Scissoring Tips- From a hand out given at Intergroom 2007 "Back to Basics Scissoring" class.

• You cannot achieve a good scissor finish unless your prep work is properly done.
• Not every coat had the correct texture to create a great scissored finish. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!
• Choose scissors that fit your hand well.
• Choose scissors that work best for the job at hand. Big scissors for big jobs, small scissors for small jobs.
• Keep in mind that if you have small hands, “big” might mean 8”.  Larger hands require larger shears.  Use scissors you  have the most control with.
• Use the entire length of the blade, not just the tip of the scissor.
• Remember to stop, comb the coat out, and re-scissor.
• Using a mist of coat spray or even water will help you get a nicer finish.
• Stand BACK to get the full perspective of your work. Use “wide angle” vision.
• Use your old crummy scissors on dirty coats and for “rough” work.
• Save your better shears for finish work.
• Scissor first for shape, setting your lines and patterns. Go back over to achieve your finish. 
• Maintain your scissors to protect your investment.  Store them in leather and have a professional craftsman sharpen your tools.  Quality scissors should be sharpened by “honing,” not by “grinding.”  An inexperienced sharpener can RUIN your good scissors.
• Practice the proper way to hold your scissors.  If you have been holding them wrong it might take you some time to “relearn.”
•  $ Quality scissor work takes time, charge for it! $

A Glossary of Shear Terms- by Carol Visser

Dial Adjuster or Adjusting Screw?  Most shears have an adjusting screw where the blades meet. By using shear pliers to loosen or tighten the screw, you change the resistance that the blades have when you open and close them. Personal preference is a large part of where you set them, but generally the looser they are, the easier it is on your hands. Shears that are too tight are difficult to open and close, and will not hold an edge (stay sharp) as long. The dial adjuster is a knurled knob that allows you to adjust tension with your fingers. Caution: on a good shear, it will be adjusted correctly when it leaves the factory. Leave it alone. Too tight a tension will cause blades to grind together, causing unnecessary wear on both the blades and your hands. Sharpeners sometimes see shears that have been ruined by someone tightening the tension in order to make the item cut again, when what it really needs is to be sharpened.

Anodized: A black finish to improve definition when scissoring white or light-colored coats, especially under fluorescent lights.

Ball Bearing: A system of ball bearings around the pivot that allows the shear to open and close effortlessly.

Ball tip: A blunt, rounded tip at the end of a shear that serves as a built-in safety feature for delicate areas. Usually found on curved shears.

Bent Shank: The shank, or finger hole end of the shear, is slightly offset from the cutting blades. This keeps your fingers out of the hair, preventing you from mussing the coat that you have just scissored to perfection.

Carbon Steel: Type of steel used in shear making. Durable and holds an edge, but needs to be kept dry and oiled, as it may rust.

Coatings: Made of Teflon or plastic, a coating resists surface rust, and a high color or pattern in the coating increases visibility of tools and distinguishes them in busy shops.

Cobalt Steel: Very hard type of stainless steel. Resistant to chips and nicks.

Corrugated/Serrated: Blade edge with tiny ground-in grooves to provide non-slip cutting by holding the hair.

Filipino: A wide blade style designed for all-purpose, heavy-duty use. (Also known as 88 style.)  

Hollow Ground: A blade with a ground-down inside that reduces weight and gives a sharper edge, resulting in a softer, smoother cut.

Honed/Razor Edge: Edges that are precisely worked to razor sharpness. Reduces scissor marks in coat.

Ice Tempered/Frozen Tempered/Cold Forged: A shear that has been subjected to sub-zero temperatures at a certain point in the manufacturing process. This changes the composition of the metal so that it is much harder and will hold an edge longer. Twenty years ago it was important to look for this quality in a shear, but today it is so commonplace that some manufacturers do not even mention it in their sales copy.

Rockwell Hardness: a measure of how hard the metal in the shear is. It’s an engineering test that measures how far a diamond point goes into metal at a certain pressure. The higher the number the harder it is, so will hold an edge well. This has become more of a means of comparison than it should as there are other factors – mostly, which one do you like. You can get a higher Rockwell number on a carbon steel than a stainless, but stainless can be polished to a much smoother finish which will make them feel better in the hand than carbon steel.

Short Shank: A shear with a short distance from the finger holes to where the blades cross. Reduces hand fatigue, as blades open wider with little hand movement.

Stainless Steel: A high quality steel combined with chromium and other metals to resist rusting.


 

© Copyright 2007, Daryl Conner, MPS, Meritus.  All rights reserved.