Written, with illustrations, to help the beginner to novice learn to sharpen and start their own highly profitable business.

Transcription

1 This booklet was written in an effort to guide the novice sharpener to get started, It is not intended as a replacement for 1 on 1 training. Contact me at: scissortek@hotmail.com or to schedule. Visit My web site, YOUR GUIDE TO FREE-HAND SHARPENING BEAUTY SHEARS ON A FLAT HONE SHARPENING SYSTEM Written by Bob Treat Written, with illustrations, to help the beginner to novice learn to sharpen and start their own highly profitable business. 1 of 1

2 What in the world is a flat hone?? The original flat hones were used by the Japanese for sharpening swords and knives. They looked similar to a foot operated pottery wheel, the sharpeners used fish oil or water and fine ground abrasive material to sharpen on the spinning disk. Today many manufacturers around the world make a smaller version that is mechanized. Most are variable speed and reversible. I can only show my flat hone because I wouldn t want to infringe on any copyrights. Following is pictures of a flat hone I manufacture and several students using it. You can see the position of the light and machine that will be talked about later in this booklet. Master Hone basic Flat Hone machine 2 of 2

3 This is one student, note the position of the light and machine Notice the same position of the light and machine? Use these pictures to help you understand what I m trying to explain further into this booklet., I wrote this booklet because I couldn't find enough information about how to sharpen my wife's scissors and she wasn't completely 3 of 3

4 happy with shipping her $150 pair of scissors to the manufacturer and then having to wait a couple weeks before they were returned. Sometimes they didn t cut any better than when she sent them! I thought to myself, I could do a better job than that, I just needed someone to teach me. Training was half way across the Country and I couldn t take time off work. I found a guy that built the type of machine I wanted and also was willing to teach me. I paid him THOUSANDS, got the equipment, and 3 days training. After that, I was on my own. This booklet is designed to remove the obstacles I ran into. You will benefit because all of the information you need to know about sharpening styling shears is in it. It will help you start a business from scratch, earn a very decent living and give you financial independence. There are two ways to start a business. You can open the doors and wait for things to happen, or you can go out and make it happen. I m going to help you make it happen. This is not a rags-to-riches scheme, it s just showing you the way to make a decent living. The rest is up to you. The world is full of scissors--beauty scissors (or shears, the most common term used for higher-priced hair-cutting tools), barber scissors, dog-grooming scissors, fabric cutters, tailor scissors, surgical instruments, and the list goes on. The scissor is a cutting instrument--and all cutting instruments become dull...so scissor sharpening is a trade that is in high demand, with repeat business. Most salons and hair-stylists use styling shears in their businesses. The average cost to sharpen convex-type styling shears is $25, and going up all the time. The average cost to sharpen Grooming scissors ranges from $6 to $25, for the $25 scissors you need to follow the same directions for sharpening convex beauty scissors. For $6 sharpening of inexpensive scissors 4 of 4

5 and $8 to $10 sharpening there are a few extra steps that will give them a much better edge and they will stay sharper much longer. This booklet will explain a step-by-step approach to sharpening styling and grooming scissors. It's like having an experienced scissor-sharpener right next to you, guiding you through all the different facets of sharpening styling shears and helping you to develop your skills successfully. So let s get started! DISKS AND ABRASIVES If you are planning to use a grinder system, such as twice as sharp, skip this section. You will need at least 3 to 5 steel disks with abrasives attached. Five disks would give you more options. We have installed hook-it conversion pads to my disks because the softer surface of the pads makes it easier to round, or convex the outer part of the scissor. It also makes it easier to change abrasives when they wear out. We use 30 micron for damage removal, 15 micron to convex and for rough finishing, and 100% wool felt, along with polishing compound to create the finish and shine. Some sharpeners like to use 9 micron before polishing or use a leather disk with rouge. You can if you want, but I feel it s not necessary. It takes more time, and I don t see that much difference in the finish. DISASSEMBLE AND INSPECT GROOMING SCISSORS: 5 of 5

6 INEXPENSIVE AND $6-10 SHARPENING DOESN T NEED TO BE TAKEN APART BUT NEEDS TO BE INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE. THESE SCISSORS CAN HAVE THE DAMAGE REMOVED ON A GRINDER, BUT IN MY OPINION, THE NEVER SEEM TO COME OUT AS SHARP AS FLAT HONE SHARPENING Beauty scissors and Japanese grooming scissors The scissor I am describing in this booklet has a thumb nut and click plate that holds to nut from loosening. Other scissors have just a screw or have no click plate. We re using this type because it has more parts for me to describe. Holding the scissor with the nut facing up, put a finger under the screw head to hold it into place. Remove the nut and set it aside. Remove the click plate and inspect for cracks. Set it aside with the nut. Turn the scissors over and remove the screw by pushing up on the threaded area. Be cautious not to lose the washers. Some have one and some have several. Set your scissors aside for sharpening. Inspect the washers for damage and replace if damaged or worn. Set them aside with the other parts. Now that you re scissors are apart, lets go over the parts of the scissor. PARTS OF THE SCISSOR Hollow ground and Japanese 6 of 6

7 While we have the scissor apart, let s describe the basic parts. Each scissor has 2 blades, the finger (or lower) blade and the thumb (or upper) blade. Each blade has an inner and an outer edge. The inner edge is broken down into the riding edge and the ride. The riding edge is the area along the cutting edge that your blades ride on when they are closing. It s usually shiny. The ride is the area around the screw hole that your scissor rides on when your scissors move. The 2 holes are thumb and finger. The finger hole usually has a finger rest attached. Between the thumb and finger holes there is usually a bumper to quiet the scissors when they close. There is always some type of screw system that will hold the blades together. INSPECT FOR DAMAGE All scissors Pick up one blade at a time and inspect for damage using the reflection from your work light. Move the blade until the reflection is focused on the cutting edge and riding edge. You can use a magnifying glass to see the white or sparkly spots on the edge of the blade. These spots are the damaged or dull spots. Sometimes these spots don t show up clearly and have to be found by running the tip of your fingernail gently along the cutting edge. Your nail will catch if there is damage or nick you can t see. A nick is actually a small gouge that is usually caused by dropping the scissors. These nicks must be removed so the scissor will cut properly. If the nick is too deep, don t try to sharpen the scissor. 7 of 7

8 Give it back to the beautician and tell them what you found. If you sell scissors, here is an opportunity. SET THE ANGLE AND REMOVE THE DAMAGE You are now ready to set the angle and remove the damage. For Twice as Sharp users doing inexpensive grooming scissors, you would probably set your clamp for around 40 (which is actually around 50 degrees) and skip this section For flat hone users, choose the disk with the 30-micron abrasives and install it on the magnetic head. To get your settings and remove any guesswork, set your machine on a surface so the top of your magnetic disk so it is at a level between your upper chest and lower neck (just below your collar bone). I prefer sitting, so these calculations are designed for sitting. Leave enough table space in front of the machine so you can put your elbow down to help guide the scissor during sharpening (around 4 should be enough). Tape a ruler to the left side of your machine, pointed straight up with the 1 mark at the top and the 7 mark even with the top of the magnetic disk. Set your light so the bulb is just to the left of the ruler and even with the top of the ruler. Usually this will be about eye level when you are leaning in to watch your work. These positions are only approximate and a place to start. They can be changed to suit you after you learn how to find your angles. You should remove the ruler before starting your machine. It s there just as a reference point. Now you can position your scissor blade for angle. You re going to use your abrasive disk as a clock face. Use 5:30 as your starting point. 8 of 8

