Sharpening Scissors

[thesharpeningguy]

Jeff,
I have been sharpening for quite some time, but just went Pro.  I am using my Tormek on a daily basis for kitchen knives, cleavers, and woodworking tools.  I have been asked to do scissors (high dollar salon shears,) but I am afraid to tackle these.  The blades are convex, and they have a radius to them.  Some folks say they require $2K in equipment to sharpen, others say they use water stones.  It is really confusing.  The folks with the equipment solution also sell the equipment.  Convenient huh?  The guys that tell me to use water stones are actually out in the field doing the work, but don't really want to show me how to take their business.  Which scissors can I safely do on the Tormek.  I can't afford to replace these $450.00 shears.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Don

[Jeff Farris]

Don,

See my reply in the thread from a couple days ago titled "Sharpening Salon Shears".   Convex bevel shears are not to be sharpened with the SVX-150 scissors jig.  I have successfully done them using the leather honing wheel only, working freehand.  The only way that you can dull the blades is by bringing the angle too high and rounding over the edge. However, since you're doing it with the leather wheel, even if that happens you haven't ruined the blades, they can still be sharpened using more conventional means.

Like any sharpened edge, the key to the blades are to have the flat side meet the beveled edge at precisely one point. I believe that most people will say that the correct way to do this on convex bevel shears would be to lap the flat side of the blade on a very flat, very fine bench stone.  I also believe that it is vitally important to do this with the scissor taken apart and the mating surfaces lapped in line with the cutting edge.  When you do this, you will notice that the flat side of the blade isn't flat at all, but is hollow ground and when you lap it you will develop a ground surface at the cutting edge which is called the "land". 

What I do is hold the flat side of the blade as flat as possible on the honing wheel and work that surface.  Then do the bevel by rocking the blade up and back, watching closely as I come up to the edge not to bring the angle up to the point where the edge is straight into the leather. If you try it and do it wrong, a few minutes of lapping as described above will bring it back.

In your shoes, I would buy a pair of the shears and work with them, rather than a customers, to develop your technique.

[thesharpeningguy]

Thanks Jeff!  I have a friend who has agreed to teach me to sharpen these shears, and it seems the shears he sells to salons for $450 are available for around $50.  I can afford $50 for some practice shears.  The little cubic zerconia inbedded in the handles sure are cute.  Maybe we could come up with a cubic zerconis upgrade for the Tormek?  Silly, I know.
Thanks again,
Don