* Calculations use average data for Russia

1.Project summary

The goal of the project is to open a specialized store for retail household, tourist, cutting and other types of knives and accessories for them and making a profit. The store planned for opening will feature knives that are not melee weapons, and their sale will not be subject to licensing.

The essence of the idea is to create a multi-brand format retail outlet, where knives from both domestic and foreign manufacturers will be presented. In view of the narrow specialization of the store, the main emphasis will be placed on the breadth of the assortment. In the store you can find both expensive knives made in China for any occasion, as well as expensive collectible knives. In addition to the sale of knives and accessories, the store will provide professional knife sharpening services. The target audience of the project will be men over the age of 23: hunters, fishermen, tourists, survivalists and "knife lovers" of all stripes.

Investments in opening a store - 1,785,000 rubles. Own funds will be used to launch the project. The stage of preparation for the start of sales will be 3 months, including the repair and equipping of the premises, recruitment of personnel, and the formation of a starting assortment. This business plan is relevant for cities with a population of more than 500 thousand people.

2. Description of the industry and company

The history of the knife in Russia is rooted in the deep past. Being located between East and West, combining in one territory many peoples and climatic zones, Russia has seen thousands of knives with different design features. In Russia there were national knives, for example, a field, belt and underside knife, as well as a large number of knives of other peoples. The development of new territories or the establishment of close ties with them contributed to the emergence of new types of knives. When the Caucasus was conquered, the fashion for Caucasian weapons began, hunting daggers and folding knives came from Europe. The most famous centers for the production of knives were Zlatoust, Tula, Vorsma, Fiskars. In Soviet times, knife culture experienced a colossal decline. The production of knives was curtailed in the 30s of the last century. In the USSR, there were strict laws restricting the carrying of edged weapons, as a result of which the industry was completely degraded. Only small workshops of consumer goods remained at enterprises engaged in the production of metal products. Only in 1992 adopted law"On Weapons" softened the possibility of acquiring high-quality edged weapons. In the absence of its own production, a flood of cheap Chinese products poured into the country, as well as modern folding knives made in America and Europe. A breakthrough in the global knife market in terms of innovation and design is associated with the activities of the American company Spyderco, which has patents for a hole in the blade, a clip-holder and a serrated blade sharpening. Gradually, the domestic knife industry began to revive. Products that are not inferior in quality to foreign firms are now produced in various cities and regions of the country (in Kizlyar, Moscow, Zlatoust, Nizhny Novgorod region, Tula, Izhevsk, Uglich, Volgograd, etc.).

The purpose of this project is to open a specialized store for the retail sale of household, tourist, cutting and other types of knives and accessories for them and make a profit. The store, which is planned to open, will feature knives that are not melee weapons, and their sale will not be subject to licensing.

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The store will be a small multi-brand outlet, where knives from both domestic and foreign manufacturers will be presented. In view of the narrow specialization of the store, the main emphasis will be placed on the breadth of the assortment. In the store you can find both inexpensive Chinese-made knives for any occasion, as well as expensive collectible knives. In addition to the sale of knives and accessories, the store will provide professional knife sharpening services. The target audience of the project will be men over the age of 23: hunters, fishermen, tourists, survivalists and "knife lovers" of all stripes. Since knives are small-sized goods, an area of ​​\u200b\u200b30 square meters will be enough for a store. meters.

The activity will be registered as an individual entrepreneur ( individual entrepreneur). The taxation system is simplified (“income minus expenses 15%”). The store manager will be an individual entrepreneur, who will be subordinate to the sales staff (sales consultants).

3.Description of goods

The assortment of the store is planned to include domestic and foreign products, including knives made of steel, damask steel, Damascus steel, forged steel, ceramic knives. The product matrix will be based on knives of three categories: cheap Chinese-made knives that are in mass demand, as well as domestic and branded knives of the lower, middle and premium segments. Also in the store you will be able to purchase accessories and items for knife care and sharpening (see Table 3 for more details). In the process of development, the range can be expanded to include other products (pneumatics, crossbows, etc.). In addition, customers of the store will be able to use the services of sharpening, resharpening and finishing knives.

Table 1. List of goods

All products presented in the store will be freely available in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, without requiring a license for both sale and purchase. Upon purchase, customers will be issued certificates of conformity or so-called information leaflets confirming that the goods are not subject to licensing and are not edged weapons. Signs by which knives are not edged weapons, but belong to other categories, are described in the law "On Weapons" No. 150-FZ, as well as in the following GOSTs: GOST R 51501-99 Tourist and special sports knives; GOST R 51644-2000 Cutting and skinning knives; GOST R 51215-98 Cold steel. Terms and Definitions; GOST R 51500-99 Hunting knives and daggers. General technical conditions; GOST R 51548-2000 Survival knives, GOST R 51715-2001 Decorative and souvenir items similar in external structure with melee and throwing weapons.

4.Sales and marketing

The target audience of the store will be predominantly the male population of the city. Based on the analysis of group members in in social networks specialized knife stores, it was found that the share of female buyers does not exceed 10-15%. If we talk about the male contingent of buyers, then such products are most in demand among men aged 23 to 40 years (about 60% of buyers), the remaining 40% fall on the audience under 23 years old, or people over 40 years old. The main buyers of such stores are:

Hunters;

Military;

Tourists, travelers and outdoor enthusiasts;

Preppers.

In addition to specialized stores of this format, knife products are presented in a narrower assortment in the departments of tourist, hunting, fishing stores, as well as in souvenir and home goods stores, if we are talking for the sale of kitchen knives. Increasing competition is also created by online stores, which are successful due to the absence of costs for real estate and wages for employees.

Customer requirements for knives vary depending on the specific types of knives and their applications. In general terms, then greatest success active consumers use knives that combine two qualities: practicality in use and stylish appearance. The choice of a particular product can be influenced by several main criteria, including the type and quality of steel, hardness on the Rockwell scale, blade shape, brand and country of origin, affordable cost, comfort and design of the handle, wear resistance and manufacturer's warranty period.

It is worth noting the fact that, unlike the 90s, the buyer has become more demanding. The horizons of buyers have expanded, while more of them know exactly what kind of knife they need. The modern buyer has the opportunity to purchase an individual product that suits him in terms of characteristics and external performance. At the same time, there appeared new type knife - Every Day Carry, that is, a knife for every day, is an urban-type knife that can be used and demonstrated in public places without fear. They are non-aggressive in design, comfortable to wear and use. IN last years so-called survival knives, designed for multifunctional use in extreme wilderness conditions, have also become popular. With the help of them, you can cut branches to kindle a fire, cook, clean animal skins, build a home, and more.

In connection with the above trends, the store is planning to present a variety of modern products for making a purchase that meets the individual needs of the buyer. The creation of a stationary specialized store would be most appropriate in a city with a population of more than 500 thousand people, which has a large number of potential solvent customers. The level of demand for knives can be judged on the basis of the number of queries in electronic search engines (see Table 2-3).

Tab. 2 The number of Internet requests related to the purchase of knives by Russian cities*

*based on Yandex Wordstat statistics as of 04/14/2016

** the amount includes the requests "buy a knife", "knives price", "knife shop", "online knife store", "buy a knife in Moscow", "buy a folding knife", "buy a butterfly knife", "buy a knife shop ”, “buy knives online”, “buy a hunting knife”, “buy a knife bayonet”, “where to buy a knife”, “buy knives in an online store”, “buy a knife in St. Petersburg”, “buy kitchen knives”, “throwing knives buy”, “buy a set of knives”, “sale of knives”, “buy a kizlyar knife”, “buy a knife price”, “buy a karambit knife”, “buy flick knife”, “buy a Damascus knife”, “buy a manual knife”, “cheap knives to buy”, “buy a knife cheap”, “buy Japanese knives”, “buy survival knives”.