9 DO NOT START THE MACHINE YET! With a black sharpie marker, draw a wide line of black all along the outside of your scissor, at the cutting edge (you ll find out why as you read on). Place your blade cutting edge on the abrasive pad by holding the handle with your thumb and side of your index finger of your right hand, like you would hold a pencil, and placing 1 or 2 fingertips from your left hand near the screw hole so you can hold the blade steady and use them as a pivot point. The elbow of your left arm needs to be resting on something so you can hold your hand steady and your fingers are able to keep the scissor from moving around. Gently rotate the scissor back and forth with your right hand and notice the changes in the light reflection. When the reflection is the brightest, you have found a good starting point for finding your angle. For Japanese convex shears, you should be holding them at around a 40-degree angle. Beveled edge shears should be held around a 45-degree angle, and grooming scissors should be around degrees. These positions are only approximate and a place to start. They can be changed to suit you after you learn how to find your angles. Now you can position your scissor blade for angle. You re going to use your abrasive disk as a clock face. Use 5:30 as your starting point. BELOW IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO POSITION YOUR SCISSOR FOR SHARPENING WHEN USING THE CLOCK FACE METHOD. 9 of 9

10 Position your light source over the 9:00 edge of the disk and approximately 8 inches above the disk as a starting point for setting your angle. Start finding your reflection by placing your scissor at the 5:30 or 6:00 position. This is a student doing a beveled edge at 45 degrees, notice the position of his scissor on the disk, (its around 4:00 on the disk face) 10 of 10

11 Don t start your machine yet!! Place your scissor on the abrasive disk in the starting position you just learned. Slowly drag it toward you so you can remove some of the Sharpie marker. Turn your scissor over and see where your marker was rubbed off. If the black marker was rubbed off, away from the cutting edge, you need to adjust your position by twisting your blade counter-clockwise (watch your reflection) and drag it again (repeat several times if necessary) to wipe off the black all the way to the cutting edge. When you achieve this, you ve found the angle and reflection you need to start removing the damage! Now you can start your machine! Start your machine spinning clockwise for right handed scissors. Adjust the speed fairly slow (approx 500 rpm for learning). Hold your scissor above the spinning disk in your right hand, with your left hand in the position that was just described. Rotate it like you just did, and find the reflection. Hold that reflection and slowly lower your blade to the abrasive, using very little pressure, and make sure your blade makes contact almost the full length of the blade. Keep it level to the abrasive disk, and keep it in full contact with the disk. Pull the scissor slowly toward the edge of the disk. Be cautious about overheating the tips. Let up any pressure on the blade when it gets close to the cutting edge, but still keep it in contact with the abrasive until the tip drops off the edge. This will assure your tips will be sharpened. Hold the scissor up in your right hand and rub the thumb of your left hand down across the inner surface of the scissor and feel for a small burr of metal the length of the cutting edge. You may not feel a burr yet because the angle may be too steep, but we ll adjust that slowly until we do feel a burr. Inspect the outer edge to see where the abrasive scuffed the blade. It should be scuffed a 11 of 11

12 little ways away from the cutting edge. If you already have a small burr on the inner edge, great! If not, put your blade over the abrasive disk again and change the reflection by rotating the blade counter-clockwise a little and repeat the scuffing. You should notice the reflection starting to disappear toward the bottom of the shear. Repeat the process of changing the reflection until a burr is felt. When this happens, sometimes you can see it, but you will always be able to feel it by rubbing your thumb down across the edge. The burr needs to be formed along the full length of the cutting edge. Use a protractor to check the blade which you just formed the burr. If it reads the angle you want, you re there! If your angle is not steep enough and should be put thru the process of removing damage, using more reflection until it is the angle you want. If you can t get your angle and you have fun out of reflection, move your scissor from the 5:30 position to the 4:00 or 3:30 position by doing this you get a different angle to the light. You can also lower the light, do what works for you. Let s clarify what you have just learned. If you place your scissor on the abrasives at 6:00 with full reflection, your scissor is closer to the light and will sharpen at a steeper angle. When you move it to 4:00, By moving your scissor away from the light and will get a shallow angle. By lowering or railing the light, you can achieve the same results. I always recheck the edge by turning the blade over and watching for light reflection along the cutting edge, especially at the tip and at the screw hole end. If there is a shiny reflection, the spot was missed and needs to be done again. Also check to see if all the damage has been removed, if it hasn t, do it again! 12 of 12

