Pinking Shears

Kanle · Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 37 Location: Alabama

Does anyone know if you can charpen pinking shears yourself? I have an old pair that are in desparate need of shrapening, but I don't know how to do it. Would it be like sharpening scissors?

happydaisydoo · Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 189 Location: Kansas

You might try cutting through several layers of aluminum foil. It works for sharpening my paper punches. Good luck!

Athos · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 446 Location: San Francisco

pinking shears can be sharpened professionally. look for cutlery places, places that sell knives. certain kinds cannot be sharpened (because of how they are joined), and pinking shears can only be sharpened once or twice before they no longer work (because the sharpening grinds the scissor points down past the contact line). unless you have the proper equipment, you cannot sharpen them yourself. mine cost about $5 or $10 to have them sharpened.

Kanle · Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 37 Location: Alabama

Cool, thanks for the advice. I don't know if these have ver been sharpened. They are over 30 years old though.

Athos · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 446 Location: San Francisco

mine were vintage too, from around the 1930s. you can tell if they've been sharpened by looking at the points. there should be a dark horizontal line across all of them on the inside (where it would make contact with the fabric). if they have been sharpened down to the line, they won't be able to be sharpened again.

stella · Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 2:17 am Post subject:

honestly, i wouldn't bother. new Fiskars pinking shears are light and cut through many layers of fabric with ease. i have a vintage pair i keep because they're cute, but my wrists can't handle working with them. they're too heavy.

go-fish · Joined: 17 Oct 2004 Posts: 144 Location: skamokawa, WA

this was a helpful topic!
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Kanle · Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 37 Location: Alabama

stella, I agree, but they can be expensive and I thought if I could sharpen them myself for free then that would be the way to go. I will probably jsut go ahead and buy some new ones, but also try the aluminum foil thing and see if it works on the old pair. Thanks!