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Tab. 3 The most popular Internet queries with the word "knife" according to Yandex

It is planned to use the Internet as the main channel for promotion in the market. The store will have its own website, which will present a product catalog with the main characteristics of the product. Customers will be able to order online and get free local delivery. Orders to other cities will be sent by mail or transport companies. The service will be based on a customer-oriented approach. The store will be presented in popular social networks, where information about new arrivals, promotions and discounts will be published, and consultations will be given to customers in the form of a question-answer. To expand the sales market, the management of the store plans to actively cooperate with city hunting societies, clubs of fishermen, tourists, etc.

5.Production plan

The knife shop will be opened in the central area of ​​the city, in a room with a separate entrance in a multi-storey building. Shop opening hours: daily, from 9:00 to 19:00.

To open a store, an area of ​​30 sq. meters. The rent will be 1 thousand rubles. per sq. meter. The premises will need to be repaired at the rate of 10 thousand rubles. per sq. m. You will also need the necessary commercial equipment (for more details - Table. 4).

Table 4 Equipment Costs

The store will require two sales assistants working in shifts. On initial stage the work as one of the sellers will be taken over by the entrepreneur himself. The main requirements for sellers are the ability to be well versed in knives, to know the theory well, to distinguish between types of steel, to be well versed in domestic and foreign trademarks(FOT - see Table. 5).

Table 5. Staffing and payroll

Approximate calculations for the store's revenue and profit are given in Appendix 1. In expenditure items, in addition to wages and deductions in Pension Fund, will include rent, expenses associated with the purchase of goods from suppliers, fees for site maintenance and bookkeeping, utilities, security services, and more.

6. Organizational plan

The stage of preparation for the start of sales will take 3 months, which will be needed for real estate transactions (conclusion of a lease agreement, repairs and equipment), the formation of an assortment, hiring staff, developing and launching a website, and so on. Responsibilities for the management of full-time and freelance employees will be assumed by the entrepreneur. It will be responsible for establishing contacts with suppliers, strategic planning, marketing activities, as well as the duties of the sales consultant in the initial period of work. Sales consultants will be responsible for receiving, displaying, selling goods, keeping records of sales and advising customers. Responsibilities that are not related to making a profit, such as accounting, website maintenance, will be transferred to third-party organizations.

7. Financial plan

The size of the initial investment will be 1,785,000 rubles. Investment cost items are presented in Table. 6. Indicators for planned revenue, net profit and costs are given in Appendix 1.

Table 6. Investment costs

8. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the project

The calculations made allow us to assert the profitability of the project. In Table. 7 shows the performance indicators of the store.

Table 7. Project performance indicators

9.Risks and warranties

The project to open a specialized knife store has a medium level of risk. The main danger of this type of business is associated with the narrowness of the target audience, in connection with which, for profitability, the store needs to work closely with customers, offering them not only quality products, but also further service (knife sharpening). In addition, the instability of demand can be directly related to the product itself: a high-quality knife can serve the owner for years, until he comes for a second purchase. In this regard, the management of the store will be constantly interested in expanding the distribution channels for products.

Table 8. Assessment of project risks and measures to prevent their occurrence or their consequences

There are a lot of different types of knives in the modern world: from kitchen knives to knives for special forces, which are designed for killing. A knife is an essential item in every home. In general, experienced knife and blade dealers say that a knife is like a person’s fate, if you break a person’s knife, you will break his fate. The knife is of particular importance among the northern peoples.

Knives and blades are made from different types of steel and technologies. They are produced both industrially (one might say, conveyor), and self made. So for knife making use different grades of steel. The steel grade for a knife is like her passport. peculiar chemical composition allows you to make sure how long this knife does not corrode, does not lose its sharpness, and in general how long it can be used. Main steel grades:

65 X 13 - the most famous, most of it is the material for creating kitchen knives. "X" - means chrome, that is, stainless.

65 G - used in the manufacture of artisanal conditions, highly susceptible to corrosion, also has the name "spring". It retains its sharpness for a long time.

40 X 12 - has the characteristic of mild steel. Material for the manufacture of kitchen knives, more domestic, and souvenir blades. Cheap, difficult to harden, loses sharpness very quickly, but also quickly acquires it. Foreign analogue - steel number 420.
-95 X 18 - one with pretty good types of domestic steel. It is not very easy to sharpen knives of this brand, but they will keep their sharpness for quite a long time. It is not easy to harden it. Foreign analogue-440 V.

50 X 14 MF - the most popular among large manufacturers. High-quality heat treatment allows you to make good knives that do not lose their sharpness for a long time. But like every steel has its own properties: with insufficient hardening, the steel is soft and wears out quickly, too much - brittleness occurs.

Foreign analogues, for example steel 425, similar to 420, but harder, and less common.
Very popular knives of the 440th series. These are 440 A, 440 B and 440 C. With all this, 440 A is the most fragile and soft, and 440 C is the hardest. 440 V is extremely rare. Japanese ATS34 and American 154-CM are suitable for 440 C, which are more prone to corrosion than 440 C.

How knives are madeGerber- video:

Manufacturing technology plays an important role. Some companies make their knives from steel, which is suitable for the aircraft industry in terms of parameters.

Decent firms in strict confidence have the secrets of making steel for knives. For example, Damascus steel was famous for a very long time, which then had no analogues in the world, no one knew how to make it. Although now they are talking about the Damascus secret, but this is not the steel that was 5 thousand years ago, but a later version.

Another important factor is the very attitude of the masters to their work. A lot of them are made by author's products, they leave their signature on the knives, and even giving them names. It can be said to some extent that knife making-this is art.

When choosing a knife, you need to be very careful, very often you can become a victim of deception.

How Swiss military knives are made - video:

In Soviet times, the manufacture of knives was punishable by law, and it does not matter for what purpose you make a knife. Nevertheless, at every enterprise where there was a grinding machine, there were lovers to make a knife for themselves or their comrade. Knives were made from anything: from a hacksaw blade for metal, from a circular saw blade, etc. It is important that the material for the knife is hardened, not all enterprises have heat treatment.

Now the manufacture of a knife is not prosecuted by law, of course, if your knife is not a melee weapon.

I was interested in the topic "Knife making at home"

A lot of information about the belt sander or grinder.

The machine is undeniably good, but expensive. Buying a good grinder is unrealistic for me, but simple and stupid. Silly, in my version, I have worked all my life at machine-building enterprises and making any machine is not a problem for me.

I like concave descents with a clear sharpening edge.

Therefore, in the manufacture of a belt sander, I made a 165 mm drive drum the main worker. There is a polished steel platform measuring 250x180 for direct descents from the butt. I didn’t set out to make a cheap machine, and I won’t be able to do it. To make inexpensive products, one had to be born in China.

There are a lot of expensive parts on my machine. The weight of my machine is 36 kg.

Unfortunately, the grinder does not solve the main task - to make high-quality descents with a clear sharpening edge. You need a lot of experience. At enterprises specializing in the manufacture of knives, experience is not needed, everything is decided by machines.

Craftsmen who make piece goods, by the way, of very high quality, use all kinds of devices for removing descents.

I also developed and made my own version of the device for removing slopes, so far only for concave ones. Let me remind you, I like knives with concave descents and a clear sharpening edge.

Not all knifemakers have a grinder; knives are made on a sharpening machine or, in other words, a sharpener. By the way, some of them do very well.

