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.