sharpening?

larry merlau

Member
Messages
18,741
Location
Delton, Michigan
this isnt quite woodworking but it is close, it affects a tool used in the craft..
does anyone here sharpen scissors? and if so can you explain how you do it. i have couple pair that after cutting some double sided tape i found they needed to be sharper and they dont cut paper patterns well either.. so if anyone is proficient at it here would you post some info on what and how.. thanks and my mom will thank you to after i learn how:):thumb::thumb:
 
Larry do you have access to any type of grinder like a Tormek or Jet? There is a jig made for those to sharpen scissors. Otherwise if you have a bench grinder, just like you would sharpen a chisel, set the rest relative to the stone so it will grind the correct angle on the scissors. The few times I have had to sharpen a pair I just used the scissors themselves as the guide and just ran then lightly over the stone then cooled them in a glass of water until I got them back to being sharp.

http://www.amazon.com/Tormek-TORMEK-Scissors-Jig/dp/B0000223ZE
 
I didn't watch all the video because I disagree with the first part. I sharpen hair scissors, fabric scissors, and paper scissors, all the same way.

Never sharpen, grind, or alter the sides that slide against each other. If they don't slide against each other smoothly over the length of the cut (watching the point where the two sides start to touch as you close the scissors), you will never get them to cut well - someone has probably tried to sharpen by grinding or honing that surface and ruined the scissors.

To sharpen, you grind the part that is almost vertical to the sides that ride against each other. A quick pass on a grinding wheel is all it takes. It should be a very quick pass, since you aren't removing much metal at all, just refreshing the edge which probably became slightly rounded.

A barber explained that you had to do barber shears on a grinding wheel, with the wheel running across the blade, not on a stone, so there would be a microscopic serration of the blade and the hair would not slide as the scissors closed. That idea works great, and seems to apply to other shears as well. If you feel a burr when you try to cut after sharpening, just cut a piece of paper 2-3 times, and it will remove most burrs. (Paper dulls scissors, so don't cut any more paper than necessary with the precision scissors)

My wife's fabric shears are far more expensive than the barber shears, but I sharpen them the same way, except double check that there are no rough spots in the ground surface that might catch the fabric. (Use a very fine grinding wheel). I have a Tormek, but do the shears on a bench grinder.

My wife has some tiny surgical shears that were liberated from a hospital many years ago - small enough to do eye surgery - I do those on a stone rather than a grinding wheel since they are so tiny, but move across the blades to give the "don't slip" serrations recommended by the barber.
 
Never sharpen, grind, or alter the sides that slide against each other. If they don't slide against each other smoothly over the length of the cut (watching the point where the two sides start to touch as you close the scissors), you will never get them to cut well - someone has probably tried to sharpen by grinding or honing that surface and ruined the scissors.

To sharpen, you grind the part that is almost vertical to the sides that ride against each other. A quick pass on a grinding wheel is all it takes. It should be a very quick pass, since you aren't removing much metal at all, just refreshing the edge which probably became slightly rounded.

+1. I agree. This also holds true for any snips, shears (like for gardening). I'd like to add that the closing action should be checked for frictional contact. The pivot point for the two legs of the scissors may be a screw/nut of sorts, or could be a rivet. If the closing action has any gap, being sharp is inconsequential.



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+1 I have closets full of dull scissors. I guess I should just throw out the ones with rivets.....:(

You might not have to pitch them right away. If you back up one side of the rivet with the anvil part of a machinist type vise, or some very sturdy place, give the other side a whack (or progressively harder smacks) with a hammer. Or you might need a tack hammer or a ball peen hammer to get to it. All the scissors may need is to have the rivet tightened a bit.


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For small critical sharpening jobs such as scissors, plane irons etc., I've found Prussian Blue to relieve eye strain and improve accuracy tremendously. A small tube can be purchased for a couple of bucks and lasts a lifetime.
 
Any reason to use prussian blue over a sharpie? Blueing tends to stay with you a while if you get it on your hands...

Cynthia: it's a ink/dye type product you put on metal, then rub together to see what areas contact. you could put it on a surface to be ground, then you can tell all the areas that are ground because the blue is gone.

Or, it's a lot of fun to put it in someone's hardhat liner on a hot day. When they start sweating they'll look like a smurf :)
 
Any reason to use prussian blue over a sharpie? Blueing tends to stay with you a while if you get it on your hands...

Cynthia: it's a ink/dye type product you put on metal, then rub together to see what areas contact. you could put it on a surface to be ground, then you can tell all the areas that are ground because the blue is gone.

Or, it's a lot of fun to put it in someone's hardhat liner on a hot day. When they start sweating they'll look like a smurf :)

i knew i liked you for some reason:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Rofl. Mcmaster carr or msdcirect.com carry it, probably amazon too. Most machine shop supply companies shoudl have it or something like it. It doesn't come off real easy. I've only ever got it on my hands before, but it took a few days to wear off. Might want to figure out what removes it before trying on your husband :rofl:
 
Rofl. Mcmaster carr or msdcirect.com carry it, probably amazon too. Most machine shop supply companies shoudl have it or something like it. It doesn't come off real easy. I've only ever got it on my hands before, but it took a few days to wear off. Might want to figure out what removes it before trying on your husband :rofl:

Nah, I don't care if it takes months to come off........:rofl: :rofl:
 
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