I tested my device on two sharpeners, one sharpener with a speed of 2800 rpm, the other 800 rpm. On the first descent I did it in 12 minutes, on the second one in 35 minutes.

My task was to make high-quality descents.

And it seems to me that I coped with my task, let me remind you - I have no experience.

The picture shows a device for concave descents. As you can see the device is very simple. If you wish, and most importantly, if you have the right tools, you can do this for yourself. Dimensions do not play any role here, adjustment is made using a groove on the top part. The radius of the blade is 250mm. What did I mean when I titled my page “Knife with my own hands”? The fact that a knife, with the help of this device, can be done by anyone with a little experience.

And it’s better not to bother with the manufacture of fixtures, but buy from me, especially since my prices are low.

The picture shows a device for concave descents.
The price of the device today is 1370 rubles.

You will learn how to work with this device by watching these two films:

In Russia today the price of the device is 1370 rubles.

This amount includes postage.

You can receive a parcel with a device from me in the following way.

You send a money order to my name with your address. Having received the transfer and your address, I send you a parcel on the same day.

My address: 460024 Orenburg, Kiseleva lane 71

Gladyshev Alexander Ivanovich.

Welcome to the website of the St. Petersburg tool plant "STANKODETAL"

On our website You will find information about knife tools. We hope it will help you make the right choice.

Factory products— reliable, high-quality tool.

Metal cutting knives

Metal cutting knives are used in metallurgical, procurement and processing industries. We produce knives for cutting sheet, round, square steel, as well as strip, angle, channel, corrugated board, profiled sheet, for the manufacture of mesh, bent and rolled profiles.

Guillotine knives

Guillotine knives are used on sheet guillotine shears for cutting black and non-ferrous sheet metal. We produce knives for domestic and imported guillotines of all brands for cutting metal with a thickness of 0.1 to 40 mm. We produce both solid and compound knives.

Disc knives

Circular knives for cutting sheet metal are used on the lines of longitudinal cutting of rolled steel, slotting presses, cutting tables and other equipment. We produce knives with straight and angled cutting edges.

Knives for cutting rebar

Knives for cutting reinforcement are used for cutting reinforcing steel, incl. heat-strengthened in industries for reinforcing reinforced concrete products, production of metal structures, construction, assembly and other enterprises. We produce knives for domestic and imported equipment.

Crusher knives

Crusher knives are used on crushing equipment - crushers for processing wood, plastic and other materials, including waste.

Chipping knives

Chipping knives are used on chipping machines for wood processing, etc.

Do-it-yourself homemade knife sharpening - create a knife sharpener using drawings

materials. We produce knives for domestic and imported equipment.

Combination knives

We also produce: knives for press shears, combined knives, knives for rebar cutting, corner knives, strip knives, sheet knives, profile knives, knives for scrap metal.

Manufacturing of guillotine knives

Manufacturing of knives for guillotines. Production capabilities allow the production of solid knives up to 2000mm long. For imported equipment with solid knives over 3000mm, we have developed a technology for their production from constituent parts without reducing the quality of the cut and the convenience of setting gaps, this is not only a significant savings on the knives themselves, but also the convenience of maintenance - knife sharpening.

Knives for press shears COMPACT.

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Roller knives for SPIRO spiral winding machines

Knives SMZH-175

Read more…

Attention! FAVORABLE offer for professionals!

Through the application modern ways heat treatment, as well as sharpening of cutting edges on precise modern equipment, it was possible to increase the service life of knives for guillotine shears by 2-2.5 times compared to knives manufactured using standard technology.

The use of highly resistant guillotine knives allows not only reduce financial costs on the tool by 1.5-2 times, and also, save the resource of your equipment: the more accurate and stronger the knives, the less and more uniform the cutting force, the less wear of the guillotine parts, which means Your equipment will last longer!

St. Petersburg tool plant "STANKODETAL" offers the following services:

Sharpening flat knives

Sharpening of flat knives. The capabilities of our production allow us to sharpen knives for domestic and imported equipment with a length of more than 3000 mm.

Sharpening of circular knives

Sharpening of disk knives. We will quickly and efficiently perform sharpening of circular knives for lines of longitudinal cutting of rolled steel, as well as other equipment.

Production of industrial knives

Production of industrial knives of non-standard sizes, according to the drawings of the Customer for cutting sheet or long products according to individual production needs. Design of knife tools.

Production of circular knives

We accept orders for the manufacture of circular knives according to the drawings of the Customer for cutting coiled steel, slotted and other machines, and it is also possible to sharpen circular knives

Production of knives for press scissors

Production of knives for press shears, including: knives for combined press shears, knives for cutting rebar, NG5222 knives, NB5222 knives, HB5222 knives, C 229 knives, SMZh-172 knives, SMZh-322 knives, SMZh 652 knives

Knives for press shears in stock

For the convenience of our Customers, common knives for shears and guillotines are available in stock: H3121 knives, H3222 knives, H478 knives, HA3225 knives, NG-13 knives, NG-16 knives, ND 3314 knives, NK3418 knives, STD-9A knives, H knives 3118, HA 3222 knives, HA3225 knives, H 3222 knives, STD9A knives, HA 3121 knives, ERFURT knives, etc.

Metal cutting knives

To knives for metal cutting, crushing wood waste and other materials where, along with high hardness, high viscosity is also required, the choice of steel grade plays an important role to prevent chipping and breakage of the knife under sharp and shock loads. The purpose of some common knife steels can be viewed in the reference section.

Vibration mounts

The plant offers the following spare parts for machine tools: vibration support OV-70, vibration support OV-31M - designed for vibration isolation of industrial equipment and machines of small and medium sizes with rigid beds of normal and high accuracy.

We will be glad to see you among our Customers!

Tool factory St. Petersburg 2010

General review, models, equipment

I have been making knives for a long time, but professionals among consumers are so rare that almost every person has to be explained how they need to be edited, why a properly made knife does not need to be sharpened, how a knife should be made so that the term "self-sharpening" can be applied to it. "that some stains on the blade are not at all a defect in steel, but on the contrary ... All the material was prepared by me for accessible reading and in no way claims to be scientific or "academic". On the contrary, I tried to tell about everything in the form of tales and small tips. It was not so difficult for me to tell you about this, I passed all this through my own hands, since there is no literature on such topics for sale. There are, of course, various articles, books, but here, in order to immediately, in one place, about some uncovered problems for a knifemaker, about some subtleties, tips ... Everything is scattered on separate islands ... Having gained a little experience, I want to help those who who, for any reason, wants to make himself a cutting or some other knife, but, for the same reasons, is forced to communicate with amateurs from "knifemaking".
I myself began to consider myself a "professional" for about seven years, since "knifemaking" became my profession, and I get bread for my family from what I do and how. Life and practice, only they are able to give a real assessment of your work. Someone talks about the advantages of a knife and judges it by "external". But his reasoning is "external". For me, for example, the brightness of the brilliance of steel polishing does not at all say anything about the quality of the steel itself, but speaks of the attitude of the master to his work. How much he respects what he did. And, at the same time, the matte transverse stroke of fine polishing tells me about the professionalism of the one who put his hand to the blade. Ninety percent of people will walk past a knife with a nondescript, diamond-shaped handle and a twelve-centimeter blade and not stop. Ten, just by looking, will say: "Good knife!". Among these ten will be myself, and those for whom the knife is a tool first of all. I hope you will be among these ten. The butcher and the divider, the amateur hunter and the hunter-fisherman do not care what technologies the blade is made of, medieval, primitive, or ultra-modern. He needs the knife to cut as long as possible and be comfortable to use. Here he is always right. In my reasoning and conversations with people, I quite often use the phrase "creating knives", and many agree with me. As a rule, these are people who have already tried to make some effort in manufacturing and already have some experience in creating a knife product. I will try to explain to you how to make a good knife yourself, since training is not prohibited by our law. For "fast" learning, you need to read this page and - good luck.

Let's look at the picture. This is how you will have to "remove" the excess metal to get the simplest blade design. Black contour - the contour of the workpiece on the cut. The red outline is the finished outline. Pink fill - "blade body". The gray fill is what you don't need. Thus, you can make any knife product with limited properties, whether it is a kitchen or utility knife. To create a functional product, you will have to read at least everything that will be discussed below and sit for more than one day for emery ... And this is the MINIMUM !!! But don't be scared!!! Even if you do not want to create knives, I will try to make it interesting for you, or maybe you will learn something new for yourself ...

EQUIPMENT. First of all, I would like to warn you that it is not at all necessary to collect the entire set of equipment. You can choose any model and calmly do all the work with a minimum of equipment. Trust me, I started with one 2.2 kW motor. But we'll talk about the minimum, but for now ... In the picture you see an abrasive wheel with a diameter of 300mm, a thickness of 40mm; seat diameter 76mm. Turnovers should be small: 1200-1400 rpm. Before work, for safety reasons, the circle must be idle for 15 minutes, then leveled with a diamond pencil or corundum to a minimum runout. All restrictions must be removed. Access to the circle should be as free as possible. You need to be able to press the workpiece at any angle in order to remove metal where you need it, and not where the emery "wants" it. For a separate type of work, a circle must be selected. For wood - softer, for steel - harder. I mainly use the following wheel parameters: dimensions 300x40x76, hardness - CM1 / CM2, grain - 25A40P. The average cost is $ 10, depending on where you buy and from whom ... I mainly buy circles from the Luga plant. The Moscow Abrasive Plant also produces good wheels, but somehow the soul does not lie, although in the absence of "Luga" I occasionally use it ... You will also need felt circles. In knife making, they must have many and different diameters. They were purchased by me a long time ago, in the DIY store, for 55 rubles (stagnant) apiece. You need to have approximately 5 large circles, with a diameter of 250mm to 400mm, the best option is 300mm. And, preferably, a lot of small various diameters, thicknesses and configurations. Felt circles were made at felting mills (there was some kind of label on the circle), and you will have to buy them only once. They are practically not spent. Now the whole thing is being purchased at the Moscow "bird market". I give this information so that if you want to do something, you don’t have to run around a lot in search of what you need ... A separate issue is the preparation of felt circles for work. The most annoying thing is the "centering". In the picture you see a polishing headstock shaft with a felt wheel.
1. The shaft itself.
2. A mandrel with a conical thread (hereinafter we will call it a carrot).
3. Attached thread.
4. Polishing felt wheel.
So here it is the main task is to make a seat in the center of the circle. But, no matter how you define it exactly, the circle will still “beat” on the shaft during rotation. In order to remove the beating as much as possible, I do this:
1. With a steel bar heated to red (in a forge or at a welder), I burn out a conical hole with an outer diameter of 10mm and an inner diameter of about 30-35 mm. Then I coat it with carpenter's glue, and when the glue dries, I tightly wind it on a "carrot" lubricated with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil. The thread of the seat appears. Next, the glue dries up and the circle is ready for "covering".
2. I make a cutter from a file, although any hardened plate can be used.
3. I wind the circle on the "carrot", but not tight, but slightly, so that it just sits down with a seat. Then, when you press the circle with a cutter, it will spin itself to the required limiting moment.
4. Like a turner, I begin to grind the circle to a minimum runout. This applies to polishing wheels. Because apart from applying polishing paste on them, there is no more preliminary work. Another thing is grinding and finishing wheels. A few more operations are required to prepare them. Let's continue...
5. After holding on the "carrot", we coat the working surface of the circle with carpentry glue, let it dry and again hold on the carrot. After smearing with glue, it is necessary to hold the circle for one simple reason - the circle "leads". No matter how hard you try, the glue will do its "work", and after lubrication and drying, the circle, as if nothing had happened, will again "knock out".
6.Last operation. We spread wood glue and roll the necessary abrasive grain. The circle is ready. Now, when finishing operations, your hands will not "fall off" with frequent changes of circles. One movement is enough for twisting, and the circle itself will “fly off” from the “carrot”. They threw another one, and during operation it will spin up to the limit value.

ATTENTION!!! Do not plant circles with a diameter of more than 200 mm on the "carrot" - IT WILL RIP !!! Only on the seat of the emery wheel!!! Take care of yourself!

ABOUT STEEL 95Х18Ш. It is believed that the main criterion in the approach to the knife is steel. Let me express the "seditious" thought that this is not entirely true. It seems to me that after all, the design comes first. There are some models in which steel grade 95X18SH is used in the manufacture - steel is very powerful, but at the same time very "capricious". It is used in the manufacture of stainless steel bearings (bearings made of this steel grade are marked - "U" after the number). For some reason, everyone who wants to have a good knife begins to "start" from this steel grade. But ignorance of the correct heat treatment technology or lack of technical equipment leads to the opposite result. I know a few thermists who are able to carry out a "95" thermal inversion and get a workpiece with a predetermined hardness. With a small section of the cutting edge, "crumble" occurs, which entails certain inconveniences up to the loss of a specimen. It is necessary to increase the section at the cutting edge, and this leads to a decrease in the "dressing" ability. Naturally, it is much more difficult to edit such a knife, and the "manufacturer" reduces the Rockwell hardness to 48-50 units. No comments...

ABOUT STEEL 65G. Good knives are made from 65G steel ... unfortunately it rusts a lot. Her cutting properties are excellent. But cases of complaints about knives from this brand have become more frequent. Sometimes it happens - and forged, and pulled, but "it" does not cut or, welded on the butcher's stupid, does not cut. I started looking for a reason and found one.
For handicraftsmen and various "craftsmen" 65G is available in the form of a spring. All products are made mainly from what is mined ... in the vast expanses of our strange (from the word "country" - author's note) dump of scrap metal and substandard equipment. For some time I worked as a blacksmith at a car depot, and I had unlimited access to this material. Every morning in the "intermediate" warehouse for my needs there were 1-2 springs with broken sheets. It was my job to bring them to the forge and take them apart. After sorting, add new sheets received from the warehouse, the whole thing is correctly straightened, assembled and sent back to the "gap" for further turnover. It will seem to someone that I am describing the entire spring repair procedure for a very long and tedious time, but believe me, this is necessary. Maybe you will avoid a lot of unpleasant moments. For 10-15 years of operation of the car, all the units are practically "not native", and the springs are even more so. Moreover, the spring itself has sheets, as a historical review. One sends greetings from the 60s, the other from the 80s and so on ... What happened? Either science moved forward and began to put frail substitutes, or the water was wetter then, but the fact remains - it is better not to use sheets from springs manufactured after the 70th. For example, I generally switched to wagon springs - a guarantee of almost 100%. But for safety net, you can use a standard sheet with all markings and paraphernalia. And yes, you don't need to forge it. True, without forging one “zest” is missing, but we will talk about that , Maybe let's talk more...

