Clipper Blade Cleaning

by admin on May 16, 2012

Q&A CORNER Q: What are some options for cleaning blades? A: I used to use kerosene to disinfect blades, but I didn’t like that it is flammable. Now I switched to a water-based, organic cleaners. One alternative is Magic 555, which can be purchased for $50 after shipping from Florida. You can dilute it 2:1 more »

{ 0 comments }

Sharpening Shears for Stylists

by admin on May 7, 2012

SOME FUNDAMENTALS A human hair averages 3-5 micron but can be 8-10 if it is very coarse. It is also one of the strongest natural fibers on earth and the cuticle is one of the hardest. If the edge of the shear is smoother than the smallest hair, then it won’t hold it so it more »

{ 0 comments }

Relevant Sharpeners and Suppliers

April 23, 2012

Dear Readers, I am struck by the passing of Dick Clark, TV host of American Bandstand and producer. There was a man whose body of work changed with the times to stay relevant among six generations of fans. He entertained us from studios in Philadelphia, LA and NY. Dick Clark stayed passionate about his hobbies more »

Read the full article →

Grinding Versus Filing a Saw

April 7, 2012

Normally “V” shaped tooth circular saws and handsaws are filed. The “HOOK” or “U” shaped tooth circular saws are ground. Very seldom is there a choice. A “V” tooth circular saw or handsaw would be very difficult to grind on a manual grinder. The Foley 1000 automatic works well, but you should watch it. These more »

Read the full article →

Sharpening Convex Hollow Ground Shears to Produce a Multi-Purpose Shear

April 3, 2012

If you have a beauty salon customer who gives you a shear that is already at a 40-45 degree, has been Convex Hollow Ground (CHG), is 59+ hardness, and is at least 5.5 inches in length, then a multi-purpose shear can be produced.

Read the full article →

Cleaning Chain Saw Chains

March 31, 2012

Sharpeners Report readers say these methods work to clean sap, tar and other dirt from chain saw chains before sharpening them: I clean all my saw chains before sharpening with Simple Green (environmentally friendly). I spray them and let them soak for a few minutes, then scrub them with a toothbrush on both sides–that usually gets the gullet more »

Read the full article →

Marketing Tips

March 13, 2012

Many sharpeners I talked to say their basic marketing mix includes signage on windows, on vehicles, and some paid advertisements in phone books, along with an Internet directory listing. All of the above are fairly low cost with the exception of one-time signage investments, and all can work to maintain business levels. Yet more sharpeners more »

Read the full article →

Regrinding business outlook getting better, per GrindTec

March 8, 2012

The coming GrindTec 2012 being held this month, March 14-17, in Augsburg, will impressively show how high the demands made on a modern tool-grinding workshop are nowadays. As we saw, when the economy was booming, customers were more inclined to buy a new tool instead of regrinding the old tool. However, the regrinding business is more »

Read the full article →

International Saw and Knife Meeting Covers Family Businesses

March 1, 2012

The International Saw and Knife Association (ISKA) Winter meeting kicked off today in Sarasota, FL with a Family Business focus thanks to speaker Mike Trueblood, Director of the Family Business Council at Mihaylo College of Business and Economics. His talk, titled, “Best Practices for Family Firms in Today’s Economic Environment,” touched on the following tips: more »

Read the full article →

Former Publisher Passes Away

February 22, 2012

Patti J. Anderson, former owner and managing editor of Sharpeners Report, died peacefully Feb. 15, 2012, with family near her side in Barron, Wisc. She was 58. Services will be held in Barron on Feb. 25, 2012. Patti published more than 175 issues of Sharpeners Report during the 15 years she ran it since 1996. more »

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries