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pinking shears sharpening? (US)



 
 
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  #11  
Old January 24th 06, 04:29 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
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Default pinking shears sharpening? (US)

Andy Dingley wrote:

On Fri, 16 Dec 2005 00:38:37 GMT, Elizabeth Young
wrote:


I have tried to get my Wiss pinking shears sharpened locally.



It's pretty much impossible to sharpen pinking shears. It's not easy to
sharpen your own brand, where you can jig up to do one design over and
over, but to sharpen any old pair that comes in off the street is very
hard. Also, most pinking shears simply _can't_ be sharpened - they take
their adjustment from the pivot and so you need to dismantle them and
work on the pivots to get the set right again. If they're not
maunfactured to allow this, then it's really not practical.



Not true. The only pinkers, scissors, shears or other tyoe of cutlery
that cannot be sharpened (or at least hold a worhtwhile edge) are those
manufactured in cast steel, which has a granular property. You'll know
when you sharpen a cast pair as it breaks apart along the edge. Also,
under the pivot you can see the granular structure, which looks like sand.



On the bright side, scissors rarely need full sharpening anyway.
Generally a light honing is enough to make them cut again and as merely
honing them doesn't disturb their set, then this is an easy job. It's
entirely practical for DIY.

Get a small diamond hone on a plastic stick (DMT make good ones). Use
this, wet, to polish the top edge of the blade - the edge that contacts,
but doesn't slide over, the other blade of the scissors (i.e. not the
face). Be careful to hold the hone at the right angle and to not wobble
it (thus making a rounded surface). A few minutes work here will
generally rejuvenate most straight bladed scissors and a small hone will
even allow you to work on most pinking shears. Even with a serrated
blade, honing the non-serrated blade is worthwhile. So long as the
scissors aren't worn so badly that their set is affected, this is
usually enough to get them cutting again.


Again, this is only part of sharpening. What happens when you create the
burr and cut it off in the wrong direction upon first use ?

I receive SO MANY pairs that have been sharpened in this fashion. The
user does what you described above or uses tinfoil or sandpaper (OLD
WIVES TALE folks...). They use them a few times and they are often worse
for wear, at which point I get them and have to do more work to sharpen
them.

btw, DMT (diamond machine technology) are made down the street from me.
While they make excellent products that surpass the imported type, I
wuld not recommend a casual user in the method you described above. I've
probably sharpened over 100,000 shears and I ALWYS use a precide angle
jig that I designed. No guesswork, no returns...

The set, as you say, is only ruined when the individual teeth have been
sharpener by a well-meaning "sharpener".

Trust me, I've done this for 20 years.
Ads
  #12  
Old January 24th 06, 04:32 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
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Default pinking shears sharpening? (US)

Elizabeth Young wrote:

Andy Dingley wrote in part:

On Fri, 16 Dec 2005 00:38:37 GMT, Elizabeth Young
wrote:

I have tried to get my Wiss pinking shears sharpened locally.



It's pretty much impossible to sharpen pinking shears. Also, most
pinking shears simply _can't_ be sharpened - they take
their adjustment from the pivot and so you need to dismantle them and
work on the pivots to get the set right again. If they're not
maunfactured to allow this, then it's really not practical.
On the bright side, scissors rarely need full sharpening anyway.



Well, it looks like mine are made to be taken apart, and I do believe
that the adjustment is off, because if I jam the blades together as I
cut, most of the shear cuts.

Now, where did I put that oil....

liz young in cool california


Oil attracts fine dust. I use alcohol base which dries to a fine white
powder that does not attract dust.

Case in point: Every pocketknife I sharpen has pocket lint in them. The
worse ones always have oil all along the inside. Now I have to clean
them before sharpening...
  #13  
Old January 24th 06, 04:34 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
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Default pinking shears sharpening? (US)

Elizabeth Young wrote:

SNIGDIBBLY wrote:

http://www.gingher.com/repair.htm
These folks might be able to take care of your scissors.

I thought so too, but the saleslady at the sewing store (who has stopped
advising pinking shears as a purchase because of the sharpening issue)
said Gingher won't even sharpen their own shears anymore.
However, it is always worth checking!
Thanks, snigs


liz young in frosty, foggy, windy (go figure) california


Catch-22, huh ?

Gingher also states that having their shears sharpened by anyone else
except them will void the warranty... !
  #14  
Old January 24th 06, 04:54 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
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Default pinking shears sharpening? (US)

Elizabeth Young wrote:

I have tried to get my Wiss pinking shears sharpened locally. No good.
No one does it anymore around here anymore (Sacramento CA).
Boo Hoo

Does anyone have a contact for some place in the US where I can send my
pinking shears for sharpening?

liz young (in cloudy california)



btw, I would just like to follow up in saying that the nice people at
COOPER (who puchased Wiss), have recommended my services for folks
calling their plant looking for sharpeners.

