Scissor sharpening tools

I have used my TSPROF K02 to sharpen several sets of shears and scissors with super great results. It is very easy to use, just take your time and set it up right, then you are off grinding to perfection. I did a few pair of hair cutting shears for my sister, she makes her living with them, and she was thrilled. I promised her nothing except that I would do my best, for free. She loved them. I will not do them for anyone else because I am not as confident doing hair scissors as I am blades. I just did flat grinds on her shears, but I have gotten convex attachments since then and will try that on shears in the future, when needed. So far, the K02 has done superb work on everything I have tried. I just use hand files on my shovels and sling blades. BUT, how cool would a super polished edge on a shovel be? I may do this just for fun.
Any system that holds the work piece securely and guides the stone at the proper angle should result in a great edge. The difference will be in how versitile the unit is, the build qualities, and how simple or complex the setup is. Having an assortment of stone shapes, types, and grits helps, but is not a must.
 
You guys probably don't want to hear this- but if you become mechanically adept and learn to use your hands (God forbid!) you can sharpen hair shears, scissors, knives, axes-and anything else with an edge without all the jigs and fixtures.
People sharpened everything by hand 50 years ago, and we weren't in the "dark ages" then.
 
I can sharpen just fine freehand, and do sometimes. I prefer the control and repeatable precision that most jigs allow, and with little effort. I can do either, and I like having the choice. Having several sharpening tools and methods is never a bad thing.
 
No, it's not a bad thing.
If you get good enough you will have repeatable precision and control without jigs.
Craftsmanship is a lost art with the younger generation.
 
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I agree with you on that. I am a cabinet and furniture maker and I am seeing this trade wither away, along with others. Many kids think computers can solve all their problems. I would love to see this trend change. I love good, hand made items, but they are becoming hard to find.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
You guys probably don't want to hear this- but if you become mechanically adept and learn to use your hands (God forbid!) you can sharpen hair shears, scissors, knives, axes-and anything else with an edge without all the jigs and fixtures.
People sharpened everything by hand 50 years ago, and we weren't in the "dark ages" then.
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Yes and no. While it can be done fine for your own purposes in most cases with most tools, I'm finding modern hair shears are one area where it can be extremely tricky to get it just right.

The tip can only tolerate so much material removal before you are getting back into the hollow grind on the ride side, causing the tip to catch. Many will have a helical shift in the edge angle from the plunge line to the tip, and the original angle and amount of shift from plunge to tip is not standard.

Grind out that twist or remove too much steel (mostly because of grinding out that twist) and the job is a fail or you're forced to bend the thing to restore solid contact along the entire length - this is the most common screwup a lot of sharpeners make. While many of the flat ground bevels have minimal or no twist, virtually all convex ones do, and some of the flat ground ones do as well - a twist of 10-15° or more - watch out! Folks that cut hair for a living can feel the difference, a few ounces of drag is a big deal when you consider how many cut cycles they perform in a day.

In these instances its a difficult enough job/requires plenty of aptitude even with a jig...
 
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Bill DeShivs said:
No, it's not a bad thing.
If you get good enough you will have repeatable precision and control without jigs.
Craftsmanship is a lost art with the younger generation.
Click to expand...
The nice thing about jigs is that you can teach yourself how to sharpen freehand also. I finally learned how to sharpen freehand after I purchased an Edgepro about 15 years ago. Prior to that, I couldn't find anyone who knew enough about sharpening to really teach me. Having a jig showed to me what a good sharp edge should look and feel like. Now I seldom use it because I enjoy freehanding more. I have nothing but praise for Ben and his Edgepro system, I've spoken with him on the phone several times and he has always been extremely helpful. I might have to try that scissors attachment for myself.

While you might be right about the younger generation, the older generation is completely pathetic in this regard as well in my experience. I was in the Army over 30 years ago (I'm almost 60), and back then, everyone was an absolute master of knives, sharpening, and hunting. In their own mind. Most were more full of hot air than a balloon, and would just dull my knives trying to "teach" me. Even most of my extended family, who are all farmers, considered knives disposable, and can't do it. I don't think it's generational. When you are young and just starting out, a lot of people are masters in their own mind, and it's hard for someone with no experience to separate the wheat from the chaff. How does a young person know who to believe? I believed the Edgepro based on the edges it gave me, but until then, I had never handled a truly sharp knife.
 
Sodak- Interesting observation. I agree the general populace has always had trouble sharpening.
I never really considered the jigs as a learning tool. Good point!
 
Part of being young is learning who to trust and to ignore the blow-hards. It took me a few years to learn that trust is earned, not given. I will not forget that hard lesson.
I would go a step further and say most people are not good with anything that requires an eye for detail, but then there are a few that are near perfection masters, like old tool and die makers.
 
As part of my job, I have taught freehand sharpening (to a wide range of ages), and I’m always surprised at who has and who doesn’t have an aptitude. Men in their 50’s (with multiple medical degrees) were so grateful to learn, and I was surprised they had never tried getting a good edge on a blade and were starting from scratch.

One woman, also in her 50’s, takes her knives to work and sharpens them at her desk. She appears to have no exceptional motor skills or coordination, (in fact she is very uncoordinated), but she can get a nice edge.

I’ve even see young boys get fantastic edges. ( I think the common denominators are need and desire + effort.)

The key I’ve found is finding the best general recommendations and then supplementing with anything that seems specifically helpful or suited to the person. One person couldn’t sharpen successfully with any kind of bench stone, ceramic rod, diamond, etc., until the WE!

OP, do you have a plan for learning on some cheap shears? Or maybe the shears in question aren’t super expensive.
 
So, really good posts here gents. I think most anything done without gadgets, by hand is hard to master. It's not generational. I talk to young ones and old ones that can't sharpen freehand but they say Grand-dad could. But he could not teach them. My Grand-dad didn't teach
me either and he could. He was a builder & cabinet maker but didn't have patience to teach. So, I read and learned & taught myself without
a gadget. I found out it's a lot like learning to play a musical instrument. Listen to the sound your making. It takes time. DM
 
I hope you are right and it is not generational. I would love to see fine hand made craftsmanship make a comeback.
 
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