• Please be sure to read the rules and adhere to them. Some banned members have complained that they are not spammers. But they spammed us. Some even tried to redirect our members to other forums. Duh. Be smart. Read the rules and adhere to them and we will all get along just fine. Cheers. :beer: Link to the rules: https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/forum-rules-info.2974/

Tough to take on the ego. But necessary.

The Tourist

Banned
I pride myself on being a craftsman. In the end, it's just about all a tinker has, really.

A few days ago I sharpened two scissors for a dog-groomer. One was with curvered blades, the other was thinning shears.

Both of them were made in decorative, anodized deep blue alloy.

I used lighter grit stones, I made leather inserts for my Edge Pro attachment. I worried and fidgeted over every stroke. I buffed using glaziers glass.

I was so busy trying not to mar the finish, I didn't do my job.

I get a call from the groomer this morning. The scissors bends hair and the thinning shears is providing spotty performance.

Everything is guaranteed, and the groomer does our dogs, but I don't like to hear this. She has to return to have the scissors done over.

I'm taking this very hard. Yes, I know it's twenty minutes work, perhaps less. But I'm here pacing until her van shows up.
 

Av8r3400

Gone Flyin'
It's called pride in your workmanship. Something that is quite lacking in most people.

You should be commended.
 

The Tourist

Banned
Guys, this is the very reason I retired.

I knew I was going to work on them until they're perfect. In fact, they are by the door now, awaiting for delivery.

I always tell folks that there's a line, a tipping point. A certain part of the life equation where more damage is done than good.

My ego took a blow.

I've heard peformers on TV say again and again that they can receive scores of positive reviews, but if they get one bad one and it's that singular mark they obsess about.

Tonight in Madison, the sharpest edge is on a pair of dog scissors, and that includes scalpels in surgery. Yikes.
 

The Tourist

Banned
Here's the update.

The groomer worked on our mutts last night, and the edges are still below parr. They are indeed shiny and perfectly formed. But I decided to go back to basics.

First, I did some research on the 'net. It turns out that this obscure color is not truly anodizing, but actually a spray on plasma tungsten.

I've seen it before on the Ionfusion version of the Buck 110. Those were coated with a titanium that turned the blade a golden color. You've probably seen the same finish on a Desert Eagle.

The stuff is tough, perhaps a Rc 80.

Then it dawned on me. The groomer's scissors didn't really "burr up" that much during the sharpening. Not uncommon, but a burr definitely has to form at some level to create a sharp edge.

So, now I have a call into Ben Dale at Edge Pro. I need a diamond stone that fits the scissors attachment. It's the only thing that will cut.

I spoke to the groomer this morning, and apologized up the ying-yang for all of the jerking around.

She informed me that there was a customer service number on the bottom of the scissors' case, so she called it.

Get this. The only thing the company will sharpen is blades, not scissors.

She bought a set, one curved pair to shape the head of a show dog, and one thinning shears. When she told me she got a "deal" by purchasing one pair and getting the other free, I smelled a rat.

My guess is that these are problematic tools. They didn't move off of the shelves, and she got stuck during a sale.

Wish me luck guys.
 

Erik

SelfBane
Site Supporter
ceramic won't do it? wild. good luck with finding a diamond stone above 1200 grit.
 

The Tourist

Banned
I just got off of the phone with Ben Dale. He is sending me a 'fine' diamond stone and one diamond polishing tape.

Because I buy in volume I usually pay .07 apiece for tapes. These are five bucks!

Now there's a problem with customer service. Do a job, and find out it cost you money...
 

Erik

SelfBane
Site Supporter
"fine" diamond generally means 600 grit. I like "extra fine" or 1200 grit, but it's hard to find those stones to fit mostof the sharpening systems out there, but when you're done, you'll have a customer for life - and they will hopefully bring you more business.
 

American Woman

New member
Site Supporter
I have been told over the years that my hair cutting shears had to sharpened by someone that "knew" how to sharpen shears that cut hair. Not just anybody could do it. Mine have always been done by a guy that travels from shop to shop and sharpens them right then. For the last few years they are charging more for my expensive shears than the cheaper pair. It doesn't seem to take more time.
There is an old guy down the road that sharpens sewing shears. He says he can sharpen any kind. I let him sharpen my cheaper pair, and I can't tell that he ruined them. I'm using them to cut hair. Should I trust him with my $200 pair?
 

The Tourist

Banned
Should I trust him with my $200 pair?

The best way to find an 'honest' tinker (which is an oxymoron) is to give him an old knife or damaged scissors and ask him to fix it/them.

If you go to a kitchen supply store, expect to get an edge that is "utility sharp." Most of these guys use mechanical devices.

But if you're getting a gyuto worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars or professional salon scissors done, your tinker had better produce. The edge he provides should be so amazing that you get shivers up your spine.

It should look like this:

DSC00338.jpg
 

American Woman

New member
Site Supporter
All I know is I get cut up a lot when the guy first sharpens them. But not so much with the guy down the road. My shears have NEVER came back looking that good though.
 

Erik

SelfBane
Site Supporter
AW, take him up on the offer - I did a stretch of sharpening years back hauling my gear to the different salons/barber shops but had to give it up because where I was they would rather replace their $20 shears every few months than have me sharpen them for a similar price. He's putting a good polish on that blade and you won't believe the differece it'll make in how tired your hands aren't at the end of the day.
 
D

darroll

Guest
Tourist,
Since I know nothing about knives. Your favorite knife is not pointed at the end?
What is the reason for that..
TKS
 

Erik

SelfBane
Site Supporter
It's called a "Razel" for Razor/chisel - he talks about it in another thread. great GP utility knife!
 

American Woman

New member
Site Supporter
AW, take him up on the offer - I did a stretch of sharpening years back hauling my gear to the different salons/barber shops but had to give it up because where I was they would rather replace their $20 shears every few months than have me sharpen them for a similar price. He's putting a good polish on that blade and you won't believe the differece it'll make in how tired your hands aren't at the end of the day.
I'm going to send him a couple pairs Monday.
I gotta get thru the weekend. :thumb: Shears that are done right will stay sharp longer and it is a whole lot better on my hands when I have sharp shears. No body likes this guy that comes in the shop to sharpen ours. My son works in another county, and the same guy sharpens theirs. They don't like him either.
 

Erik

SelfBane
Site Supporter
I'm going to send him a couple pairs Monday.
I gotta get thru the weekend. :thumb: Shears that are done right will stay sharp longer and it is a whole lot better on my hands when I have sharp shears. No body likes this guy that comes in the shop to sharpen ours. My son works in another county, and the same guy sharpens theirs. They don't like him either.
I bet he's putting too much of a wire edge on and not bothering to hone it off - so what you get is something razor sharp for the first few minutes, then it starts to act dull or catch until the wire breaks off, which leaves you with an uneven edge that catches on hair.
if he's using a grinding wheel setup it's real easy to mess up a good set of shears, because the hollow edge is more "fragile" than a flat one done with stones/a jig.
 
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