Certified: Master Sharpener by the National Shear Sharpeners Guild
Is your scissor sharpened at a proper angle?
I can show you with my laser angle gauge.
Hairstyling Scissor Sharpening
Is a Science Is an Art
Both are true.
Science:
is the goals that need to be achieved.
Art: is how to reach the goals.
There are 3 things that make a hairstyling scissor cut well:
- The sharpened angle should be 45 degrees or sharper.
The correct angle should be easy, but I've seen many scissors that don't even come close. - The hone line--the flat spot on the inside edge of the scissor blade--must be thin and smooth.
A thin, smooth, hone line--that's easier said than done.
- The scissor blades must be bent slightly towards each other. It is called the "set" or "balance."
This is the most difficult to accomplish. If the blades don't meet properly, the scissor won't cut well.
~ I do these things, and lots more, very well. ~
I have the equipment and expertise to sharpen your Japanese hairstyling scissors and German hairdressing scissors like new.
I have been sharpening scissors since 1981 -- $25.00 each scissor. Over time, bad sharpeners can damage good scissors. What are you going to do with thoese scissors you used to love? Buy new ones -- NO have me sharpen them. So you can love them again.
Call for an appointment in Los Angeles County 800-725-3246.
**Or, Package your scissors up, and send them to me**
Getting Technical
There are two forces acting on the hair as a scissor closes--one to cut the hair, and one to push the hair out of the scissor. Forty-five degrees is the angle at which the cutting force becomes greater than the pushing force.
While there is more to sharpening a hairstyling scissor than getting the correct angle, you can see why your scissor will not perform at its best if it isn't sharpened at 45 degrees (or sharper). I am not saying that at a different angle, you scissor will not cut hair, but it is not going to feel the same. There simply is nothing like a razor sharp scissor for cutting hair. I was a hairstylist for many years, so I speak from experience.
When you hand me a pair of scissors to be sharpened, I inspect each part as I disassemble it at my work bench. Screws, washers, I check for nicks in the blade. I hold the blade against a "straight edge" to inspect the "set" (bend). I measure the cutting angle with my laser angle gauge. I visually follow the curves. A Japanese scissor is full of curves. The blades are bent slightly (the "set"). The cutting edge has a 800mm lengthwise curvature, and the outside of the blade curves into the cutting edge. Sometimes, the angle of the cutting edge changes as it gets closer to the tips. These curves, first have to be recognized, and then, providing they are correct, they should be followed. My Rapid Edge Machine is great, it shapes, it smooth's, it polishes, but it all comes down to me. I see the dings and the curves; from experience, I know how to follow the curves, and finesse your scissors into cutting flawlessly.
A scissor becomes dull for a variety of reasons. You may have done a lot of hair cuts. The scissor may have fallen on the floor. There could be a nick in the blade, the scissor won't cut properly past the nick. The screw could be misaligned, or too loose or too tight. The washer might be damaged or missing. These are just the most obvious problems, but I can think of a dozen other reasons a pair of scissors cut poorly. There are specific remedies for each problem. The trick is to know which ones to apply. For example, a slight change in the bend (set or balance) of the scissor blade can change it from bending the hair to cutting perfectly.
Since I began sharpening scissors in 1981, I have successfully dealt with all these kinds of damage. I do all the things you hope a scissor sharpener is capable of doing. I restore the cutting edge, remove nicks in the blade, fix bent scissors, corrugate edges, and align handles. I am an expert. I use a state-of-the-art, water-cooled, five-head honing machine. I have more tools than I want to count. If your scissor can be renewed, I have the equipment, and the experience, to do it right. I am mobile; I work in my van.
Call for an appointment in Los Angeles County 800-725-3246
***or - Package your scissors up, and send them to me***