Scissor Sharpeners

[jbo_c]

Do these work? I have several pairs of scissors around the house - all very frustrating to cut nylon with. Could I buy on of those little sharpeners and sharpen them or should I just buy some new ones.

The sharpener I'm referring to is on of those where you basically just make cutting motions on the sharpener.

Thanks.

Jbo

[pedro]

Yes, a scissors sharpener that has sufficient guides works. They won't take out dings or knicks in the blades, unless they are the motorized variety.

The cardinal rule for sharpening scissors: don't sharpen the inside edge!

[Ramblinrev]

The sharpener I'm referring to is on of those where you basically just make cutting motions on the sharpener.

IMO... if I am picturing this correctly you might just as well cut sheets of sandpaper with them. Absolutely nothing worse for a pair of fine quality fabric shears. Scissors are sharpened on the outward surface only. Anything that grinds at the inside surface will reduce the edge of the scissor blade. If you buy cheap nasty scissors then throw them away and buy some good quality scissors. Some folks swear by Fiskars... I usually swear at the them. My preference is Gingher or Wiss or Case. They will hold an edge really well as long you don't cut paper with them. Good scissors are worth the investment to have them sharpened properly. Even so be careful where you take them. I've had scissors ruined because some gorrila decided to treat them like they would knife.

[pedro]

IMO... if I am picturing this correctly you might just as well cut sheets of sandpaper with them. Absolutely nothing worse for a pair of fine quality fabric shears. Scissors are sharpened on the outward surface only. Anything that grinds at the inside surface will reduce the edge of the scissor blade. If you buy cheap nasty scissors then throw them away and buy some good quality scissors. Some folks swear by Fiskars... I usually swear at the them. My preference is Gingher or Wiss or Case. They will hold an edge really well as long you don't cut paper with them. Good scissors are worth the investment to have them sharpened properly. Even so be careful where you take them. I've had scissors ruined because some gorrila decided to treat them like they would knife.

Rev, I think that what jbo_c is talking about is a sharpener that's set up so that you are drawing the edges along the abrasive in the same manner as if you were making a cut with the scissors, but the abrasive only hones the outside facet of the blade. The sharpeners of this style that I've used are set up with guides so that the angle is correct and consistant.

BTW, I totally agree with you about using caution when selecting a sharpening service. There are a lot of butchers out there.(and I ain't talking about meat packers) Personally, I think that it is worth the effort to learn how to sharpen your own equipment.

[Ramblinrev]

Rev, I think that what jbo_c is talking about is a sharpener that's set up so that you are drawing the edges along the abrasive in the same manner as if you were making a cut with the scissors, but the abrasive only hones the outside facet of the blade. The sharpeners of this style that I've used are set up with guides so that the angle is correct and consistant.

BTW, I totally agree with you about using caution when selecting a sharpening service. There are a lot of butchers out there.(and I ain't talking about meat packers) Personally, I think that it is worth the effort to learn how to sharpen your own equipment.

I've never seen anything like that so that would explain my misunderstanding. My preference is a pair you can take apart so each edge can be done by itself properly

[squidstew]

I've never sharpened scissors myself, but I've read you can sharpen them by cutting through several layers of aluminum foil. Sounds strange to me, the idea of sharpening by cutting through metal, even thin, soft metal.

[Ramblinrev]

I've never sharpened scissors myself, but I've read you can sharpen them by cutting through several layers of aluminum foil. Sounds strange to me, the idea of sharpening by cutting through metal, even thin, soft metal.

I would avoid whoever told you that like the plague. The _only_ way to really sharpen scissors is working on the _outside_ edge. Anyone who says differently is selling scissors.

[jbo_c]

This is what I was referring to.

[Ramblinrev]

Fiskars is a good name. My concern would be for really fine quality shear you may not be able to get the whole blade the way you can if the you take them apart and strop each blade individually. That's not a big hairy deal unless you do full blade length cuts. Over time the blades would develop quirks that would probably prevent you from really being able to do that. For the lesser quality shears it would probably be ok.

[TeeDee]

The cardinal rule for sharpening scissors: don't sharpen the inside edge!

Interesting. I have been sharpening my wife's sewing scissors and my own now for years using a flat diamond hone from DMT (the extra fine grit) simply by honing the inside flat surface.

My wife's sewing scissors are a really heavy pair of cutter's scissors (shears?) that she got from a cutter in the trade in Philly 50 years back. He used an identical pair professionally on a daily basis to cut the pattens in the fabric, cutting several layers of fabric at the same time.

She also has several other professional grade scissors she uses for sewing. I personally like the Fiskars.

We had them sharpened once by a professional and swore to never have another person sharpen her scissors again. I have watched 2 or 3 professionals sharpen scissors and don't think I would trust any of them to sharpen our scissors.

I have found that I can restore a very good cutting edge with only 4 to 6 swipes with the extra fine DMT diamond hone on that flat inside surface. I never hone just the edge. Maybe, I've been gradually ruining our scissors every time I sharpen them??