MODEL. I can offer a simple, but already well-proven model for production to beginners. The first time I saw her was at an Italian exhibition. Striking me with its simplicity and modesty, it distracted me for a long time from other research. The Italian company "KAYMANO" has created a truly amazing sample. Nothing could be simpler: a hilt and a blade. I confess, I fell in love with this model. And after some deliberation, I decided to repeat it. The absence of such a model among our cooks and sellers depressed me morally. But how to solve the hardware problem? Indeed, for the manufacture of a blade with a step, a precision (especially accurate) surface grinder is required. Even two. One machine processes the blade only from the right plane, the other from the left ... I have that kind of money not only for the machine - for the documentation for them (and now I don’t) !!! But there is nothing to do, hunting is worse than bondage, as they say. I tried with a large "chute" - it's useless. On wide (large chef's) blades, this cannot be achieved. The diameter of the abrasive wheel is not enough to capture 50 mm at once along the plane in one pass. Yes, and a chute for professional knife- a non-winning element. A chef's blade needs weight and sufficient rigidity. With the design we need, the gutter will remove all the metal necessary for weight and rigidity. And this will mean that the goal is not achieved. Then it dawned on me - after all, you can carefully remove the excess mass with the help of a mandrel, i.e. special device or devices. This device must bear the responsibility of the limiter. And prevent the rotating emery wheel from touching the polished step. As soon as I thought of this ... half an hour later I made the first mandrel. It consisted of two plates with precisely calculated holes (as on the blade shank) for rivets. Plus, I also threw 20mm from the "heel" of the blade onto the step. The effect was joyful for me. I immediately set about making half a dozen knives. However, the technology was still far from being fully developed. Firstly, it was a lot of trouble to align the holes for the rivet, and secondly, I had to drill the holes themselves in the shank with a diameter of 4mm. The plates were fastened to the blade with two bolts with M4 nuts.

Making a knife with your own hands: from start to finish

And with a rivet with a diameter of 3.5 mm, this is somewhat inconvenient. You have to "strain" when riveting - no matter how you split the handle, no matter how there is a wobble at the junction. In short, I sacrificed time for the sake of quality - I began to rivet a mandrel of two plates to the shank, and then, to remove the mandrel, grind off the rivets. "Madhouse" of course, but at that stage it was already an achievement. The technology is inefficient, but this is enough for a handicraftsman. Later, the management of the Moscow plant "STIZ" asked me to finalize this technology for production. That's when I solved this problem with the mandrel. I simply doubled a 1.5mm thick plate, and, having drilled a 6.5mm hole, began to fasten the mandrel with an M6 bolt and nut under the shank. The problem with the mandrel in this model has been solved. Later, I began to use this device in the manufacture of other designs, slightly changing the mandrel.

In the pictures above - a blank carving knife in a mandrel, below - a chef's knife for meat.

KNIVES SPECIAL. Perhaps the most difficult to manufacture, as it seems to me, are special knives.

Well, so many conditions are imposed on them that sometimes, it happens, you ruin one or two blanks until the desired one starts to turn out. Among these knives are boning. In this group, I know several models. They differ both in manufacturing methods and in appearance. The requirements for cutting properties and forms in this category are so high that sometimes you begin to suspect deboners of boring and capriciousness. But all suspicions crumble to smithereens when you get to know the specifics of this wonderful profession. Sometimes for 12 hours a knife is in operation ... And if the master manufacturer did not try, they remember him for how much in vain ... However, not for very long. These products are usually disposed of quickly. I regret to admit that I am no exception. And I had to listen to the unflattering ... But I passed most of the saved vocabulary for this occasion. The reason is that I, wanting to understand the secret of the boning, used a simple trick. Before making my first bunker for sale, I had three "experts". Two of them worked in a nearby store, the third was the husband of my classmate, who bears the marvelous surname Maksichka (now, by the way, in Moscow you can find semi-finished products of his production on sale). Several knives were made and distributed free of charge with a secret hope for praise ... It was not there. Complete failure… Even for free. But I will not bore you with a description of my experiments and alterations (and there were several of them over the course of six months), but I will immediately give advice to those who follow the path of creating boning knives. Look for the middle ground in blade design... Do not skimp on purchasing the best raw materials... Make a pair of knives for the boner to choose from... Give them to work for 2 hours and take a walk. If you get your knives back, don't worry. None of those who use this practice escaped this. If you have prepared the agreed amount for one knife, feel free to start making knives, sell almost everything. If you get money for both knives… You are GENNADY KONSTANTINOVICH (JOKE)!!!

One of the secrets or one of the tricks . A material is needed that can carburize well. You can use steel grade 40X. You make the product to the pre-grinding state. Cementation by 0.1-0.2 mm. Heat treatment. Grinding. As a result: a viscous core in a carburized shell with a hardness of up to 60 Rockwell units. Deboners are very grateful. When in contact with the bone, the two hard layers that carry the main load behave amazingly. Almost PERFECT.

Good, but very expensive (including Damascus), I made only 7 pieces in all my activities. I know where they are, by whom, and in what condition. I just didn’t trace the expensive and simple ones (to my regret now). . . . . .

HOBBIES. In a special row free time. Almost all unused ideas and fantasies that come to mind, I try to embody in exotic products, or in products that sell for "gifts". Although it always happens that it is after a flight of fancy that something appears that brings me inexplicable joy and a feeling of deep satisfaction. This happened with a knife that one of my friends ordered from me for a souvenir to a certain gourmet .. Initially, the knife was conceived as a cute joke, although somewhat "blackish". The product had the original name "Souvenir kitchen knife for hara-kiri, reusable". And in the end appeared — "TANTIK". Carving knife for game and fish Japanese style.
By order of a travel agency, several "fishing profile" cutlery made of Damascus steel was made for an exhibition in France. One of the knives was subject to very high demands. Firstly, buoyancy (the knife should not sink). Secondly, very quickly restore their cutting properties (requirement for commercial knives). Third, design features should allow the knife to withstand short-term blade bending up to 80 degrees. And it so happened that this order was made in three places. I made the blade, in another place a high-class craftsman made the handle and connection (fasteners). In the third, a leather sheath was made - precisely fitted to the shape of the knife.

These guys would not only be engaged in tourist trips, but would unite all of us, scattered across Russia, at least in products ... "We would also look at which side of the knife has a knife."
TOTAL: Fishing fillet knife - "PUTINA - 1"; "PUTINA - 2"; "PUTINA - 3".
in the picture: a fishing couple (PUTINA-3", "SKINER-S").

Throughout existence, a person cannot do without a tool, and it is impossible to do without such a device as a knife to this day. Not long ago I visited a friend of mine who is a craftsman in cutting objects and a member of artists' unions. What struck me was the varied number of axes, which, as it turned out, are used in hunting for a variety of purposes. For your attention, I would like to present the new kind, a business based on the manufacture of handmade axes and knives.

Safety

This business plan can be divided into two categories. In the first, the entrepreneur himself acts as the creator of knives and axes, and in the second, he is only an intermediary. That's just about the second option and will be discussed. If someone asks what is the benefit of this type of business and what are its advantages, then I can not hesitate to answer - security. Now we are talking about hunting knives and axes that are not cold. Are there such hunting tools? Of course, there are, but you need to know some subtleties, so that later you do not have problems with the laws and the sale of goods. Firstly, the maximum length of the blade should be 91 mm, and the thickness of the blade itself should be more than 2.6 mm, and secondly, the deflection of the blade itself should exceed 5 mm, and preferably all 6, and this also includes representatives who are deprived of a sharpened blade or with a large angle of convergence. Based on these signs, it is worth making orders and paying attention.

Peculiarity

When ordering a hunting knife and an ax, you should follow its versatility and lightness. No one wants to buy a cutting tool if it can only prick or cut the skin. All knives are usually sharpened for one specific purpose and some of their features do not stand out much, but, for example, a hunting knife is made exclusively for skinning at the initial stage. But their appearance should scream: "Buy me!". The selected knife for sale should be light and work even at sub-zero temperatures. Each knife comes with its own strap that protects a person from being cut. There are six types of knives. They differ in blade length. The length is 35 mm at the smallest representative and ends at 60 mm at the longest. A distinctive feature of a good knife will always be high strength and reliability in operation.

