Will Sharpen, Inc.

Allow chemicals to stay on your hair scissors!
Chemicals can corrode the surface of your hair scissors and create pitting. Immediately rinse any chemical solutions from your hair scissors and dry the scissors thoroughly. Though a skilled professional sharpener can usually restore damaged hair scissors, prevention is always the best method!

Use your hair scissors for anything other than cutting hair!
Hair scissors are designed for – you guessed it – cutting hair. Cutting anything else can quickly dull or even damage your valuable tool. Keep a pair of household or utility scissors on hand for jobs such as cutting cardboard, paper or ribbon, cutting the top off of perm solution bottles or opening packages. Also, keep your hair scissors in a safe place when not in use so no one will unknowingly use them incorrectly or accidentally drop them.

Use a sharpener you know absolutely nothing about!
Research the sharpener. Things to consider: 1) how many years in business, 2) certification(s) and training, 3) referrals, references, list of satisfied customers, and 4) confidence in their craftsmanship (service guaranteed). If they are listed as a certified sharpener for specific manufacturers, you can usually rest assured that they are qualified to be trusted with your hair scissors.

Keep your hair scissors clean!
Wipe the blades after each cut and use a cleaning brush to clean any hair or debris that has caught near the pivot point; a toothbrush works well.

Keep your hair scissors lubricated!
At best, oil your hair scissors at the end of each day; at least, oil them weekly. Put a drop of oil at the pivot and a drop of oil at the ride line of the blades, then wipe the excess off while using the cloth to oil the full blades of the scissor. We recommend using camellia oil. This will minimize excessive wear and tear on your hair scissors and aid in preventing rust and corrosion.

Get your hair scissors sharpened routinely!
The appropriate timing will depend on many variables: amount of use, hair type that has been cut, exposure to chemicals, accidental misuse or abuse, etc. Remember that professional scissor sharpening includes preventative maintenance, so your scissors should be revived to “like new” condition.

Many in the grooming and beauty industry are still unsure of the difference between convex and bevel edges. In general, if a sharpener has to take the scissor apart to sharpen them correctly, you can expect to pay the convex edge sharpening fee.

A bevel edge (also referred to as German edge) has a flat angle along the edge of the blade to create the cutting edge. They are only sharpened on the outside edge of the blade, and the angle of the cutting edge (usually 10 to 35 degrees) has a lesser angle than convex edges.

A convex edge (also referred to as Japanese edge) has a sharper, thinner cutting edge. They require a special technique to sharpen and are sharpened and polished on the inside of each blade in addition to the outside edge. Also, the angle of a convex edge (usually 45 to 50 degrees) has a much sharper angle than bevel edges. As there are special skills required and more involved in the process of sharpening a convex edge shear, they cost more to sharpen and should never be sharpened by anyone who has not been properly trained and certified for convex edge shear sharpening.

In two words: clean and dry. Be sure hair has been washed before cutting as clipper blades are not designed to cut dirt. Cutting dirty hair can dull blades fast! Also remove all hair and debris from the blades after each use and store them in a clean area when not in use.

Thoroughly dry your blades after each cleaning. Moisture causes rusting which significantly reduces the life of your clipper blades as more metal must be removed during sharpening to obtain a sharp edge. Regularly oiling will put a barrier between your clipper blades and moisture, as well as lubricate the moving parts, keeping them from getting as hot. Another trick I have heard, but not tested, is to keep some pieces of white chalk in your blade storage area. The chalk absorbs some moisture but is not a cure in itself and the old chalk should periodically be renewed.

Lastly, don’t ever try to sharpen your own clipper blades between professional sharpenings. More than not, your professional sharpening service will need to remove more metal to repair amateur sharpening jobs than if you had just had them professionally sharpened in the first place.

For anyone with certain metal allergies, Titanium coated shears can be invaluable as they put a long-lasting barrier between the irritating metal and the groomer or stylists’ hand; however, the Titanium coating does not add any value in regards to the sharpness of a shear or its ability to hold an edge. Another practical use for Titanium shears is the stylist or groomer’s ability to “code” the shears by age, owner or specific use. For most, however, Titanium coating just makes their shears a pretty color.

As a rule of thumb, shiny surfaced shears resist pitting and corrosion better than satin finished shears. Therefore, the durable Titanium coating can be a benefit is that respect. Always remember, whether your shears are shiny or satin, it is imperative to recognize that stainless steel does not mean stain proof. Routine preventative maintenance, to include keeping your shears clean, dry and oiled, is paramount to the lasting quality of your shears and can help them last longer between sharpenings.

