A New Hira-To Video!

I mentioned back in August that I was working with my web designer on a new site for the Wolff Hira-To Scissors Sharpening System. We are just putting the finishing touches on it now and getting ready to load a really cool video that will play on the front page that advertises this awesome unit! I've already put the video on YouTube and wanted to embed it here as well. Hope you like it. Let me know what you think.

Interview with Randy the Sharpener

I had a great time at the Wolff Show! Unfortunately only two sharpeners had their mobile rigs at this get together and I only got outside to interview one of them. Randy is the owner of Ultimate Sharpening in California and he has outfitted a wide body ambulance to sharpen out of. Here's a short video showing off his rig:



There will be a full write up of the Wolff Show in the November Issue of On The Edge.

Wolff Show Set Up

Bill and I are getting ready to do the set up for the Wolff Show here in California. Once the staff gets in and brings the tables and sets up the chairs, we'll start running wire to set up the camera, projector, and equipment.

I will be streaming live from time-to-time during the show, so if you want to see what's going on, visit my ustream channel at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/jim-sharp.

Looking forward to a good show.

Sampe Show was Great!

Sampe was a lot of fun. I was right between two veterans of the composite industry, John Green and Jim Hickman. Two of the nicest guys I've ever met which made the show that much better. Nothing like making new friends.

Here are a few pictures of the event. I'm on my way to California today for the Wolff Show, so I'll see some of you there. :)

The Wolff Display

Busy first day

A birds eye view

The ladies that make it all happen

Thanks to Sampe for a great show!

The Loss of a Dear Friend

I regret to inform all of you that a good friend of mine has vanished today. My Blackberry. I'm not sure when or where I lost my faithful friend, but you will be missed. We have been through much together. Enjoy your new home my friend, where ever that may be. I'm sorry I had to shut you down, but you knew the risks of involving yourself with a traveler like me. Farewell.

Image: sofianeb

PS - I'll put some images up of the Sampe Show in the morning.

Made it to Wichita

Well it took a while to get to the point where I could even write this. All kinds of internet connection problems. But that's part of the fun of travel. :)

As for traveling, I put up a short video to test the edit functions on the Flip Mino HD Video Camera I use. It editing power is a little lean, but that made me think about how I shot the video as I went. I miss my editing software though. Here's the video:



I head for the Century II Convention Center this afternoon to set up for the Sampe Show. This show caters to the men and women that design all those cool composite materials we use in so many of today's products. Of course, those materials are often hard to cut, so that's where I come in. I'll let you know how the first day goes tomorrow night. Looking forward to the Wolff Show in a few days.

Hitting the Road

I'm getting ready to hit the road in just a few minutes. Keep an eye on the blog for updates and videos. I'm taking my Dell with me this time, so that means I'm going to have to come up with fancy ways to edit footage. Should be fun. See ya soon if you're coming to Anaheim!

Image: virtualpilot

Are You Hearing No Enough?

As sharpeners we hear the word "no" all the time. Let's face it, the sharpening business is a business filled with hardcore sales/cold calling, especially when we first start out. Hearing "no" can be depressing and drain all the life out of your day, but it doesn't have to. Take a look at this video I shot a couple of months ago that talks about the book, Go for No; one of my favorite sales books. View the video now, then read on:



Go for No really is a great book. It will help you see the value of going after "no" and will show that if you willing to hear this word enough times, you'll be able to achieve every goal or quota you’ve ever dreamed of.

Here is a link to the Go for No website where you can find the book: http://www.goforno.com/

Here is Andrea's Twitter Profile: http://twitter.com/GoforNo

And last, but not least, is the video I mentioned:

All Packed for the Wolff Show

We are all packed and ready to go. Keep an eye on Jim Sharp for updates on where I am, what I'm doing, and how much fun I'm having. Looking forward to seeing many of you in just a few day in California.

The Next Couple of Weeks

I will be hitting the road in a few days for a two tier trip. The first leg will take me to Wichita, KS where I'll be mixing it up with some very cool guys and gals at the SAMPE Show. This is a show that caters to the composite material and aramid fiber industry. I'll be showing off the Wolff Corru-Gator and the Twice as Sharp, as well as Wolff's top-notch modified bend trimmers that are enhanced by Wolff to cut these specialized materials.

After I'm done in Wichita, I jump a plane and head to Anaheim, CA for the Wolff Show. This is gonna be an awesome show! I will be going over all the tricks and tips that make sharpening shears faster and easier, as well as show you how to repair some pretty scary lookin' shears. You know...the kind you see that make you want to turn tail and run for the hills.

Bobby Huffman will also be there teaching how to tear it up in the clipper repair and clipper blade sharpening arena, and Mike Borsch is gonna teach us how to make some money in the world of nipper sharpening.

I love doing these shows for sharpeners! I always come away with new ideas that charge me up and help me face all the challenges that manage to creep there way into this wonderful profession known as sharpening. If you'd like to attend, there are still some seats available. Give Wolff a call at 800-888-3832 to sign up. It's only $89 dollars to attend, so the price is right and the fellowship is great! Come if you can! Here's a link to view the schedule.

Wolff Show Schedule

Here is a run down of the schedule for the up-coming Wolff Show in Anaheim, CA on October 23 - 25:

Friday
6:00pm - 6:30pm Registration and Welcome
6:30pm - 8:00pm Nipper Sharpening by Mike Borsch
8:00pm - 9:00pm Hands on Time
Saturday
9:00am - 10:00am Ookami, TAS & Hira-To by Jim O’Donnell
10:00am - 10:15am Break
10:15am - 11:30am Ookami, TAS & Hira-To by Jim O’Donnell
11:30am - 1:00pm Lunch (On Your Own)
1:00pm - 3:00pm Clipper Repair by Bobby Huffman
3:30pm - 4:00pm Break
4:00pm - 6:00pm Marketing/Sales Brainstorming Session
Sunday
9:00am - 10:00am Blade Sharpening by Bobby Huffman
10:00am - 10:15am Break
10:15am - 12:00pm Question & Answer Session w/ Speakers
12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch (On Your Own)
1:00pm - 3:00pm Hands on Time
(Come to the Room & Play with Machines, Products, & Visit)

There are still some seats left if you'd like to attend. The price to come to the show is just $89 and the hotel room rate is $89/ night. Give Wolff a call at 800-888-3832 if you'd like to attend. I'm looking forward to see many of you there.

Apply Diamond Paste to the Wolff Hira-To Scissors Sharpening System

Time to get back on the horse and start posting again! Sorry for all the silence, but between work and a little bit of burn out on writing, I've taken a break from Jim Sharp.

Here is a quick video about how to apply the diamond paste to the felt disc that comes with the Wolff Hira-To Flat Hone Scissors Sharpening System. The training video that comes with the unit shows an older method we used when we started building the Hira-To and have since done away with.

If you have any questions concerning the polishing steps on the the Hira-To Sharpener, or just questions about this machine in general. Give me a call at 864-909-3381 or e-mail me at jim@wolffind.com.