Axes, on the other hand, are more functional and diverse, and the appearance should captivate the eye. Exists different quantity the material from which the handle is made, but of the entire range presented, I liked the representatives of the handle made of Canadian walnut and Korel birch the most. Every good hunting ax should be equipped with a skinner and should be capable of skinning, gutting, deboning meat, and then dividing into rations. If earlier the trend was rough, heavy and bulky axes, now they have been replaced by miniature and unique axes. A good ax should weigh about 400-500 grams, and its thickness should be 3-4 mm. As in the case of a knife, the ax must withstand freezing temperatures, and must also be adorned with a beautiful clasp that protects both it and the owner.

Sale

Many, probably, are now twisting the question in the spirit: “How and why will orders be made from me?”. Everything is so simple that it's hard to believe. Now it is gaining popularity to individualize everything and everything. This also applies to household items. Many are willing to overpay for items of the same quality, only if it is somehow different. This is equivalent to knives and axes. You can just do what to create your own models of handles and assemble a solid knife from them. The style of the blade and hilt must match and the composition must be completely unique. You can find talented artists who will be ready to make unique projects for knives or buy excellent steel, but with poor design and remodeling it, in general, there are a lot of options.

Do-it-yourself knife sharpener, drawings

So this business plan is not straight forward and contains many possibilities and implementations. The sale itself can be carried out both online and using an online store. Since these knives and axes are not considered edged weapons and are free for distribution, such a business can also be put on automatic.

If you are looking for a business idea for your garage, then check out my article Business in your own garage or another How to come up with an idea for your business.

Sincerely, Mikhail Yakovlev.

Materials and technologies for the manufacture of knives

Two factors influence the quality of a knife blade: the chemical composition of the steel (its grade) and its heat treatment (hardening). The second one is perhaps even more important. Mistakes in heat treatment (quenching) can seriously degrade the stainless properties of the steel or make it brittle.

Hardening quality- this is undoubtedly a significant factor, depending on it, the blade can be soft, quickly dull and bend too much (not hot) or become brittle and brittle (overheated). Unfortunately, the quality of heat treatment cannot be assessed with a glance and, therefore, one has to take into account not only the steel grade on a particular knife, but also the level of technological equipment and the production culture of the manufacturer. In this regard, when purchasing cutlery made in a garage or a small entrepreneur in a small forge without professional equipment, you rely on chance and you can only guarantee quality in words.

One of the main qualities of steel is its hardness. The main element that determines the hardness of steel is carbon. Steels with a carbon content above 0.6% are considered "high carbon".
Many knife manufacturers specify blade hardness. As a rule, all over the world this indicator is measured in Rockwell units (HRC). Its value for most steels ranges from 24 (an indicator of "raw" not hardened steel) to 64 units. (this is an indicator of steels like Kh12MF subjected to proper hardening with low tempering). Harder materials no longer belong to steels, it can be ceramics and various carbides. For example, our knife sharpeners are equipped with silicon carbide carbide inserts with a hardness of 88-90 HRC.

Another important quality is corrosion resistance. There is no absolute stainless steel, but steels with a chromium content of more than 13% are considered "stainless", because they can resist corrosion for a long time. During the hardening process important role alloying elements play - molybdenum, manganese, vanadium, etc., which are indicated by the corresponding letters in the marking. For example, Kh12MF steel contains chromium manganese and tungsten.

Of the domestic steels, the most common for knives is steel 65X13. From the marking it can be seen that it contains 0.65% carbon in its composition, and the letter "X" means chromium and indicates that the steel is stainless, as it has 13% chromium. Medical scalpels and other instruments are most often made from this steel grade, and therefore often this steel is significantly referred to as "medical" or "surgical". This is a very good steel, the knife from it is easily sharpened, but with aggressive use it quickly becomes dull. One of the very good advantages of this steel is that when properly processed, it almost never rusts. This steel is the material for the blade of a good kitchen, fishing or tourist knife. It is simple and easy to sharpen even in field situations “about a pebble”. A good heat treater can achieve very good results with this steel grade.

Steel grade 65G- it is well cutting and elastic, throwing knives are often made from this steel and Cossack drafts, easy to oxidize (bluing, blackening), the hardness of finished knives is up to 57 HRC, requires care, after use, blades made of this steel must be wiped dry and preferably lubricated to avoid corrosion. Marking 65G reminds us of the carbon content of 0.65% in steel. The surface of the finished blade is hand mirror polished by default if no finishes are selected.

Steel 95X18- is one of best steels domestic production which is great for making cutting tool, has high hardness (more than 60 HRC), while quite good impact strength with proper heat treatment, keeps sharpening well, due to the high chromium content (17-19%) it is resistant to corrosion. The surface of the finished blade is hand mirror polished by default if no finishes are selected.

Steel Kh12MF has a high hardness, which is determined by the carbon content (1.45-1.65%), after hardening the knife blade has a hardness of 62-64 HRC, the main alloying element of this steel is chromium (11-12.5%), molybdenum (0. 4-0.6%) and vanadium (0.15-0.3%) - they increase cutting properties and wear resistance, increase strength and hardenability, and also provide stainless properties. A blade made of Kh12MF is not afraid of moisture, however, after prolonged use, it can still darken, unlike 95x18, where there is more chromium in the composition, but less carbon. The surface of the finished blade is hand mirror polished by default if no finishes are selected.

Steel 9XC contains 0.9% carbon and up to 1.5% chromium and silicon, the knife blade has a hardness of up to 65 HRC. All descents on the blades are made by the blacksmith using a hammer manually, and the geometry is such that the descents are cone-shaped in two planes (from the butt of the blade to the cutting edge and from the handle to the knife edge).

Forged diamond stainless steel (XB6) — alloy tool steel containing 1.25 - 1.45% carbon, 0.4 - 0.7% chromium and 4 - 5% tungsten. It is rather difficult to process, but has a high hardness (62-65HRC) close to that of diamond, in this regard, knives made from it retain their sharpness for a very long time and allow cutting materials of considerable hardness. Our XB6 diamond steel is corrosion resistant in normal use.

Damascus steel- composite material obtained by forge welding. In our Damascus steel, we use high-carbon steels such as ShKh15, U10A and 65G. The knives have a very high hardness of 62-64 HRC and are distinguished by exceptional cutting properties due to the alternation of slightly softer and slightly harder metal layers, which create a so-called micro-saw on the cutting edge. The harder layer begins to protrude forward over time, forming a micro-saw tooth. Thus, an excellent cut quality is achieved, which is maintained even after long-term operation.

We use “torn” Damascus - the layers in it, unlike twisted Damascus, are always perpendicular to the cutting edge, due to which a larger number of alternations of harder and softer layers on the cutting edge is achieved, which forms the Damascus micro-saw.

end Damascus in comparison with the usual one, it has a more interesting pattern of layers, as well as a greater number of intersections of these layers in that part of it that forms the cutting edge. Due to the smaller and more expressive pattern, a little best quality cut. And of course, the manufacturing technology is more complex.