I worked in 2 different cutlery shops and was trained as a professional
cutler, working on Scissors, Shears and Knives exclusively.

Have other references, including government subcontractors.

That's not to say I only do large orders, but I recommend that sewing
clubs get together and send a few to save on shipping costs.

Thanks,
Joe
Village Sharpener
  #15  
Old January 24th 06, 04:56 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
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Default pinking shears sharpening? (US)

Village Sharpener wrote:

I sharpen any shears, Specializing in industrial and pinking.

Sorry, I am not local, as I live and work in Marlboro MA. I have the buk
of my work sent to me as a lot of people have trouble finding a cutler,
anywhere.

The one thing we can't sharpen is cast steel. The way to determine is to
file in a discreet area (behind pivot). If the file "skates" (doesn't
cut into steel), they are probably cast.

Your Wiss pinkers are excellent candidates for sharpening, PROVIDED,
that someone already has not tried to sharpen the individual teeth, used
sandpaper or tinfoil (STOP THAT !). You don't actually sharpen the
teeth. The manufacture of pinking shears make tight tolerances and if
you sharpen the teeth, you effectively ruin the shears so that they
never mesh properly.

Have been sharpening for 20 years professionally and I sharpen in excess
of 6000 shears per year for one customer alone and over 8000 knives last
year at my retail/walk-in location.

My website:

http://www.villagesharpener.com

Hope this is not against group policy, but I also have probably the
largest collection of antique scissors/shears and related ephemera.
Selling a lot of it due to recent (down)turn of events, but am staying
with sharpening full-time. Here are some of my auctions (lots more coming):


Ads are discouraged on the sewing groups generally, and the quilters
will eat you alive! But I'll put in a plea for mercy at this point,
because you offer a really useful service. I am really REALLY glad I
have professional sharpening man's back-up for telling folk that
wrecking yer best sheers on tinfoil and sandpaper is no way to 'sharpen'
them! I cheat: buy cheap pinking sheers and replace them when I wreak
them. As I only use them for occasional trimming, even a cheap pair has
lasted over 10 years, and I sew professionally!

Please post the ads to the marketplace group, and I'm sure folk will
look in there. But remember NOT to advertise a sale here! You
might also like to pop an ad into the Treadle On flea market, as sewing
related stuff goes well there, and folk who like antique sewing machines
may also like antique scissors to cut their re-enaction garments out
with!

Stay with us, keep your ad to a sigline URL, and keep offering sage
scissor advice!

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!
  #16  
Old January 24th 06, 05:08 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
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Default pinking shears sharpening? (US)

Kate Dicey wrote:

Village Sharpener wrote:


I sharpen any shears, Specializing in industrial and pinking.

Sorry, I am not local, as I live and work in Marlboro MA. I have the
buk of my work sent to me as a lot of people have trouble finding a
cutler, anywhere.

The one thing we can't sharpen is cast steel. The way to determine is
to file in a discreet area (behind pivot). If the file "skates"
(doesn't cut into steel), they are probably cast.

Your Wiss pinkers are excellent candidates for sharpening, PROVIDED,
that someone already has not tried to sharpen the individual teeth,
used sandpaper or tinfoil (STOP THAT !). You don't actually sharpen
the teeth. The manufacture of pinking shears make tight tolerances and
if you sharpen the teeth, you effectively ruin the shears so that they
never mesh properly.

Have been sharpening for 20 years professionally and I sharpen in
excess of 6000 shears per year for one customer alone and over 8000
knives last year at my retail/walk-in location.

My website:

http://www.villagesharpener.com

Hope this is not against group policy, but I also have probably the
largest collection of antique scissors/shears and related ephemera.
Selling a lot of it due to recent (down)turn of events, but am staying
with sharpening full-time. Here are some of my auctions (lots more
coming):



Ads are discouraged on the sewing groups generally, and the quilters
will eat you alive! But I'll put in a plea for mercy at this point,
because you offer a really useful service. I am really REALLY glad I
have professional sharpening man's back-up for telling folk that
wrecking yer best sheers on tinfoil and sandpaper is no way to 'sharpen'
them! I cheat: buy cheap pinking sheers and replace them when I wreak
them. As I only use them for occasional trimming, even a cheap pair has
lasted over 10 years, and I sew professionally!

