) knock bur away, go on inside, create a fine bur with the file and polish with polishing pad, bring back the point on a worn 30 micron, polish inside and out with a polishing pad.
  Buy a second Scimech machine. 2 is better than zero.
  

Private Factory Tour at Oster

Last Monday on our way back from the Nashville Sharpeners Workshop we had a stop in McMinnville, TN. It is rare to get a tour through the Oster facilities and we were delighted when Casper Kizer graciously extended an invitation to tour the factories. We have known Cas for over 12 years when he was a sharpener at the Arius Eickert plant in Ohio. At the time, Eickert was private labeling several of our popular shears including the ProMaster and the currently discontinued International Twister.

Since Oster purchased Eickert they have moved the scissor making factory into their clipper factory, making Cas the manager of the scissor factory section. Not everything was in place, but we were super impressed with what we saw. Their factory was very different than some of the videos we had viewed about overseas operations. Most workers I talked to had been with Oster for 20+. Every step in the scissor making operation had a check before it was allowed to move on to the next phase. Cas showed me a large rack of their reject scissors. Nothing was allowed out except the best of the best. (Note: Many of the Arius Eickert and Oster scissors are imported. However, their top-of-the-line shears are made with pride at the North Carolina plant.)

Cas gave up his whole morning for us. We not only viewed the scissor making process, but the clipper making, forging, warehouse, shampoo factory and the sharpening / warranty facility. What a morning!

I had a whole list of questions he asked which he answered including: Which is first the bend or the rideline? How is set put into the shears? (His answered floored me!) Is there really a negative angle on the ride of thinners? How is the ride put on the shears? and so forth. I plan to cover these answers at my Scissor Sharpening Boost class a week from Saturday at the Sharpener's Jam.

Unfortunately, Oster would not allow us to take photos in the factory. But in all phases from the Cryo-Freezer to the flathone sharpening system I was as impressed with the skilled, dedicated workers as I was with the modern, efficient machinery. Walking through a USA factory like this, made me proud to be an American.

Nashville Sharpeners Workshop by Kuda Report

As always we enjoyed the Kuda workshop, this time in Nashville, TN. There was a good attendance including several "newbees."

There were several classes on clippers, etc going on during the workshop which was a little strange because people were coming and going and I don't think I ever saw everyone there at the same time.

We met Jason with EdgePro. We picked up some literature from him for our upcoing sharpeners Jam since he is selling clipper parts at great prices but also in stock and with charts and lists of the parts. Clipper sharpeners be sure and ask for this at the Jam.

Gene watches Lenny Pietrzak as he kicks off the Kuda Workshop. Lenny's stories of his early days in sharpening brought some laughs and groans. Did he really say his first stop had 800 shears? He said his next stop had 1500! He also said he had no idea what he was doing. The second shear he was given was a lefty pinking shear. Now that I can believe!

Click on the title to see all the photos I took at the workshop. I liked Lenny's 4 in 1 Shear Adjusting Tool. We will have this at the Jam and a chance for the folks in the Bending Class on Saturday to actually try out hands-on. The Bonika Shears Shear Sharpening Jam is only a few days away. Have you made your hotel reservation yet? There are plenty of last minute flights on special. Check the travel websites. Remember the Jam is FREE and the other costs are low as well. Although the cost is free the education is beyond value. There is no sharpening convention, workshop or gathering with as much information as the Jam. Can I say it is "Jam-packed?"

Dancing Flathone in Oklahoma

Thought you would enjoy the video of the dancing flathone. We encountered this phenomena in Oklahoma when we stopped to train a new Scimech sharpener. Previous he had purchased a flathone off Ebay. The low torque and light weight created this great entertaining machine. I could actually stop the wheel with my arthritic fingers with the machine running at 70%.

Here is a fun photo of Diane Ducas of Seattle at the Sharp N Shop in Las Vegas and Bobby of Hawaii receiving training. The west coast sharpeners know how to have fun.

Road Home

Days Off? Nope! When we get home we hit the ground running. There are 3 trainings scheduled for the first week I am back. However, we will try to get some sightseeing in on the road home. We have already visited Meteor Crater, Fremont Experince and RedRock Canyon. Today we plan to drive throught the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert on the drive home.