Powder Uddeholm ElmaX- one of the universally recognized world leaders among steels for the manufacture of primarily weapons and elite cutting tools. Swedish stainless steel with alloy additives combines high wear resistance with corrosion resistance. Due to the high content of chromium (18%) and molybdenum (1%) in the composition of the alloy, ELMAX steel is very well suited for the manufacture of cutting parts of tools from it, which, according to their intended purpose, can constantly contact with moisture. The main advantage of powder-type steel is its homogeneity - the uniformity of the structure, as in a liquid, in contrast to conventional steels, where atoms are combined into crystal lattices and the bonds between the crystals are not so strong, and in the crystals themselves there are places with harder carbides and with softer elements. Powder steel is devoid of such shortcomings, due to the uniformity of its structure. The hardness of knife blades is 60-65 HRC. The surface of the finished blade is slightly matte.

Vanadis-10 imported powder alloy steel, which has high strength and toughness (because it has a high carbon content of 2.9%, vanadium 9.8% and molybdenum 1.5%), as well as this steel is corrosion resistant (due to the chromium content of 7.8% ). Vanadis-10 steel is resistant to chipping and allows you to keep the sharpness of the blade for a long time. The hardness of the knife blades is 62-65 HRC. This type of steel is manufactured in Sweden by Udellholm. The surface of the finished blade is slightly matte.

Vanax– powdered high-nitrogen stainless steel with a low carbon content, which has a high metal hardness of 60 HRC. It has a very high durability providing excellent mechanical properties and high corrosion resistance (absolutely does not rust).

There are two varieties of this steel Vanax 35 and Vanax 75

In fact, Vanax 35 is a high nitrogen version of steels like Elmax or M390 (with a slightly higher molybdenum content), Vanax 75 is close in composition to 35, differing mainly in vanadium and nitrogen content (with a slightly lower molybdenum content).

How to make a knife with your own hands

We offer Vanax 35 for our models. The surface of the finished blade is slightly matte.

PSF-27- one of the world's best steels for the production of cutting tools today, made using spray forming technology (jet spraying), with a sufficiently high hardness (62 HRC) it has good toughness and is relatively easy to sharpen. The sizes of carbides are 5-10 microns. It has the following chemical composition: Carbon - 1.5%, Chromium - 12%, Molybdenum - 0.7%, Nitrogen - 0.3%, Manganese - 0.4%, Silicon - 0.4%, Vanadium - 1%. The surface of the finished blade is slightly matte.

Happy shopping!

Similar information.

Konstantin Kulikov turned knife sales into a militarized show and managed to stand out from the competition. This made it possible to create production from scratch, which brought him 105.7 million rubles. revenue last year

Konstantin Kulikov (Photo: Sergey Ermokhin for RBC)

The 34-year-old founder of Kizlyar Supreme, Konstantin Kulikov, can be seen in his product catalogs. Here he is in the image of a cowboy against the backdrop of American nature, here he is in a ninja costume in an abandoned factory. Pictures are usually taken by the spouse of the entrepreneur during travel. Kulikov says it's not about saving on photo models. Just bright and non-standard marketing is what distinguishes it from numerous competitors, which means that you need to do everything yourself. “A knife without history is just a piece of iron,” Kulikov admits.

Seven years ago, the company of Valentin Kulikov, Konstantin's father, and two of his partners, Kizlyar Production Enterprise (Kizlyar PP), stopped supplying products to one of its dealers, Kulikov Jr. A corporate conflict began, and the entrepreneur organized his own Kizlyar Supreme knife production. In 2017, Kizlyar Supreme's revenue exceeded 105.7 million rubles, and net profit - 8 million rubles, a quarter of sales are exported to the USA, Germany, Australia.

Fathers and Sons

Konstantin Kulikov was born in Kizlyar, Dagestan, and in the Caucasus it is customary to give men knives. Since 1992, Valentin Kulikov and his friends began to produce them to order on the basis of the local Energoremont enterprise, and in 1998 they opened their own PP Kizlyar, eventually becoming a major knife manufacturer (according to SPARK, the company's revenue in 2016 amounted to 137 million rubles, net profit - 4.7 million rubles).

The family moved to St. Petersburg, and Kulikov Jr. entered the local technical school for industry technologies, finance and law. He decided to help his father with the business. “In the early 2000s, I immersed myself in the internet. At that time, few people in Kizlyar knew what a website was and Email", Kulikov recalls. He made the company's website, the young man was sure that sales of knives could be dramatically increased if they were seriously promoted. During boring lectures at the technical school, he read the book "Principles of Marketing" by Philip Kotler, which he borrowed from his sister.

In 2003, Kulikov entered the Faculty of Business at the Sydney technological university My father paid for my education. In parallel with his studies, Kulikov Jr. studied import markets, participated in exhibitions, showed samples of products from the Caucasus and made contacts with local distributors. Later he traveled to the USA and Germany, met with local knife sellers.

He returned to Russia in 2009. “My eyes were burning, I wanted to change the world,” the entrepreneur recalls. First of all, he organized his own online store and translated all information about knives into English. Decided to work as an independent dealer.

However, it quickly became clear that the ideas of the young man in the "PP Kizlyar" were taken with hostility. For example, Kulikov Jr. was sure that the names of the knives needed to be changed: “One knife had the name “Sh-7”: “Sh” - wide, and 7 - because it was seventh in a row during certification, ”he recalls .

Delivery and assortment also left much to be desired. “From the 1990s, a forwarding service has been working in the company. The freight forwarder once every three months traveled around the points of sale and brought products - he took and showed what he thought was necessary, and not what was in demand, ”says Kulikov. At the same time, there were many inaccuracies in the nomenclature and product description. According to the entrepreneur, the knife could have been black-coated, but this was not mentioned in the documents. Sometimes deliveries were delayed for two months from the date of order.

All Kulikov's attempts to change something ended in failure - the father, who, according to SPARK, supported 40% of the company, supported his son's initiatives, and his partners, who each had 30%, were against it. In the end, a corporate conflict began, and PP Kizlyar stopped supplying knives to Kulikov Jr. for sale. CEO"PP Kizlyar" Vladimir Derkach refused to comment on the situation for RBC, saying that this was "the company's internal affairs."

Knives and garages

Olga Moklyak, manager of the marketing department of the Zlatmaks online knife store, estimates sales of tourist and hunting knives in Russia at 1.8 billion rubles. in year. The market is small and very conservative. According to her, the major players in the domestic market are the Vorsmensky Forged Knives Plant in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, A&R in Chelyabinsk region and PP Kizlyar in Dagestan. But in Lately there are more and more small workshops that produce handmade knives.

For 16 years, Sergey Agafoshin has been publishing a specialized magazine "Prorez" about knives. And in 2016, he signed the last issue and opened his own workshop - now he produces expensive handmade knives. The staff is small - only three people, monthly revenue - 100 thousand rubles. Agafoshin claims that he went into his business for two reasons: he was always interested in knives, and also because the knife market is developing dynamically. According to him, 50 years ago in the United States there was a boom in "garage" knife production. He hopes that history will repeat itself in Russia.

Russian knives have a good reputation abroad, says Evgeny Egrashkin, general director of the Nozhikov online store. Many people like their design and quality. According to him, the American knife market is the most progressive and largest in the world. Russian occupies only 5-7% of the world.

According to GOSTs, edged weapons include knives with a blade of at least 90 mm in length, a butt thickness of 2.6 to 6 mm, a blade hardness of at least 42 Rockwell units, as well as a sharpened blade and a safety handle. A license is required to purchase and carry such a knife, which immediately narrows the sales market. But if you change at least one parameter, then the knife is no longer considered a melee weapon, Agafoshin explains.

Knife with history

Kulikov ordered his first knife called Survivalist at one of the factories in Guangzhou at the end of 2011. He expected to sell it through PP Kizlyar, but the company refused to cooperate. The Australian knife designer Julius Conrad, whom he met while studying in Sydney, helped develop the model. For example, he came up with a knife handle, inside of which there is a “survival kit” - matches, a band-aid, tackle for fishing, etc.

