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View Full Version : Does anyone here sharpen clipper blades? Japanese scissors?



Malcolm Schweizer
03-01-2016, 2:54 AM
I started a side business sharpening knives and it skyrocketed. It is still "hobby money" but word of mouth has spread and I now have regular chefs that I stop by and sharpen knives for. (I am still amazed at the number of chefs that cannot sharpen a knife.) I use a Tormek followed by waterstones, and have made fine restaurants my niche market, selling on hand finishing on waterstones as my "value sell."

I have been asking around the hair salons about sharpening clipper blades and the response is always the same- "Oh wow, I would be so happy if someone on the island sharpened clippers." This is usually followed by them showing me a huge pile of blades that they were about to send out for sharpening, and excitedly saying, "Hey guys- this guy wants to sharpen clippers!," like they just won the lottery or something.

I am considering dropping $2k for the Treyco setup and other necessary tools to get started sharpening clipper blades. I worked at a kennel that did grooming when I was young and so I know how to set up a clipper and adjust spring weight.

Also so it seems most of the hair salons are using Japanese scissors sharpened on a taper rather than a hard bevel. There's is a huge market here for sharpening these types of scissors. Are there any professional sharpeners here willing to comment on sharpening Japanese scissors? I see all sorts of fancy gadgets in the $3k and up range, but can a guy with a steady hand and loads of knife sharpening experience do the taper by hand?

Any advice on what sharpeners are worth the money? I want something that can do hollows and flats with easy changeover between the two.

Lee Schierer
03-01-2016, 7:44 AM
I used to have some clippers I used for trimming our cocker spaniel that became dull. I tried to sharpen the cutters and had little if any luck doing it.

Malcolm Schweizer
03-01-2016, 1:20 PM
I used to have some clippers I used for trimming our cocker spaniel that became dull. I tried to sharpen the cutters and had little if any luck doing it.

Most clippers are actually sharpened on a large ever-so-slightly convex wheel, which leaves a tiny bit of concave to the blade. Trying to sharpen them on a flat stone will offset the geometry and make them have more friction, and possibly not fit together right. (Sometimes if you do both the cutter and the comb flat, they may fit OK, but still not as intended.) The primary reason for the concave to the cutter and comb is so that they only touch on the edge where they need to touch, and not elsewhere which would cause unnecessary heat and friction.

Also when you put them back together you need to adjust the spring tension so that there is 3 pounds or close to it of resistance when you slide the cutter to one side, and then using a kitchen scale you press the cutter down until it slides back. It should take 3 pounds to do that, generally speaking. That might be why you had mixed results as well.