Las Vegas International Hair Show Update

The 2009 IBS Las Vegas Show was up around 5% over last year. Sharpening sharply increased (no pun intended) and shear sales were up. Sales of combs, razors and misc was down, but primarily because we sold out of our most popular items at the Premiere Orlando Show.

Nikita Smith's haircutting class was full. I uploaded the photos as promised to the slide show on the left of this page. You can also access the photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/bonika/LasVegasInternationalBeautyShowJune2009?feat=directlink

We trained 3 sharpeners while here, two by me and one by Tim Lau. New trainees were from New Mexico, Washington and Hawaii.

Report on Premiere

Premiere Orlando was our all time best hair show in our two decade history. What recession?? Not in this industry. This is the second show in a row up over 40% over previous years.

Check out the photos from the Premiere show on the left of this page.

These are the photos from our road trip. http://picasaweb.google.com/bonika/RoadtripJune2009?feat=directlink

Show is over! Vegas here we go! Will upload Premier Orlando pics soon.

In Orlando. Set-up for the show is tomorrow. Carissa is holding down the fort.

We got a new awesome patented shear in this morning before we left. Right in the nick of time. We are calling it the Croc-o-Dial. The pivot screw is a dial to adjust the amount of hair removed. 15%, 25% or 35% Yes it's hard to imagine. I don't have photos yet, but we will have it at booth 5444 at the show.

ROAD TRIP

Begins tomorrow. Orlando to Vegas back to Atlanta.

A New Method of Sharpening

I wanted to share with all you Scimech Shear Sharpeners who sharpen on the side a new grip on the Scimech clamp.... it's the Johnny Cash Grip.

We came up with this name not because the hold is as bright and simple as music in the country, but because a new sharpener named Johnny Cash cam up with this hand positioning.

When Johnny came for sharpening training, yes I admit, I was perturbed that he had not watched my fabulous collection of DVD's. He tested out as I expected as a hands-on learner so I let him jump right into sharpening rather than demonstrating. He grabbed the Scimech, repositioned it and came up with this hand positioning. (See the new position followed by the old position)

The Johnny Cash grip takes care of the one drawback of side sharpening over upright sharpening. Side sharpening can be slower because it is harder to see the burr come up on the edge. When positioned like the picture and the light is brought down close to the wheel, it is easy to see the nicks disappear and the burr come up speeding up sharpening. I tried this grip at the Bronner Show. With my arthritic hands, I found this position not only easy on my hands but a faster method. I normally don't sharpen at shows because the arthritis in my thumbs slows me down. I was able to easily keep up with the steady sharpening. I had to modify Johnny's grip. My left hand also held the clamp rather than the arm as in the photo but having the plate at nearly right angles to my body was an advantage. One hint, don't sit directly down wind of the wheel unless you want to get dirty. I was dressed up for stage work and stayed relatively clean during my work. I also used a color stain remover from the beauty supply to quickly clean my hands without a trip to the sink. James Lanier uses a pink scented alcohol he buys at Sally to clean his shears and his hands. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to.

It was so nice to have so many Bonika Shears to sharpen at the show. At least 1/2 of the shears we sharpened at the show were Bonika. Bob and Jim sharpened about 4 each and I did the rest. Hardest to sharpen? The Bonika Baby. The blade is so tiny and must be sharp enough for slithering on dry hair, but they must be strong for cutting on dry hair. We didn't sell too many of these because they are out of stock until next week and we didn't promote them. However, I think all the platform artists at the Bronner Show had these shears.

Baltimore Bronner Brothers Show - Updated

The Bronner Brother's Baltimore Hair Show was everything we expected it to be! There were some great platform artists and some like Belinda Baker who was working with FHI. Shows are great for making new friends and seeing old friends. Belinda was one of the directors of the Olympic Hair Salon in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Another Olympic Hair Salon stylist was working at our booth, Dondi Martin. Dondi is extraordinarily gifted with hair extensions. He was demonstrating at our booth along with his assistant Rekeemah. Rekeemah will be assisting us in Orlando as well.

