How To Sharpen Scissors at Home

It is actually easy to sharpen your scissors within the confines of your own home. People don’t often consider it because it is easy to get a new pair of scissors, and you don’t often need them, but with these tips, you’ll be able to save that extra cash.

How Do You Know When To Sharpen Your Scissors?

When it comes to sharpening, there's no perfect timing. It all depends on how often you use your scissors and what you're cutting. Someone who often cuts sturdy materials will most likely need to sharpen their scissors more often than someone who uses their scissors on herbs.

According to Jeff Malkasian at Viking Culinary, you should sharpen your scissors when cutting starts to demand more than your usual effort.

"If you are having to work harder to cut through a piece of meat or vegetable, it's probably time to think about sharpening," he says. "Effort can also be defined as having to increase amounts of pressure to close/cut with the scissors."

How to Sharpen Scissors at Home

There are many ways to sharpen your scissors at home.

"A whetstone or sharpening stone is my go-to for sharpening my scissors," Malkasian says. "There are also low-cost home sharpeners available in the market designed just for sharpening scissors and take a lot of the guessing out of the process."

Another option is to use sandpaper on a hard, flat surface. Files and mini diamond hones will work, too.

Some tips to keep in mind while sharpening your scissors at home:

• Separate the scissor blades before sharpening. Some scissors come with hinges that allow for disassembly.
• If using a sharpening stone, experts suggest you follow along and mirror the angle of the bevel as you move your blade across the stone. The bevel is the lip of the scissor blade that slopes downward.
• When using sandpaper, make sure the grit count should be around 200.

When to Replace Scissors

Before you consider this, try sharpening first.

"For good kitchen shears, sharpening and maintenance should suffice," Malkasian says. "Many styles of kitchen shears will easily come apart for cleaning and sharpening. Those styles are a little easier to maintain than shear blades that are permanently affixed together, but both can be sharpened."

Conclusion 

While sharpening may work, it is important to know that maintenance is the best thing you can do for your scissors. Ensure you dry them well and put them away properly to avoid rusting, and don’t be afraid to go at them with a sharpening steel now and then.