For anyone needing picks, crampons or screws resharpened for the upcoming season now (August and Sept) is a good time to sort through your gear and send it off.
If you are local or looking for someone to do it for you I started doing this several years ago commercially. I have a full metal shop and work on similar things every day and have for a long time....been climbing waterfall ice and working on tools since the sport began in the early '70s.
I'll do your gear just as I would my own. It is always a compromise between sharp and longevity. I go for sharp 99% of the time but want my own picks to give a reasonable service life as well. Majority of the work is with a hand file so heat isn't an issue.
I also charge a little differently.
$20 is a minimum charge or $60 per hr shop rate (I break that down by 20 min periods) plus I pay the priority mail return shipping. Hopefully that makes it easy to send in everything in your (and your buddies) gear stash that has a ding that you might not want to pay $8.00 a screw for. Cost effective for you. Time efficient for me. Take a look at your screw threads as well. Easy for me to remove the major thread nicks and polish the screw tube so it is easier to place in really, cold, hard ice again.
Typical, mildly trashed gear, would be 6 picks and 6 screws resharpened in an hour. Some more, some less obviously. But you can start there as an idea of what can be done in an hour. You send them in, I sharpen them and bill you. Send me a check or pay via Pay Pal after you get the invoice. If something looks funky or expensive to fix I'll call you on my dime first. Turn around is typically 3 or 4 days usually less except when I am out climbing.
This is NOT my major source of income but it is a serious business for me. I do it because it is easy for me (I have the right tools and years of experience) and ice climbing is still a passion. I treat your gear like I treat my own. I know a quick turn, done right, is what we all look for.