Nikita Smith's class, the Aristo-Cut was packed. She showed the new cut called Floetry. The package of shears including two texturizers, a curve, the Fishbone and the Phat Shear created a remarkable haircut. The partings are in the slideshow at the left of the show. If you click on the slideshow you can go to the site and printout the pics. Nikita's cut was so beautiful, edgy but classic. She cut it it two different lengths on Sunday and Monday so everyone could see. She shared her story of her recent brush with cancer and God's hand in her life.

I heard Leah Watson's class on Sunday was full, too. I love Leah's new dramatic fashions she has been wearing to the shows. I can see the joy on her face and the way she dresses. She loves teaching and giving back. What a privilege it must be to be a young stylist mentored by Leah.

Bob and Elaine Gorman of Rhode Island were there. Bob was just recently trained and was not going to sharpen at the show, however, 2 barbers spotted him and decided he look more competent than me or Jim Lanier (sharpener from south Florida) and insisted only he should sharpen their shears. So we let him. And he did a great job! Bob, Elaine and Jim were such great and enthusiastic workers.

Top selling shears were the Fishbones and Jazzys. The package deals and show sales are available 30 days after the show and we even sent out 5 shears and one of Nikita's DVD's to a stylist in Maryland who took advantage of that.

Northeast Sharp N Shop Report

The Sharp N Shop in North Bergen became a combo meet n greet for sharpeners and a training.l Here is Ed Wozniak of Ultimate Edge, Chapel Hill, NC with a private training for three new sharpeners while we (Gene and Bonnie) conducted the Sharp N Shop in the meeting room downstairs. Like usual, everyone came and went throughout the day. Each had a specific thing they wanted to see, learn or buy and conducted their business, chatted with whoever was there and went their way. It's like a fluid open house and makes it easy for everyone to get complete undivided attention. I was really fascinated by Mr. Lee of Long Island who is an accomplished nipper sharpener and was wanting to modernize and update his equipment. I took some photos of his current sharpening equipment which he had made himself and installed in his mini van.

Big Joe Caladorci (I think I misspelled his last name) came by and Gene insisted I take his photo next to Joe so he would look small.

See all the photos here http://picasaweb.google.com/bonika/NortheastSharpNShop2009?feat=directlink

New York International Beauty Show 2009

It's the first day of the IBS New York Show and as always there's an energy that is uniquely New York. Our Sunday sales were about what 2007 was, but not as good as 2008. This may be due to the economy or the booth location. The sharpening was about the same number, but so many people used our 2 for 1 coupon that the overall sharpening income was down. Ed Wozniak did a superior job of sharpening and Robin was great with her stylist expertise. Our poor little mannequin was so chopped up today, I don't know if anything will be left for Tuesday.

Days 2 and 3 were dollar-wise about the same as Sunday. All in all with the economy and threats of swine flu, it was a successful show... so much so we are signed up for next year. We will be in about the center of the show (the floor plan will change). In the past we have always chosen the right side of the show, but have been moving more toward the center in the past year. We felt in the past the right side by the ladies rest room made us easy to find. Now, we have such a following and directions to our booth listed on our website that we seem to be better located in the middle. It is always hard to guess because of last minute changes on the floor.

Did we see anything new? I was impressed with Dave Ray's fantasy hairstyles. They add fun and glamour to any show. I think fantasy hair allows for ultimate creativity and challenge that allows stylists to push themselves. The brain slap from this creativity boost can influence their ordinary everyday haircuts making them less than ordinary.

This was the easiest in and out ever for the New York show. The traffic once outside the show was gridlock but not much worse than I-85 in Atlanta at rush hour even though 8 and 12 lanes of traffic have to merge in to two for the tunnel. The last day of the show ended at 5PM and we were back in our hotel at 6:30. That was break down, pack up and drive through the tunnel. Sweet!

All kinds of drama with sick and injured grandchildren while we were gone, so it was good to be away. Gene and I love these road trips but are glad to be home. Ed Wozniak is really a delight to have around. Thank you for all your help Ed!