robinp89•28d agoProlific Poster

Stumbled on a trick to fix dull thinning shears without sending them out

I was about to drop $60 on new shears after my go-to pair kept pulling hair for months. Tried using a sharpening stone at a 15-degree angle for 3 minutes and they cut like new again. Has anyone else had luck sharpening their own shears at home or am I just asking for trouble?

3 comments

3 Comments

evan_davis27d ago

15 degrees is the sweet spot for most shears, had a buddy ruin a $200 pair by going at 20 degrees. The real trick most people miss is checking the tension screw right after sharpening. Tighten it just enough so the blades barely kiss each other when closed, any tighter and you'll get that pulling again. I keep a cheap set of feeler gauges around just for this, .001 inch gap at the pivot point works perfect. Your stone needs to be flat too, I flatten mine on a piece of glass with wet/dry sandpaper every few uses.

charles_baker2828d ago

Sharpening at home works fine if you keep the angle consistent and don't overdo it.

troychen28d ago

Actually a buddy of mine tried that approach with his kitchen knives and ended up making them worse. He kept changing the angle without realizing it. @charles_baker28 is right though, if you can lock in that angle it works fine, but easier said than done I guess.