How To Sharpen Scissors- 5 Effective Ways

How To Sharpen Scissors Using 5 Handy And Effective Ways

Scissors are must-haves in your home, we all have them for many reasons and day-to-day activities, in these circumstances knowing how to sharpen scissors becomes a necessity.

Over time, using scissors consistently for multiple purposes will lead to loose and dull scissors. The edges will become not so sharp as compared to the time when you brought them initially.

Once you start having trouble using the scissors due to their dullness, you probably want to buy another pair of scissors instead of finding means and learning how to sharpen scissors, we all do that sometimes! One reason for doing this is that scissors are relatively not so expensive and we do not pay much attention to them.

However, why spend even a few dollars on buying scissors every time when you can just make your previous pair as good as new? A little bit of practice and few ingredients placed at your home will do the work.

Let us see how to sharpen scissors at home effectively for making them perfectly fine for usage.

How To Sharpen Scissors

1. How To Sharpen Scissors Using Sandpaper

Sandpaper is great for getting back the shiny appearance and sharpening the scissors. Just follow these steps and learn quickly how to sharpen scissors using sandpaper.

• Bring a piece of sandpaper. A sandpaper sheet having grit 150-200 works fine for this process. If you wish, you can increase the grit to a little bit more finer as they will give more smooth edges to the scissors. Just fold the sandpaper in half such that the rough side of the sandpaper faces outward. This is done so that the sandpaper strikes and grazes against both the sides or blades of your scissors.
• Now cut through the sandpaper. Cut few long strips, nearly 10 to 20 times. You will notice that as you keep cutting, the blade is becoming sharper. Try to use full strokes or scissors when you are cutting. Begin cutting at the base of scissors and then proceed towards the tip. This method is especially good when your scissors are not very dull and needs a little sharpening.
• Other than sandpaper, you can also use some alternatives like steel wool and emery cloth. The sandpaper will also help the scissors to smooth out indents and nicks.
• Now, wipe down those scissors. Using any damp cloth or paper towel, wipe down the blades. Also, do not forget to clean any leftover bits of sandpaper on the scissors that may have been collected while you were sharpening.

2. How To Sharpen Scissors Using Aluminum Foil

Follow the procedure to learn how to sharpen scissors using aluminum foil.

• Obtain a piece of foil about 9 to 10 inches long and fold it multiple times so as to obtain a thick and folded strip of aluminum foil. These layers are added or folding is done so that it can help sharpen the blade of scissors multiple times by just one cut on the foil.
• Now cut the foil into strips using your scissors. Keep cutting until you cut the aluminum strips entirely. Try to use full strokes of scissors and cut at the beginning of the sheet and extend it toward the bottom or tip of foil. Your scissors will be sharpened depending upon the width of the scissors and the sheet used. If the sheet was folded into many layers, your scissors are likely to sharpen earlier and vice-versa.
• Once you are done, wipe your scissors down. Use any paper towel or cloth dampened using warm water for cleaning. This will help the scissors get rid of any accumulated aluminum debris that may have deposited on the blades of the scissors while you were cutting the strips.

3. How To Sharpen Scissors Using A Sharpening Stone

• Bring a sharpening stone from any hardware store and use it for sharpening the pair of scissors you are having. These stones are designed in such a way that they have two sides and both these sides can be used for sharpening. One side is coarser and grainier side while the other one is smooth and fine.
• If your scissors have become very dull over time, you should try and use the coarser side of the stone to sharpen that scissors, but if your scissors are not in very bad condition, using the fine side will do the work for you.
• The next step involves preparing your sharpening stone. You can just place a towel underneath the sharpening stone and then lubricate it using honing oil or water maybe. You will easily get honing oil from the same place you got your sharpening stone, just ask them to pack both the ingredients for you. It works perfectly fine for the lubrication of your stone.
• You have to disassemble the pair of scissors for proceeding further. Just remove the screw present in between that holds both the blades together. By doing this you can easily sharpen each blade nicely and separately. This will also allow you to have more mobility while you are sharpening either of the blades.
• You need to sharpen the inner side of the blade as well. Place one blade of your scissors on the sharpening stone facing the inner side which is flat such that it is facing down. You will have to create a sharp and nice angle between the cutting edge and the inner blade. Where the edges of both blades meet, that area is responsible for cutting things nicely. Grip the handle of this blade and then pull slowly the blade across the sharpening stone towards you, such that the edge of the blade is still flat against the stone.
• You have to repeat the same action slowly and carefully till the blade has sharpened completely. This will take a maximum time of 10 to 20 pulls. Repeat the same process with other sides as well.
• Sharpen the cutting edges of the blade now. You have to grip the handles of the scissor you own and tilt the blade such that it is toward you until the edges used for cutting are lying flat on to the surface. With the blade kept horizontal in your direction, just pull it against the stone. Repeat the action properly until you receive a sharpened blade.
• Sharpen the cutting edges of your blade now. Grip the handle of blades and hen tilt them toward you until the edge lies flat on the surface. If you have started using the coarser side first, while your finishing, rub the blade on the finer side too. If you are new to this procedure of using sharpening stone it might be difficult for you at the beginning.
• You can also use a trick, use a marker to draw lines on the blade, and then sharpen the scissors, once the lines get invisible it is evident that the scissors are sharpened.
• Now, remove the burrs on the scissor blades after finishing. Usually, the scissors have some burrs of metal after they are sharpened using a stone, you have to use a dampened paper towel or cloth to clean them entirely. This is to ensure that the blade has nothing deposited on it and it will work perfectly afterward.
• If you want the scissors to be even sharper, you can repeat the process again. At last, wipe the scissors properly.

4. How To Sharpen Scissors Using A Glass Mason Jar

• Pick a mason jar and fit the scissors around it. Open the scissors blades as wide as they can open and position them around the sides of the mason jar. Hold the jar on the opposite side using your hand so that scissors can be sharpened nicely.
• This is the same as you were cutting a piece of paper or fabric, you have to keep cutting on the sides of the mason jar using the blades. Use light pressure while closing the scissors and let the glass do the work of sharpening for you. Keep doing the process again and again until you receive a sharpened pair of scissors. Make sure to use a mason jar that is not important to you as it may get damaged.
• Wipe down the pair of scissors using a damp paper towel to clear off any microscopic glass pieces that might have stuck or gathered on the blades while you were trying to clean them by cutting the mason jar.

5. How To Sharpen Scissors Using A Pin

• Bring a seeing pin, this method will work the same as the previous method worked for sharpening the scissors. The only difference here is the tool used for sharpening purposes.
• Squeeze the scissors closed and then slide the pinout between the scissor blades. This was the same as if you were cutting a piece of fabric using your scissors. Keep the pin in between both the blades locked. Keep doing the process on the entire length you use for cutting or the length that has stopped working well after more usage.
• Repeat the process to receive clean and smooth edges of the blades.
• Here comes the last step, wipe the scissors down using a damp paper towel. While you clean the scissors using a pin, there are chances that some pieces of metal might have stuck or deposited on the blades, removing them is important.

This method will work for your kitchen scissors, paper scissors, clothing scissors, and hair scissors as well. However, if you own a really good pair of scissors that are highly expensive, it is suggested that you do not try anything on your own to clean the scissors if you are entirely new to these procedures. In such cases, you can take them to a professional to get cleaned nicely.

You may also get a kit for cleaning the scissors if you use scissors way too often.