13 You have now created a new edge! ROUGH FINISHING AND CONVEXING Remove the 30-micron disk and install the 15-micron disk. Turn the machine on and add a little more speed to the disk. Repeat the same procedure you used with the 30-micron disk and you will create a finer burr. Usually 2 or 3 passes will be sufficient. If you are doing a beveled edge, skip the next step. To convex the outer surface, place your blade on the surface the same way you would if you were creating a burr. Rotate the blade slightly clockwise. Watch your reflection! Pull the blade across the abrasive like you did to create the burr. Repeat that process, but rotate the blade clockwise slightly before touching the abrasives. Lower the blade to the abrasives and pull across the disk again. Repeat again and again until the inside of your blade is almost facing up. By doing this, you will round the outside in steps. The next process will smooth out the steps you just created. To smooth the radius on the outer part of the blade, lay the blade facing up, on the abrasive, using very little pressure, rotate it toward the cutting edge. Stop before getting to the new cutting edge. Lift the blade. Pull it toward you about 1/3 blade length and rotate it clock-wise until it is almost flat again. Lower it to the abrasives and repeat the process. Pull another 1/3 way and repeat again. Your blade now has a convex outer edge. Inspect it for smoothness. 13 of 13

14 CREATE AND POLISH THE RIDING EDGE For inexpensive Grooming scissors, and non hollow ground scissors, skip this step. You will now need the lapping blocks. We prefer these over water stones, because they re always flat and very consistent in the results, don t have to be stored in water and don t make mud. The lapping film is easy to replace. If you prefer using water stones, skip the next few steps and substitute our 9-micron with your rougher stone and our 3-micron with your finishing stone. We use 9 micron or 8,000 grit and 3 micron or 18,000 grit with adhesive back. We install them to 3 x 8 Plexiglas plates and use clipper blade oil for honing. A small amount of oil spread evenly on the abrasive side of the film will help the particles float so they can be wiped off easily. Use the 9 micron first. Spread a little oil on the surface and place the scissor face down toward the top of the block at a diagonal angle, with the cutting edge faced away from you and at a 30 to 45 degree angle (the left side being higher on the block). Make sure the ride area at the screw hole is also on the block. Place 2and and 3rd fingers from your right hand at the handle area while the index finger over the hole area of the scissor. Place the fingers from you left hand over the blade area, applying light pressure to the blade. Drag the blade with the fingers of your left hand, toward you and to the right, so your blade is actually coming off the side. Keep it flat! Do not pull the blade with your right hand and be careful not to lift or twist the blade with your right hand (the most common mistake). The blade is curved and pulling off the side will ensure you lap the 14 of 14

15 whole riding edge. Your purpose for doing this is to smooth the inside of the cutting edge while removing the burr. Do not pull the blade all the way off the block, stop around ¼ from the tip. 15 of 15

16 BELOW ARE ILLUSTRATIONS SHOWING THE ANGLE TO HOLD YOUR SCISSOR TO THE LAPPING BLOCK, PLACEMENT OF YOUR RIGHT HAND AND HOW TO PLACE YOUR LEFT HAND FINGERS ON THE BLADE. (COLUMN A) LEAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND HAND ON THE BLADE AND DRAW THE BLADE TOWARDS YOU AND OFF THE SIDE AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE PICTURES ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PAGE. (COLUMN B) A B Repeat this process 2 or 3 times, wiping the film with a small piece of paper towel the way you would if you were sweeping the particles off the block. Do this every time you drag your blade across the film. Otherwise you could scratch the inside of the scissor with any remaining particles on the film. 16 of 16

