How to pack a knife after sharpening

[Plekter]

I just wondered - if you sharpen knives etc. for customers - how do you pack and transport the knives after the sharpening?
Do you just wrap them in some tissues and rubberbands :-) or do you invest in some special cardboardboxes or bladeprotectors or something alike that?

[RickKrung]

I would like to have some sleeves to put the blades in but I wasn't expecting to be doing sharpening for others and didn't prepare for that.  When I receive several knives from one person, come un-protected all loose in a grocery bag or cardboard box.  That really isn't a problem because nearly all of them are so dull they are no danger to anyone.  That means there is a lot of grinding to be done.  Right now, after I've sharpened them, I just put some blue painters tape over the edge.  I wonder if the tape adhesive will degrade the sharpness but I am not worried enough to do anything else for now. 

There was a discussion some months back from someone who was doing farmers markets more seriously than me and I think he found a source for the sleeves. 

Rick

[RickKrung]

Found this site for knife sleeves.  Looks familiar so it might be the one mentioned earlier.  Gotta be serious about it, looking at the quantities and prices.  After paying the booth fees, I've barely made enough for an assortment pack 

Rick

[wanderingwhittler]

Looks like USA Knife Maker also sells sleeves and plastic tip covers.

[RickKrung]

Looks like USA Knife Maker also sells sleeves and plastic tip covers.

I like their variety pack price better, for 18" they can be cut down.  I rarely see a knife over 12".  Most are 6-8".  If their quantity is actually 50 of each size in the variety pack.  I've emailed them to find out. 

Rick

[RickKrung]

Looks like USA Knife Maker also sells sleeves and plastic tip covers.

I like their variety pack price better, for 18" they can be cut down.  I rarely see a knife over 12".  Most are 6-8".  If their quantity is actually 50 of each size in the variety pack.  I've emailed them to find out. 

Rick

Confirmed: 50 of each size.

I am going to order some, more for personal (my own personal protection, although most of the cuts I get are during sharpening) and local, custom use.  I also have a couple longer knives that live in the utensils drawer that could use some protection.  I am making about $0.20/hr sharpening at farmers markets  and it doesn't make sense to me to be giving away those sleeves at that rate. 

Rick

On 10/9/2018 7:24 AM, Info wrote:
>
> You would get 50 quantity of each size.
>
> beth
> Midwest Knifemakers Supply, LLC
> 2650 9th Ave
> Mankato, MN 56001
> www.usaknifemaker.com

[wanderingwhittler]

...  it doesn't make sense to me to be giving away those sleeves at that rate. 

Have you considered increasing your rate by a dollar or two and including a sleeve as part of the deal? To me, the sleeve seems like it would be a nice touch and I would venture that some of your customers would continue to use it at home after the transport is complete.

[RickKrung]

If I lived in a major metropolitan area, like I did for over 40 yrs., yes, I could do that.  My price of $5 per blade is actually based on that, the price I paid for getting a knife sharpened while in Portland, OR. 

I currently live in an economically depressed area in VERY rural NE Oregon where the dominant industry is cattle ranching and service industries that server it.  The town I live in has 300 people in it and there is not a single traffic light.  Anyone who doesn't own or work full time on ranch, or who isn't retired (like me), or is otherwise financially independent works two or three part-time jobs without benefits just to make ends meet.  I have to drive an hour to get to a town with 10,000 people in it.  I like all this, but can only afford to live here because I am retired. 

I have several friends/acquaintances who have balked at the price when asked or I mentioned it.  They simply cannot afford it.  If anything I really need to lower the price to attract more business.  BUT, ... there is the catch.  I don't want to be doing this as a business.  I don't want to be doing any "business".  I started doing the market stuff to help out my daughter with her struggling Farmers Market.  I don't think I helped much as in the first three weeks, I had a total of four customers and sharpened all of six knives.  The marked has moved to a new location in the downtown area and it is great, lots of traffic.  I'll finish out this season but at this time do not plan or want to do it again next year.  Plus, I have found, not surprisingly, that bringing knives/plane blades home to sharpen only eats up time I want for my granddaughter and my own projects. 

I was a professional fish biologist and for the last 23 yrs of my career worked for the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.  For the first 18 yrs I was a consultant.  I loved it all and when working for ODFW, felt I was making a difference.  I thought I would like to do some consulting after I retired.  I tried and found out I didn't want my head back in that space.  I won't do any again, and doing farmers market sharpening, while the novelty was there, was fun, but I think the shine is gone. 

