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Just sharing a day in the life if a farmers market sharpening service...
Best advertising/exposure you can get for $75/year, IMO.
Pain I. The back to move it all a few times a week, though.

Thanks fo the lead to Advanced-Machinery, their "stripped " T-4 page is https://advanced-machinery.myshopify.com/pages/create-your-own-t-4-stripped-package
Since getting the T-2 to do the bulk of the farmers market heavy regrind work before taking them over to the EdgePro, I've just been bringing the T-2 and the three diamond wheels, and leaving the T-7 & now T-8 at home... Couple more good weeks and I should be able to afford one ;=)

I seriously wonder why Tormek didn't do this a LONG time ago.

What's next, T-4 Custom?
I'll take two!

[T-8 Custom]

Might folks like to vicariously enjoy my T-8 Custom build?

Goods for the T-7 and a new T-8 Custom today ...

Thanks for the motivation!

Really fell in love with the composite wheel on my T-2 so much I ordered a CW-220 composite wheel along with my new T-8 Custom (drive-by gloat). Got me thinking about my honing procedure, and how I can increase edge quality, and customer satisfaction, and make my life easier?

So I'm thinking ; CW-220 ,  LA-220 with PA70, and LA-220 with Chromium Oxide, should be about right?

This may have been covered before but I have a question. Have cheap throwaway scissors killed the sharpening market?

I've found an enclave of fiber artists, usually my age or higher, who are delighted to have someone who can do the family heirloom scissors, and I love hearing the stories about them, which is the only way I can really tolerate doing hem entirely "by hand" with the EdgePro, for now. They scare me. My mom was a hair stylist her whole life, I don't touch beautician shears, they are big magic.

Funny story, how the following started... One of my customers cut themselves with their scissors, twice before they noticed the blood, and went to get it stitched and even the ER Dr. complimented me on the sharpening job, and asked here where she brought her scissors.  And apparently she posted the story on some online fiber arts chat group, so since then every weekend there have been one or two new people with some janky old scissors looking specifically for me.

I also look after 16 pairs of poultry shears, during season, working with local processors to be onsite an hour before, on processing day to get ahead sharpening while they are working, and they love it so much they altered their processing schedules to be able to "share" me and not wear me out.  They each process about 400  birds every week.

I like to take a pair of "dollar store scissors" and sharpen them up and leave them out on the bench for folks to use to get them to go "oh, wow!" I got them next week!

 I am indeed older, and quite challenged physically, thus the need to hustle at farmers market to make ends meet now that I'm on SSDI.   But comparing my new T2 chassis (same as T4) to my elderly T-7, for the same price I'd rather get a the latest generation T-8.  Perhaps a T-4 to "fill in the gap" down the road.


I'm thinking that a nice progression for Farmers Market plonk where I charge $1 for 1" of blade is to run them through the  T-2 with the DC-200 for the deep work (they _all_ need it) and swap to the DE-200 and then composite hone.

T-7 with the SG-250 (now about 220mm) for everything that's wont fit the T2.

T-8 with the DE-200 and leather strop for those with deeper pockets our better blades.

[now]

So, now would be an outstanding time to invest in a T-8 Custom without any wheels, to mount my DC-200, and DE-200 wheels on... hmm?

Digging the microscope!
I have mine out on a daily basis, its great to get "up close and personal" with your work.

I set up a tent and have been running on two EdgePro Professionals, one for blades and one for scissors, and have resurrected my old T-7, but found that with a lot of my physical challenges it's a bit "too much" for me to transport and such, as well as bing a bit unruly after not using it for 15 years hiatus, I'm not confident to use it on customers knives yet. Especially "live" at the market, too easy to get out of control and mess up a customers blade, until I get more reacquainted.

But the point is I just got a T-2 to be my "tailed apprentice" and do the heavy lifting involved in regrinding them back to base, and I can let my EdgePro work it's magic. People love watching that process.

I was a chef for a few years and am was with the T-2, when I let the hospital i was the pastry chef at, I recommended hey get one to replace me ;-0. They did! )

Since getting T-2 last week, I do LOVE IT, but that is a highly qualified conditional love,   I've done every knife in the house on it, and over-all, its good for what it's designed for, regrinding back to an acceptable burr to allow the user to hone and get back to work prepping vegetables, etc.  and getting me back to a base grind to take it out my EdgePro is working "ok".  I'm having issuer with he tips, but that's a user training/experience  issue I believe/hope.

I;m going to go to the local ReSource (second-hand store) and buy a bunch of old knives @$0.25 each and do a lot more practice. There are some surprising gems in there, and even the real bottom of the barrel knife can be re-sold for a dollar or three after I've gotten my training time in on it. That's the plan anyways.


I had purchased a Wen grinder, dubbed as a "Tormek Killer" on YouTube, but it was a pale comparison to even my 30 year old T-7.