Though hand-forged shears are clearly the best quality shears, the following explains some differences between the ways shears can be made:

Hand-Forged Shears (high-range shears)
• Can have and hold a much sharper edge
• Specific qualities can vary with each craftsman
• Most expensive shears, but worth the extra cost

Cast Shears (mid-range shears)
• The hardening process with cast shears will not hold as sharp an edge as hand-forged shears
• Often are digitally finished which creates uniformity with each shear produced
• Less expensive than hand-forged shears

Stamped Shears (low-end shears)
• Have a lot of drag on the blade and are not as sharp
• Usually not hollow ground
• Most inexpensive shears

When choosing a quality shear, some rules of thumb are:

1. There should be a narrow, but consistent, ride line along the cutting edge of the shear.
2. Though many stylists and groomers prefer a convex edge, if the shear’s steel is superior quality, the edge that was originally given to the shear (beveled or convex) should always remain the edge that is maintained by your sharpener.
3. The inner surface of the blade should be uniformly hollow-ground (concave).

There are different grades of stainless steel used to make hair scissors. In general, good categories range from:

• 440A to 440C Steel
• S-1 to S-3 Tooling Steels (sometimes called “Silver”)
• “V” Steels (range from V-1 to V-10 Gold)
• Hitachi’s ATS-314 (the finest, most expensive scissor steel available)

Generally, you should look for a scissor that is made from 440C grade steel or higher, but there are also quality hair scissors made from 440A. Tooling Steels are low in carbon content (a hardener), but possess high impact toughness, low abrasion resistance, and fairly high hardness. Another tidbit to know is that all steels above the 440 grades are considered to be cobalted steels. The benefit to your hair scissors of adding cobalt to the steel is it both increases the hardness and decreases the weight of the scissor.

As I mentioned in the previous post, each country has a different “recipe” for their steel. As a result, each origin has unique qualities.

• Japan: commonly known as the best hair scissor steel in the world

• Germany: produces a very hard steel, but often too hard to sharpen to a razor-sharp edge

• Korea and China: produce good steel; however, it is a softer steel and does not hold an edge as long as Japanese steels

• Pakistan and India: produce the poorest quality of hair scissor steel; sharpens inadequately and does not hold an edge well

It is important to know the country from which your scissors’ steel was produced, and if you are looking for a quality scissor that will last a long time, Japanese steel is highly recommended. The Mirage and Shisato lines of beauty shears and the Gold and Platinum lines of Shark Fin pet grooming shears are a great place to start.

All stainless steel used to make hair scissors come from one of the following countries: Japan, Germany, Korea, China, Pakistan, or India. Each country has their own “recipes” for their steels which create different attributes. Steel is not found in the earth alone; it is rather a combination of several elements, ores, and alloys.

Carbon: hardener
For hair scissors, the carbon content should be between .95% and 1.2%.

Manganese: tensile strength
Manganese helps retain the blades sharp edge longer.

Chromium: protection against corrosion and heat
Chromium’s heat resistance helps the steel maintain the desired qualities during the forging and finishing processes.

Molybdenum: toughness and corrosion resistance
Molybdenum protects the scissor from breaking under pressure as well as from chemicals that could cause dulling and pitting.

Vanadium: toughness and fatigue resistance
Vanadium helps the hair scissor maintain its set and balance.

Cobalt and Titanium: increase hardness and decrease weight
These two additives are only in some hair scissors’ stainless steel, but they are usually present in the finest hair scissors.

As a professional, your hair scissors can be the most important element in the quality of your performance. Though training and experience are invaluable, poor fitted or poor quality scissors can tarnish even the most perfect execution of technique. So, how can you be sure that you have quality hair scissors that match the caliber of your potential performance?

There are many factors that contribute to choosing the perfect hair scissor for you. The best place to start is the desired quality of steel. Hair Scissors are all made of stainless steel from various countries. Japanese steel is considered to be the best quality steel for scissors. For a quality cut, the scissors should be made with Japanese 440C, or a higher grade, stainless steel. Of course, the higher the grade of steel the higher the cost, but the benefits are well worth it! The highest grade of Japanese steel is Hitachi’s ATS-314 and is the finest hair scissor steel.