The first batch was small - only about 1000 knives, but it was quickly sold out, including abroad. The new brand immediately began to be exported to Australia. Sydney-based distributor Zober Berry has already sold Kizlyar knives and has agreed to work with Kizlyar Supreme. And Kulikov met German distributors thanks to Julius Konrad. His cousin Jenny Doepgen and her husband Lothar took over Kizlyar Supreme products. From Russian networks, products began to be sold by "Old Soldier", "Soldier of Fortune", "Splav", etc.

For each knife, Kulikov began to come up with a name and concept. For example, a company produces a knife called Kid. The catalog describes it as "a small but very strong knife capable of doing some pretty serious things." Or the Aggressor knife - "powerful and aggressive, can be used in special forces."

Kizlyar Supreme's key marketing tool was originally specialized exhibitions around the world. To stand out from other companies, Kulikov puts on a show for them. Employees of Kyzlyar Supreme put on green berets, change into khakis, hang up dummies of grenades, use old Soviet boxes from under gas masks and weapons instead of showcases. Against the background of this entourage, a company representative sits and sharpens knives.

“I remember that at the first Moscow Blade exhibition in 2012, competitors came up, laughed at us, asked: did you serve in the army at all?” Kulikov recalls. He did not serve in the army, but played a lot in computer games, for example Splinter cell. It turned out that such a "playful" approach allows you to attract attention, and the costs are low - only a few tens of thousands of rubles for clothes and boxes.

“Recently, Russia has begun to behave aggressively in the international arena, and our outfits are sometimes simply shocking to foreigners. But the effect only intensifies - they recognize us. There are clients who say that they come to the exhibition just to watch our mini-show,” says Kulikov.

Photo: provided by the press service

For all trading partners, the entrepreneur opened access to the server that stores professional photos, catalogs and detailed descriptions of knives. “We make life easier for them: after all, they should do their job - sales, not marketing, coming up with descriptions of knives for their online store,” explains Kulikov.

The key problem of the market is low level knowledge about knives from ordinary sellers. “The staff turnover does not contribute to the fact that people generally know what they are selling - sometimes they don’t care, which means that sales cannot be successful,” says Kulikov. To solve this problem, several times a year, Kizlyar Supreme employees come to the office of trading partners and give lectures about knives.

Bloggers and specialized media help with promotion. At first, Kulikov sat on specialized Internet forums and advertised his knives himself, and when video bloggers appeared who review products, he began to distribute knives to them for free. He also collaborates with specialized Western press. Distributes test knives to French Survival, American Blade and Knives Illustrated, German Messer Magazin and others.

All these steps do not seem innovative, but in the conservative knife market, few people are seriously engaged in promotion, Yevgeny Egrashkin admits.

Difficulties of outsourcing

During the first year of operation, Kulikov produced 10,000 knives. They were made to order in parts at several Russian and Chinese enterprises, for example, blades were made by three manufacturers. Collected knives in a warehouse in St. Petersburg.

The disadvantages of this approach soon became apparent. For example, one of the manufacturers overheated the blade and the knives turned out to be brittle. Kulikov recalls that he came to the cinema, but could not watch the film, as he received a message with a video from a friend about how the blogger breaks his knife with ease. I had to urgently withdraw the party.

Another time, the Chinese scabbard manufacturers failed. Together with a designer from Japan, the entrepreneur came up with a new type of scabbard and ordered a batch of 5,000 pieces from Chinese manufacturers. They arrived in St. Petersburg with a delay of two months, and due to the humidity on the ship, their surface was covered with fungus. Kulikov and his staff had to clean each case by hand. “Small mistakes and jambs constantly got out,” he recalls.

International brands produced products mainly in China. And Kulikov realized that he needed to organize his own production in Russia: this would save him from the difficulties of outsourcing, and would also be a plus when moving abroad - Russian knives are treated better there than Chinese ones.

Photo: Sergey Ermokhin for RBC

My father helped with the launch of production - he allocated 20 acres for the construction of a workshop in Kizlyar and 3 million rubles. Another $100,000 was invested by Kulikov Jr. Now 30% of Kizlyar Supreme LLC belongs to Kulikov Sr., 70% to the younger.

In the summer of 2013, the first container with equipment, grinding wheels and belts was brought to the territory of the new Kizlyar Supreme workshop, and a digital hardening furnace for blades was installed. The opening of our own production allowed not only to solve current problems, but also increased production volumes - now 4,000 knives are produced there per month.

Elena Pasashnikova became the director of production in 2015. A woman leader for Dagestan is a rarity, says Kulikov. In addition to her, 38 people work at the plant. Kulikov says he knows every employee and tries to motivate them. For example, he records the feedback of distributors at exhibitions and shows it to the workers in the shop. “People need to know who they are working for,” he explains.

The average cost of a knife is 3-4 thousand rubles. Now the company produces hunting knives, throwing and tourist. Kizlyar Supreme products are sold mainly through Russian partners and own website. The wholesale sales channel accounts for 40% of the revenue, the online store brings in 25%, another 25% comes from exports (the approval for the export of products structurally similar to weapons has to be obtained in the division of the Russian Guard), the rest is a state order. In the fall of 2015, Kizlyar Supreme knives became part of the combat equipment of the Russian military, the so-called soldier of the future kit. The company does not have a direct contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, it acts as a subcontractor.

Now Kulikov plans to produce not only tourist knives, but also kitchen knives. Samples are ready. He sees China as a key market. “Competition in the market for kitchen knives is high, because it is easier to produce them, but there are few quality knives, which means we have room to grow,” says Kulikov. The entrepreneur is counting on the growing Chinese middle class. According to him, his representatives prefer foreign brands.

View from the outside

"They know how to draw attention to themselves"

Evgeny Egrashkin, CEO of the Nozhikov online store

“Kulikov did the right thing by opening Kizlyar Supreme. The Kizlyar enterprise is a historically established brand, large and clumsy, its products are quite difficult to remake into something modern. Kizlyar Supreme, on the other hand, is changing rapidly. For example, their first products made in China had quality problems. But when they built production in Russia, the quality improved. The advantage of the company is that they do not stand still and experiment, they are constantly trying to release something new, and they are doing it well. They respond quickly to customer complaints. For example, at one of the exhibitions, we asked them to make the “Storm” knife from better steel, as well as change the knife trigger. They listened to us and changed the metal. Recently, they have greatly expanded the range, but at the same time there was a shortage of goods in the warehouse. They also have an unusual approach to promotion. For example, at exhibitions they dress up in military or dress up in other costumes. It is impossible to pass by them at large events and not notice. They know how to get attention."

Today the market is full of products that are Chinese. Of course, knives are no exception, but the quality of products suffers from a large number of offers. Therefore, many are increasingly turning to author's products, the quality of which cannot be doubted.

It is for this reason that it is considered beneficial to create something without leaving home. So making knives at home can become both a favorite thing and bring a good income. After all, such products will be used by hunters, fishermen, tourists, and simply connoisseurs of beauty.

Will DIY knife making be difficult?

Need to purchase necessary equipment, dexterity and desire to start earning money on your own. With experience, knife making ceases to seem tricky business, although initially the process will not be easy. The material that can be used for products is wood for the handles, steel for the blade. For example, beech wood is well suited, since it is easy to work with for beginners. In order to establish manufacturing, you need to purchase the required tools and materials. Although, initially it is worth trying yourself in this business by making a couple of trial models. Many masters talk about the simplicity of the process, so you just need to master the skill.

How to make money on knives?