How To Sharpen Your Shears

Having your tools in the best condition makes life easier and the end result of the job you used them for  is smarter looking, tidyier, lasts a whole lot longer than a job done badly.

And the best thing of all,  it makes you FEEL proud, satisfied and you go strutting around like my rooster: don’t tell me you don’t- you keep going back to survey your handy work, a smile and a silent pat on your back, you SHOW anyone you can redirect to your handy work…yep just like my rooster:)

Why keep your shears sharp

Apart from the reasons already mentioned, trying to trim grass or amything else with dull bladed shears is like attempting to dig concrete with a wooden tooth pick. Yet five minutes of your time at the start of the job is going to save you time and kerp your shears in perfect working order.

You will need:

Shears, oil and sharpening stone

How to sharpen your blades
1) Clean any grass clippings, soil or anything else off the blades that shouldn’t be there.

Now I know I will sound like your Mother here – but if you clean your tools after  EVERY use and I mean wash them in soapy water if necessary, dry them throughly, wipe them with methalated spirits in order to kill and remove and bacteria’s and oil the working parts and the blades.

Then you might be able to use them after a winter in the garage instead of being presented with a rusted mess. It always astounds me just how much money the big garden centres make in the first week of spring when gardening bugs strike and good intentions are running high rather like the first week in January when trying to stick to those new year resolutions!!!

2) Use a 2 in 1 oil to oil you sharpening stone, add the tiniest drop and rub it into the stone with your finger. Sit down on a step and lay the open blade of the shears across your knees. Take the stone and use tiny circular motions from the handle end of the blade outwards. Once you can hear the sound of the stone on the blade change, it’s time to oil the stone again and use long strokes from the handle end to the tip. When you get more confident, you will be able to do this motion all in one go.

I usually do each blade for about 2-3 minutes and then I test my handy work by opening and shutting the shears and you will hear a very faint ‘grinding’ sound. DONT rub your finger along the blade to see if is sharp, an outing to the emergency department is not on the agenda!!

What NOT to do-
Beware of being over enthusiastic when cleaning your shears and don’t make the mistake I made and dismantle them, thinking you can put them back together again…NOT!!

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