17 Check the riding edge with light reflection. You should be able to see where the edge was lapped and your new ride established. Next, check to see if the burr is gone along the whole cutting edge. Repeat the process until the entire burr is gone. Now you are going to actually sharpen your blade using 3-micron film and oil. Repeat the lapping you did with the 9 micron. Lap it 2 or 3 times. Wipe off your blade and check the riding edge. It should shine now, because you just polished it. The polishing of the riding edge on Japanese style shears is the most important step in the sharpening process. This step alone will make you far superior to your competition. Next you will make it pretty and shiny! Inexpensive grooming scissors, this step is for you! To remove the burr for your basic $6 sharpening, cut a paper towel with your scissors, this will remove the burr without damaging the metal. Do not force the scissors to close! Sometimes you need to do it twice. For the more deluxe sharpening, use a very fine ceramic stone (I like to use clipper oil on it) and rub the burr off by rubbing the stone the inside length of the blade, this will smooth out any riding edge on the inside of the blade and make the burr very thin or even remove it. Your next step would be to polish the burr off by following the next section. POLISHING 17 of 17

18 Remove the 15-micron disk from your machine and install the felt polishing pad. Turn the machine on and increase the speed to at least ¾ and apply polish to the pad. Don t apply too much (2 or 3 strokes of your polishing stick across the felt will be sufficient). Place your blade on the pad like you were trying to create a burr. Keep the blade in contact with the pad and smooth the blade surface until it is shiny. A bit more pressure is required in this step to create the shine. Keep in mind that you may be polishing any remaining burr from the cutting edge during this step. Do not polish beyond the cutting edge. You could dull your new cutting edge if you do. Check the shine, and repeat if necessary. Remember, shiny is better to the eye. Wipe your blades to clean and inspect your work. If you missed anything, do it again! If everything looks good, then it s time to put them back together. REASSEMBLE AND SET THE TENSION (BALANCE) Put the washers on the screw. Pick up the blade with the round hole (or unthreaded hole if you re using a scissors with a regular screw). Insert the screw and washer, and put a tiny drop of lubricant on the edge of the screw head so it flows to the washer. Place your finger on the screw head and turn the scissor over. (If you re using scissors with a regular screw, you don t need to turn the scissor over. Place the blade with the screw on top of the threaded blade so you can screw the blades together). Place the blade with the square hole onto the screw. Be certain the square hole fits all the way on the square screw. Install the click plate so the tab fits 18 of 18

19 in the small hole, and put on the thumbnut. Tighten until it clicks. Use caution when closing the scissor blades. If there is any burr still on the cutting edge, it can ruin your scissors by cutting or crunching the burr off. Close the blades very slowly and feel for any catching or resistance. If you do find a burr, repeat the lapping and polishing process again until it s smooth when you close the blades. All scissors!! Hold the scissor by the handle (the one with the finger rest attached), by the fingers of your right hand. Point that blade straight up. Hold the other blade horizontally with your left hand, making a cross. Wiggle the blades with a slight twisting action to seat the washers. Let your thumb blade go so it free-falls. If the blades close all the way, add more tension until they only close only part way. If they do not move, loosen until they only close part way. Next, close the blades and inspect the tips to see if they close all the way. The cutting edges should be closed completely and slightly overlapping at the tip. If they aren t, they will pull hair. There are several ways to close the tips. The easiest way is to slice a small piece from the bumper, located between the finger holes of your scissor. This is the remedy I recommend. The other ways are more complicated and will be covered in advanced sharpening. Now you re ready to test them for sharpness. TESTING FOR SHARPNESS 19 of 19

