How to properly sharpen scissors for shearing rams and sheep if they become dull during work? In this case, there is simply no time to look for a specialist. After all, rams cannot wait; they need to be trimmed as quickly as possible. Fine-grained sandpaper, ordinary foil, kitchen steel wool, and even a gypsy needle will help make the blades sharper. All of these items can sharpen scissors in minutes.
Process Features
Shears are a mechanical tool used to shear a flock of sheep once or twice a year.This device for grooming animals is made of durable metal. Typically made of high carbon steel. This material retains its hardness for a long time and lends itself well to repeated sharpening.
In the instructions for using some tools, manufacturers specify exactly how to restore its cutting properties. For example, German sheep shearing products from Berger can be sharpened on a machine or with a sharpening stone.
Not every tool can be used to trim animal hair. It is advisable to buy special scissors for shearing sheep. The length of their blades should be more than 15 centimeters. Small ones will be inconvenient to use. Plus they will break quickly.
A new tool without sharpening can be used 20-50 times. During operation, the cutting edge becomes dull. In this case, it needs to be sharpened. The sharper the scissors, the easier it is to trim sheep's wool. Chinese instruments fail most quickly. They are made of low-quality soft steel. German or Swiss professional sheep shears last longer.
During the sharpening process, the dull edge must be made sharp. The blades are sharpened only on one outer side. Before work, you need to pay attention to the factory sharpening angle. Usually it is 60-75 degrees. It is at this angle that the blades need to be sharpened, and only from the outside. Where the two cutting halves touch, there should be a perfectly flat surface.
Before work, you need to check how the cutting surfaces look when closed. When the blades overlap each other, there should be no gap between them. It is recommended to level surfaces with curves before sharpening. The procedure for sharpening a tool for shearing rams is not considered too complicated. You need to work carefully.
How to sharpen sheep shears at home
Tool sharpening should be performed by professional craftsmen. The fact is that sheep shears are too expensive, and it is better to take them to a specialist. You can sharpen the blades yourself. The main thing in such work is not to overdo it.
Sandpaper
To sharpen scissors with your own hands, you need fine-grain sandpaper on a fabric basis. It is advisable to buy a small strip 20 centimeters long at a hardware store. To sharpen a tool, all you have to do is cut the sandpaper until the dull blades become sharp. The entire sharpening procedure takes no more than 3 minutes.
Foil
A sheep shearing tool can be sharpened using ordinary foil, which is used when baking meat or vegetables in the oven. It is easy to buy in any supermarket. The foil should be folded in six layers into a rectangle 30 centimeters high and long. The resulting square must be cut into strips. Of course, with scissors that need to be sharpened.
This is such a quick way to sharpen a sheep shearing tool. If you cut the foil for several minutes in a row, it will soon become easier to work with scissors.The cutting edge will sharpen itself only from contact with this thin metal paper.
Metal sponge
You can even sharpen lamb shears using a metal kitchen sponge, which is used for cleaning dirty dishes. The process of sharpening a tool is not complicated. It is recommended to cut the sponge into small pieces. Of course, this kitchen accessory will become unusable. But dull blades will become sharp after this procedure. The main thing is to buy a soft, not a hard kitchen sponge. It is better to cut it over a trash can or over a newspaper.
Gypsy needle
You can sharpen dull scissors using a gypsy needle. The larger the needle, the better. The main thing is that it does not break during operation. You just need to hold it in one hand and use the other hand to gently and quickly use the sheep shearing tool. During sharpening, you simply need to close the blades near the needle at an angle of 60-75 degrees, along the entire length of the cutting edge. Of course, there is no need to cut the needle. The blades should slide along the needle between them. This procedure will help you quickly and effortlessly sharpen your ram shearing tool.
Glass jar
Hand shears for shearing rams and sheep can be sharpened using a glass jar with a narrow neck or a beer bottle. It is advisable to take a container that you don’t mind. Sharpening of scissors is carried out at an angle of 60-75 degrees. The blades of the ram shearing tool are closed at the neck of the jar until they become sharp. There is no need to cut the glass. You just need to close the blades near the neck of the glass jar, and at an angle of 60-75 degrees, making quick, without pressure, sliding movements.
If the problem is not in the blades
In order for scissors to cut well, it is not at all necessary to sharpen them before each haircut. This is not a knife that needs to be perfectly sharp at all times. Sometimes it happens that the scissors do not cut, but the problem is not in the blades at all. First of all, we need to understand what happened to the ram shearing tool. It is recommended to look at the scissors from the side before sharpening. The instrument must be raised to eye level. This is not done out of idle curiosity. It turns out that the blades should fit snugly against each other when closing. In addition, be perfectly smooth on the inside.
There should be no gap or bend between them. If the blades are not straight, but curved, then they need to be aligned.
If the scissors begin to cut poorly, first of all, it is recommended to check the cutting edge and see if there is any damage to it. If there are defects at the ends of the blade, they must be eliminated. It's easier to contact a specialist. True, the cost of professional services is usually high.
You can try to remove defects yourself, for example, using a P100 grit sanding disc and an ordinary drill that helps rotate this wheel. It is necessary to properly grind the cutting edge. The sharpness of the blades and the performance of the tool depend on this procedure. During the grinding process, you need to position the blades correctly, or rather at the right angle, in relation to the surface of the grinding disc. According to the factory instructions, the sharpening angle of the cutting edge of the scissors is 60-75 degrees. The blades on the grinding disc are sharpened on only one side - the outer side, and the surfaces in contact with each other remain perfectly smooth.
Before sharpening, it is recommended to see how the tool works.It happens that the blades move away from each other at a considerable distance, and a gap forms between them. Of course, it will not be possible to trim sheep and rams with such a tool. If the two halves of the scissors are attached using a hinge, then it is recommended to check whether the screw is loose and, if necessary, tighten it. If there is a rivet instead of a screw, it needs to be crimped with pliers.
Scissors may not cut if the cutting surface is rusty. This happens if the tool has been in contact with water. In this case, you can adjust the scissors for shearing sheep and rams if you clean the blades from corrosion and sharpen the cutting edge on a fine-grained rotating grinding disc.
It is recommended to trim animal fur only with a sharpened tool. Dull blades simply won't cut through the tough hairs of rams and sheep. During sharpening, the cutting edge is sharpened only from the outside, and at an angle of 60-75 degrees. Intersecting, that is, surfaces in contact with each other, must be smooth.
