How to sharpen tying scissors?

In by email:
Any suggestions?

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LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL

Just a few strokes on ouside edge of the blade using a diamond hone set on the edge of a counter so the other blade can be passed while open.

Available in Walmart or Harbor Freight.

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bubba_orvis

Took mine to the hair cuttin joint. They use a guy who comes by once per month and does everyones onsite.

Draw a strip of 600 grit Wet&dry paper across the cutting blade, only pulling inward toward the cutting edge.
Take two or three runs across the face, do the other blade, then clean the blades with tissue to remove any swarf.
While you are at it file the outsides of the points to a needle point, to get into small hackle roots.

Works for me.

My soloution is to use the Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker (Set) ~ 204
http://spyderco.com/pix/products/small/204_S.jpg

This machine is used on all of my pocket knives, our kitchen knives, camping knives and all of the scissors and shears too. You can get a video with it that shows how to easily use it on all the items you need sharpened-even garden tools and axes. There are grooves in the ceramic triangle hones that will sharpen hooks sticky-sharp too.

Well worth the investement considering the versitality.

Rich

What did JC do this time? LOL

Allan

Go to where you get your hair cut and ask who sharpens their scissors. Then take them to that person who will have the right equipment to do the job. I'm assuming that the scissors are expensive enough to warrent sharpening.

TxEngr

You can sharpen em...?..I've just replaced em as needed...5th pair for me....

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"I've often wondered why it is that so many anglers spend so much money on,and pay so much attention to.the details on the wrong end of the fly line.If they took as much care in selecting or tying their flies as they did in the selection of the reel and rod,They might be able to gain the real extra edge that makes it possible to fool a fish that has,in fact,seen it all before" A.K.Best

"Wish ya great fishing"

Bill

600 grit sand paper, apiece of glass, magic marker.or a medium diamond file. first marke the edge with magic marker. lay the sand paper on the glass .stroke the edge against the sand paper creating a burr on the endside of the sizor and removing the line of the marker only stoking in one direction when you have removed the marker from the edge evenly you should have a burr line inside the edge with lite presure with thum and fore finger hold the tips open as you close the blades. after closing open without pressure,now than, cut a paper towel. removing the burr, they should be sharp. you should be able to fell the right angle to hold the edge when you lay the edge against sand paper on glass.

Found these scissors in a local haberdashery wholsaler. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...l/Scissors.jpg
They cost ?1:42 (about $2) at that price I don't sharpen them. When I tied commercially I would get about 1 years tying out of a pair.

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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

I send them out and every pair I have sent come back sharper then when they were new. I even sent out a pair of Dr. Slicks when I sent me main pair out last and they came back 10x sharper then they were when I got them and have lasted 2x as long this time.

I'm about as frugal a fly tyer as you will find anywhere but I simply replace my good scissors when they stop cutting well. At $8-$10 bucks (much cheaper at flea markets), I feel that I've gotten my money's worth after a couple of years. Actually I get even more years of sevice than that because old scissors get the nasty jobs like cutting heavy hair, hides and wire for another year or two before the final toss. 8T

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You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it's a real short camping season.

The trick to sharpening anything is to keep the angle the same thorugh out the stroke. I was taught to sharpen kinves and such from an old trapper. It also taught me how to sharpen any other items that I may need to sharpen.
I have found that most people can't do this, don't ask me why but maybe they just can't sit in one place long enough to get it done. LOL
But the trick to it all is keeping the angle the same all the time. I use a crox stick to do mine and they work real well. A small stone works to. But it has to be small and not to wide to work well.
The way I look at it if you are going to throw them away why not try to learn to sharpen them. Can't hurt and it can save you a few bucks. It saves me a lot of money as I do not use cheap scissors.
If you know an old trapper in your area I would bet he can show you how to get it done. If not with scissors then with a knife and it is the same thing. Ron

You can extend the life of scissors by taking a small diameter glass jar and opening your scissors all the way then try to cut the jar in half a couple times with fairly firm pressure on the scissors. After that, your first cutting action should feel weird then, the second one, silky smooth. What you are doing is to burnish the cutting edge a tiny bit and then shearing the resultant burs off the edge.

Happy Trails!
Ronn

Awhile back I found a little gizmo scissors sharpener at Wallyworld or crafty store,made by Fiskars who make sewing/knitting scissors. This "device" uses the crockstick principle by maintaining a constant angle. It is a plastic disc about the size of a silver dollar, with a small ceramic rod imbedded at an angle, and opposing slots on each side of the ceramic rod. Just open the scissors, insert both cutting sides into the slots and put cutting pressure on the rod as you withdraw the scissors toward you. In practice, its a lot easier to use than explain.
Works great if their not too far gone(very dull) and cost only a few bucks.
Usual disclaimer.
Cheers, T.

Bring them to a local barbor shop. Most have a sharpening service that keep thier scissors. Only cost's a buck and they come back in a week.

Billyjoe hit it on the head with the burr. When sharpining knives, etc you want to roll a burr on the opposite side. Your gradfathers honing strop was to remove this burr on his razor.

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I feel more like I do now than I did when I got here!

Cactus AKA "Lucky Dog (Pirate Name)"

At under $20, I just replace mine when they are no longer up to speed.

I asked the gal that cuts my hair if she could have them sharpened for me and she said, "sure, but I may be better off replacing them with new ones." Turns out it costs about $40 to sharpen a pair of hers, but then they cost over $300 each. And we thought tying was expensive. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/frown.gif

- Gary

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"Catch 'em all ~ Put 'em back!"

Visit [url=http://www.warmwaterangler.net/forum:0e8d5]Warmwater Angler[/url:0e8d5].

Gave mine to my neighbor and fishin' buddy who is a wood carver to sharpen. He has hones of all shapes for his carving chisels and fixed them right up--even the curved ones. Just a thought for folks who don't know a barber but do know a wood carver. DAN

PS -- one of his specialties is carving and painting up fish. How he gets bluegill fins carved down to 1/32" thick is beyond me.