20 We use a perm paper and water to test the scissor sharpness. There are other methods available but this one seems to work as well as the others and costs a lot less. We buy ours from Sally s Beauty Supply. With your left hand, hold a single paper at the top and let it hang. Wet it with water. Hold your scissor under the paper and cut it with the tips. If it cuts clean, it s sharp. Now cut with half the blades. If it cuts, it s sharp. Now cut the full length of the blade. If it doesn t cut clean at any point, start all over. Inspect the blades. If it cuts and doesn t skip or fold the paper, you re done! Congratulations! One final step: Recheck and reset the tension if necessary. Now you can wipe them with a cloth or paper towel with Windex to shine them up. You re there! It s time to get paid. LET S REVIEW DISASSEMBLE THE SCISSOR AND CHECK FOR DAMAGE 30 MICRON REMOVES THE DAMAGE AND MAKES A BURR 15 MICRON ROUGH SHARPENS AND SHAPES THE SCISSOR 9 MICRON LAPPING CREATES A NEW RIDING EDGE 3 MICRON LAPPING POLISHES AND SHARPENS THE SCISSOR 20 of 20

21 POLISH WITH FELT AND POLISHING COMPOUND ASSEMBLE THE SCISSOR AND SET TENSION TEST THE SHARPNESS ALWAYS CHECK YOUR WORK BETWEEN EACH STEP 21 of 21

22 CONTACT AND QUESTIONS Should you get confused or find you just don t understand, contact me at: scissor_tech@yahoo.com The video that follows this booklet is available for $ A picture is worth 1000 words! Good luck. Bob Treat, Scissor Tech sharpening 22 of 22

23 Now that you ve learned to sharpen beauty scissors, you re ready to test your skills on some beauticians. If you have a favorite salon that you get your hair done, that s a good place to start. If you would prefer to start at a place that doesn t know you re really new in the business, then I can help you with lots of places to choose from. When I first started sharpening, I didn t want prospective clients to know I just learned. I picked up a telephone book that listed a city about 7 miles away and looked in the yellow pages under Beauty Salons and started to call. What was I going to say? Now I m afraid of the phone!! I needed some type of outline to help me get the butterflies out each time I needed to call the salons, so I sat down with my wife and asked her to help me by being a kind hearted critic. This is what I finally came up with. Hi, I m your name (not your business name) the scissor sharpener. I ll be sharpening scissors in your area on day of the week, I ve never had the privilege of sharpening for your salon. I m just calling to introduce myself and offer my services. Does anyone need scissors sharpened while I m in the area? I use this every time I call a salon I ve never sharpened for. It clearly tells them your name, what you do and ask them if you can sharpen for them. It does not tell them you re new or inexperienced! If they ask you for area salons you sharpen for, here is what you can say: I m opening a new territory and you re the first salon I ve called. Would it be ok if I stop by and introduced myself? If it s no, don t be pushy! Tell them you ll call the next time you re in town, or stop by and drop off your card. There are so many salons to call, you don t need to push yourself on them, just go on to the next one. Some people absolutely hate the telephone and would rather just start out in the AM and stop at every salon they can, this is OK too if that s what you feel comfortable with. I prefer a mixture when I m opening a new territory, I call and get a few YES S so I know I ll put some money in my pocket, no matter what. Once you are in the salon and introduce yourself, offer your card and tell them you run a special. I like to run a 5 sharpening and 1 free. I use my card to write or initial each time I sharpen for them, this gets them keep my card and call me when their scissors need sharpening again. It s great when they call you instead of you calling them. For a day\week planner, get a beauty shop planner to book your day or week. I like the least expensive one you can get at Sally s beauty supply, but any of the beauty shop planners will work fine. I ve attached an example. 23 of 23

24 I use Yahoo! Yellow pages the make my list of salons and keep records of dates I called or stopped by. I use Y for yes and NT for next time, SB for stopped by etc. All I have to do is go thru the pages and I know what, where, when etc. Here is an example: 24 of 24

25 Good luck and happy sharpening! Bob, Scissor Tech 25 of 25