Sorry for the big dump and I do not mean to jump on you, I'm just putting it out there.  I have already told my daughter I don't plan to return next year. 

Rick

P.S.  A couple photos of my area. 

The major intersection in "downtown" Halfway. 


The view out my back yard.

[wanderingwhittler]

Thank you for sharing all that Rick. I truly appreciate it and it all makes sense. I don't feel jumped on and I apologize if my incorrect assumptions were a sense of frustration.

I'm glad you're able to prioritize the things that bring you joy and fulfillment in retirement and that you'll be going back to that "full time" after the completion of the season.

Greg

P.S. Thanks, too, for sharing the photos of your town. What a lovely place!

[Fernando]

This is a subject in which I can contribute something ...

I handle 3 types of cases.
The one I use for recurring and trusted clients
The one I use for occasional clients
and the one I use for myself.

In my country the possession of sharp objects is prohibited, so to transport them, the knives must be covered, so that it indicates that it is not intended for use in illegal acts, it does not matter if it is a machete, folding knife or kitchen knife. .

As much by subjects of law as by my own security, the knives, of the recurring clients I transport them in covers made for that purpose. I use victorinox covers that come in various dimensions according to the knife.
Not only stores the knife safely, the black rubber that are in the middle, fix the knife in the case which makes it suspended in the middle and prevents it from moving inside this,  it is a more hygienic cover

for the occasional I use wrapped newspaper covers in such a way that they do not come off, unlike the cardboard covers where the knife and the edge are protected but the knife moves, this way of wrapping I learned it on the internet with a Japanese man that also sharpens knives.

And for several of my knives I have created the custom covers myself. thus I prevent the edge from being damaged or that the knife may cause some unfortunate incident when I transport it.

I attach some photos.






my cover:

[Fernando]

for the occasional I use wrapped newspaper covers in such a way that they do not come off, unlike the cardboard covers where the knife and the edge are protected but the knife moves, this way of wrapping I learned it on the internet with a Japanese man that also sharpens knives.

I found de video, isn´t public video.

The video can be very useful for everyone, and it is very practical
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6FHhMHJ46E

Enjoy it

[Plekter]

I currently live in an economically depressed area in VERY rural NE Oregon where the dominant industry is cattle ranching and service industries that server it.  The town I live in has 300 people in it and there is not a single traffic light.  Anyone who doesn't own or work full time on ranch, or who isn't retired (like me), or is otherwise financially independent works two or three part-time jobs without benefits just to make ends meet.  I have to drive an hour to get to a town with 10,000 people in it.  I like all this, but can only afford to live here because I am retired. 

P.S.  A couple photos of my area. 

Hi Rick

What a beautiful place to live - and the meat is just waiting for a sharp knife in the backyard 

I understand why you prefer this instead of a big town - but I see that even there you can´t be without the Coca Cola signs.

I myself visited Portland-Oregon with Greyhound bus from the airport 30 years ago, glanced over all the big cars and over how many who went to church, and also came a little around to see the mountains - it was a nice holiday as I remember it.

Joergen

[Plekter]

I found de video, isn´t public video.

The video can be very useful for everyone, and it is very practical
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6FHhMHJ46E

Enjoy it

Hi Fernando

Thanks for the link. Its pure Origami :-). I enjoyed it - and I hadn´t thought that out myself - so thanks again.

And it is a really nice wooden holster you have there 

Joergen

[RickKrung]

I found de video, isn´t public video.

The video can be very useful for everyone, and it is very practical
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6FHhMHJ46E

Enjoy it

Thanks for sharing that Fernando.  Its a good trick and all it would take is a decent supply of clean newsprint. 

Rick

[Fernando]

I found de video, isn´t public video.

The video can be very useful for everyone, and it is very practical
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6FHhMHJ46E

Enjoy it

Hi Fernando

Thanks for the link. Its pure Origami :-). I enjoyed it - and I hadn´t thought that out myself - so thanks again.

And it is a really nice wooden holster you have there 

Joergen

That case has a story that I like.

I try: Reduce - Reuse - Recycle - Redistribute - Repair.
That case is made with a wooden sheet that had more than 50 years of drying, the father of my wife had it as something of great value at least sentimental, but he does not know what kind of wood is, me neither, the sleeve is an integral piece that only passes the bench saw on one side to make space for the knife, and had unique characteristics, the wood is too dense, hard and not very porous, the shine is natural achieved with sandpaper 3000 grit, do not use paint only the  oil "USP grade", that spreads at the end.
A piece of wood that had a second chance, and my family loved the result.