Please post the ads to the marketplace group, and I'm sure folk will
look in there. But remember NOT to advertise a sale here! You
might also like to pop an ad into the Treadle On flea market, as sewing
related stuff goes well there, and folk who like antique sewing machines
may also like antique scissors to cut their re-enaction garments out
with!

Stay with us, keep your ad to a sigline URL, and keep offering sage
scissor advice!



Thanks for the kind reminder. Sorry for the ad post.

I can tell you that you can SOMETIMES sharpen cast scissors. When Wiss
made their shears, they actually welded the hardened face onto the
frame. This way, after someone sharpened them, they could adjust the
hadles to size the tips. That means that sometimes after sharpening, the
tips would not align proper and most sharpeners and DIY's would grind
the tips to realign them. BAD ! Especially, when you consider that a
beautician can spend upwards of $800 for a pair of profesional shears.
That siad, sometimes the handles are cast and the blades are properly
harrdened/tempered, but then you have the catch-22 where you can't align
the tips for fear of cracking the cast frame !

Like your advice of nuying cheap ones, but I tend to go toward the
moderate range. Instead of buying one pair of $70 shears, buy 2 decent
$40 ones and that way when you send them out to be sharpened, you have
another pair !

I get TONS of scissors per year from airport seizures in Ssacramento and
Boston's Logan airport. A lot of times I will sort thru them and take
the antiques for my collection and giving the rest to senior sewing
centers or schools. That's all going to change now that our illustrious
MA AG has allowed scissors back on board...

Another thing to remember is that most shears come with only a 10-25
degree angle, where Gingher is famous for having 2 (10 & 45 on
knife-edge). It's important that the scissor/shears match the material
you are cutting. I often sharpen at 35d for fleece and polar-tec. Boy
does that stuff eat up an edge !

Joe
Village Sharpener
Marlboro MA
http://www.villagesharpener.com
  #17  
Old January 24th 06, 05:11 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
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Default pinking shears sharpening? (US)

Kate Dicey wrote:



Please post the ads to the marketplace group, and I'm sure folk will
look in there. But remember NOT to advertise a sale here! You
might also like to pop an ad into the Treadle On flea market, as sewing
related stuff goes well there, and folk who like antique sewing machines
may also like antique scissors to cut their re-enaction garments out
with!


Started doing re-enactments about 4 years ago. We participate in the
1750-1840 mountain man era. I started making my own clothes and have a
new found appreciation for you folks.

In keeping period, I had to measure (not twice, but 5 times !), cut and
hand sew with sinew to keep with the spirit of the times.

Man, this suit netter last a lifetime !



Stay with us, keep your ad to a sigline URL, and keep offering sage
scissor advice!

  #18  
Old January 24th 06, 05:16 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
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Default pinking shears sharpening? (US)

The website says they sharpen only Ginghers, but evidently still do
sharpen their own brand. I tend to assume that information from the
company's website is more accurate than what any salesperson say.

Julia in MN

Elizabeth Young wrote:
SNIGDIBBLY wrote:

http://www.gingher.com/repair.htm
These folks might be able to take care of your scissors.

I thought so too, but the saleslady at the sewing store (who has stopped
advising pinking shears as a purchase because of the sharpening issue)
said Gingher won't even sharpen their own shears anymore.
However, it is always worth checking!
Thanks, snigs


liz young in frosty, foggy, windy (go figure) california



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  #19  
Old January 24th 06, 06:01 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
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Default pinking shears sharpening? (US)

I agree with Kate. We did have some questions about sharpening and where
to have it done, so I don't see a problem with briefly mentioning your
services along with a pointer to your website. In my opinion, that's not
in the same category as the ads that are not posted in response to some
question asked here. Lots of good info on your website, by the way.

Julia in MN
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This message has been scanned for viruses by Norton Anti-Virus

http://webpages.charter.net/jaccola/



  #20  
Old January 24th 06, 06:36 PM posted to rec.crafts.textiles.sewing,rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
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Default pinking shears sharpening? (US)

Julia in MN wrote:
I agree with Kate. We did have some questions about sharpening and where
to have it done, so I don't see a problem with briefly mentioning your
services along with a pointer to your website. In my opinion, that's not
in the same category as the ads that are not posted in response to some
question asked here. Lots of good info on your website, by the way.

Julia in MN



Thanks for you support. Promise I won't spam the group(s) anymore.

If I can be of any help I will try.
Besides, now that I am making my own clothes for primitive rendezvous, I
am bound to be asking questions from you folks !

Imagine, I have only cut myself less than 5 times in all my years of
sharpening, yet my fingers are like pincushions once I started stitching
my own garb
 




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