Scissors are really just two knife blades together - haha!

[roaduck]

I have been into knives and scissors since I was a kid in the seventies but I had no idea what scissors I had until I rounded them all up recently.It`s a 50 year collection.

My recent acquisitions are the 20 inch long - 12 inch blade - 3 lb monster scissors, two good quality carbon steel models and some smaller ones.I had a bit of a collection before but now I have some more scissors on order - so I have one for a few different jobs - haha!

I have tin snips, hairdressing scissors, kitchen ones, ceremonial ones, tailor ones, pinking shears, surgical scissors, aramid/kevlar , optic fibre cutting shears, floristry scissors - allsorts.

Is there anybody else here that likes scissors ? - they are so useful - I use the bright yellow handle carbon steel ones every day.

https://i.postimg.cc/2yQ7w6Jp/SCISSOR_BUNCH.jpg

 

[Locutus D'Borg]

Great post. I must admit I've never thought someone could collect scissors, but you have some nice ones, for sure.

 

[roaduck]

Thanks so much Locutus D`Borg - (great nick by the way!) - my nick is Johnny-no-socks because I`ve not been able to put shoes and socks on for 25 years - good job I`m a hippy.
My original intention was never to collect them - they just built up over the years and I needed `em for loads of different jobs.

I`ve been doing DIY, mechanics, electronics, gardening,minor surgery on people and pets, cooking, sewing, welding plus other hobbies to learn and save money or part of my job for decades and I`ve just sort of come by them.
Once a friend couldn`t be bothered to go to hospital to have her stitches out of her skull and all I had were 8 inch tailor scissors and a paring knife so I sterilised them both a took the stitches out really slowly and gently - I didn`t hurt her once - I`m patient - and she was a patient - sort of - haha!
Years later I didn`t become a vet or a doc - I became a medical herbalist and physiotherapist/masseur/aromatherapist.

Scissors are pretty easy to sharpen - you can do it with a cold steel file or on a whetstone or what I do is a few strokes with a 6" x 2" diamond file flat on the bevel of the blade.It`s much faster than doing a knife but you can`t overdo it or change the angle of the blade - just literally 2-3 firm but accurate strokes is all that`s needed usually.
If the scissors are chipped they`ll need regrinding on a tormek or or a bench grinder or a ken onion thing

 

[Warbler]

One good thing about Amazon and the internet age, it is easier to find left handed scissors.

 

[UncleBoots]

I have been into knives and scissors since I was a kid in the seventies but I had no idea what scissors I had until I rounded them all up recently.It`s a 50 year collection.

My recent acquisitions are the 20 inch long - 12 inch blade - 3 lb monster scissors, two good quality carbon steel models and some smaller ones.I had a bit of a collection before but now I have some more scissors on order - so I have one for a few different jobs - haha!

I have tin snips, hairdressing scissors, kitchen ones, ceremonial ones, tailor ones, pinking shears, surgical scissors, aramid/kevlar , optic fibre cutting shears, floristry scissors - allsorts.

Is there anybody else here that likes scissors ? - they are so useful - I use the bright yellow handle carbon steel ones every day.

https://i.postimg.cc/2yQ7w6Jp/SCISSOR_BUNCH.jpg

This is just great. I get excited about scissors too, though I never thought of it as a collection. Here are some of mine.

These one-piece Japanese snips are indispensable for cutting thin tapes like Kapton and Teflon tape used in plumbing and thin film used in some bandages. I keep an extra pair in the first aid drawer.


These giant India-made shears were a gift from a relative who has good judgment about what I like.

And then there are the Baronyx Utility Shears. If it doesn't want to be cut, and I want to cut it anyway, I reach for these.

 

[roaduck]

Wow UncleBoots - lovely scissors - thanks for sharing ; they`re all expensive posh ones !

I just have cheapie Chinese ones mostly but I have German Solingen pinking shears and Sheffield made William Whiteley hand made ones which are the best - apparently.

 

[roaduck]

These scissors are arriving tomorrow or in the next couple of weeks; I wanted to replace my junk ones.
For the 13 pairs it was less than $250 ; they`re inexpensive but not bad quality; a few are hand-forged.
I will put them all on the table and photograph them when they land in England.

 

[gadgetgeek]

Good scissors are indispensable in the right environments. In my current job I cut a lot of velcro strapping and a good pair of sharp scissors makes it really easy. We also cut a lot of adhesive backed velcro tape, and so good non-stick ones make the difference, they need cleaning periodically, but it's a couple times a week, not every other cut. I could do it all with a knife, but not with precision, and a good backing to cut on, so it's really much more efficient. This is the first job I've had where the scissors get nearly as much use as my knife, almost 1:1. And if we consider flush cutters to be a form of scissor, then that covers about 75% of my wire stripping, and thus I use scissors even more than my knife.
And yes, I have two kitchen knives that will butterfly a chicken with little effort, but my big shears almost do it by themselves. I'd need a real butchers block and cleaver to carve a raw chicken with less effort.

 

[roaduck]

Thanks for the reply gadgetgeek;; much appreciated.
Suggestions for scissors for your various jobs would be strong teflon coated 7-10 inch, 8-10 inch carbon steel, 8-10 inch chrome-plated or even good carbon floristry scissors which are my daily go to pair - the yellow handle ones.I buy budget stuff - but not cr*p - I test it !

