"I needed an easier line of work in retirement, so sharpening clipper blades (for grooming livestock) and cutting tools seemed like a nice business opportunity," says Tom Reid of Poynette, Wis.

Reid says the company he bought his sharpening equipment from (www.theedgepro.com; ph 866 963-1990) taught him sharpening techniques during a 2-day class, which was really important. "The sharpening wheel is made of cast aluminum and is porous. It's especially made for clipper blades, so it's very sensitive. I learned real quick that it's important to sharpen the blades at the correct angle and with the right amount of tension. A person has to watch the spark pattern to determine when a blade is sharp."

Before Reid sharpens each set of blades he cleans all the parts, including the tension spring and the top screws. He uses a steel brush or a wheel to clean rust or dirt from the blades. After sharpening, he dips them in a special cleaner, de-magnetizes them to remove any metal particles, blow dries each one and then tests them on his own clipper.

"In addition to the sharpening wheel, one tool sets the tension spring so it works correctly and another tool measures the pressure of the spring. Some people try to sharpen their own blades, but find out real quick that there's a lot to it," notes Reid.

He says customers have told him that their freshly sharpened blades are better than new ones. Veterinarians go through a lot of blades because they're often shaving animals with a dirty hair coat to perform a surgery. "Dirty hair is the hardest on clipper blades and can dull them after just a portion of one animal," Reid says.

"I'm a small business so I'm able to provide personalized, professional service," Reid says. "I'm the one who's doing the work, so it's going to get done right, and the blades will get back to my customers exactly when they need them at a price they can afford."

Reid has built a steady following of customers by attending livestock shows and maintaining a Facebook page. He says the importance of grooming show animals is one of the big reasons there's a need for a service like his. "Blades and clipping equipment must be extremely sharp to do a perfect job on show animals. If there's a tiny jagged edge on a scissors or a nick on any part of a clipper blade, it's going to damage the hair coat or leave an uneven mark that could result in a lower score from the judges," says Reid. "I can sharpen cutting tools and clipper blades several times for the cost of buying new ones."