All the above scissors are forged and heavy.The black handled 12 inch carbons weigh over 17 ounces; not bad for unbranded budget Chinese scissors.

I`ve tested them all and the whole blade cuts single threads to the tip with no fraying.Plus the 8 inch and up ones cut 1/4 of an inch leather and 20 layers plus of thick denim in one go.Amazing performance for peanuts.

My neighbour, Cathie bought some Japanese Kai 7300 for sewing and they cost her well over $150 - she laughed when she saw my $8 cheapies - so I said "Try them" she did and she was astonished with their cutting performance - she said they were just as good as the Kai`s and got jealous of my bargains - haha!
Of course the Chinese steel is inferior to the Japanese steel and will go blunt quicker but I`m not bothered I can sort them out - tout de suite.
I`ve been sharpening things for over 45 years and I`m not afraid to admit - I`m still learning - every day.


The Chinese are getting better every day.Some of their homegrown lathes have sub micron tolerances nowadays - obviously they`re multi million dollar machines - but still that`s a huge advance from even five years ago.

I bought some old English - Sheffield - William Ragg - brand - 13 inch carbon tailors shears that weighed over 30 ounces for a friend - made in the 1920`s - she cossets them and oils and polishes them - bless her.
They cut a single hair with the the last quarter of an inch of blade - amazing for antique scissors.

If you want the website links for scissors and Chinese chefs knives just PM me and I can show you inexpensive but high quality ones with genuine video reviews and picture reviews plus my personal recommendations.

My first purchase on aliexpress in 2018 was a hand forged carbon caidao with a hardness of HRC-60-61.It was a total bargain of less than £15 delivered.It`s as good quality for cutting performance as CCK Chinese chefs knives but the finish is a bit rough which I don`t mind.I have two and I gave 2 away as presents.
I have bought well over two hundred cheap Chinese knives from aliexpress for myself and friends / family and only a handful were junk.

Personally I would buy a good carbon steel or stainless steel thin light cleaver from a local Asian food market or Asian kitchen / chef supply company.It doesn`t even matter if they`re unbranded as long as the blades are straight and stiff and the steel is good quality and they are full tang designs with a solid handle.
You should be able to find a really good one for less than $20.Make sure the blade doesn`t flex and is about 1.8mm - 2.5 mm thick or about a 13th to 10th of an inch thick.

I have bought second hand butchers blocks that I have sanded smooth with a belt sander outside then sterilised by soaking with bleach and thoroughly air drying for a weekend.Look on Craigslist or ask some local butchers or chefs if they have any old tatty butchers blocks.

You can also use a slice of seasoned endgrain tree trunk about 2-4 inches thick and 15-20 inches diameter.
You can get them from sawmills, firewood suppliers, foresters etc.If the wood is not seasoned you can dry it over a weekend with a fan heater that is not too close or next to a radiator on about 70 degrees for a couple of days.
I`ve seen them advertised as wedding cake bases on Etsy and you should get a good one for about $20-$40 but it`ll last a lifetime with care and if it gets gouged and deeply scored just sand it.

 

[roaduck]

Thanks for the reply gadgetgeek;; much appreciated.
Suggestions for scissors for your various jobs would be strong teflon coated 7-10 inch, 8-10 inch carbon steel, 8-10 inch chrome-plated or even good carbon floristry scissors which are my daily go to pair - the yellow handle ones.I buy budget stuff - but not cr*p - I test it !

If you want the website links for scissors and Chinese chefs knives just PM me and I can show you inexpensive but high quality ones with genuine video reviews and picture reviews plus my personal recommendations.

My first purchase on aliexpress in 2018 was a hand forged carbon caidao with a hardness of HRC-60-61.It was a total bargain of less than £15 delivered.It`s as good quality for cutting performance as CCK Chinese chefs knives but the finish is a bit rough which I don`t mind.I have two and I gave 2 away as presents.
I have bought well over two hundred cheap Chinese knives from aliexpress for myself and friends / family and only a handful were junk.

Personally I would buy a good carbon steel or stainless steel thin light cleaver from a local Asian food market or Asian kitchen / chef supply company.It doesn`t even matter if they`re unbranded as long as the blades are straight and stiff and the steel is good quality and they are full tang designs with a solid handle.
You should be able to find a really good one for less than $20.Make sure the blade doesn`t flex and is about 1.8mm - 2.5 mm thick or about a 13th to 10th of an inch thick.

I have bought second hand butchers blocks that I have sanded smooth with a belt sander outside then sterilised by soaking with bleach and thoroughly air drying for a weekend.Look on Craigslist or ask some local butchers or chefs if they have any old tatty butchers blocks.

You can also use a slice of seasoned endgrain tree trunk about 2-4 inches thick and 15-20 inches diameter.
You can get them from sawmills, firewood suppliers, foresters etc.If the wood is not seasoned you can dry it over a weekend with a fan heater that is not too close or next to a radiator on about 70 degrees for a couple of days.
I`ve seen them advertised as wedding cake bases on Etsy and you should get a good one for about $20-$40 but it`ll last a lifetime with care and if it gets gouged and deeply scored just sand it.