Scissors?

[Guest]

Color me scissor curious.

I cut most fabrics with scissors. I have used razor blades against straight edges, which works better with some fabrics than others. My “cutting table” is most often the covered top of a pool table, so if I’m using a razor blade a wood top has to go over that surface. Scissors are just quicker and easier when I’m making a one or two simple cuts.

I have scissors marked and reserved for glass and kevlar and peel ply, and use them for nothing else. Decent quality Fiskars scissors, but all are getting dull and less than satisfactory.

I went investigatory scissor shopping, and now I’m more lost than ever. There are now scissors with adjustable tension for thicker and thinner materials, Titanium blade scissors, scissors with anti-adhesive resistance for cutting sticky-backed tape, 3X and 6X “durability” scissors, all in the sub-$10 (some sub $5) range.

? #1 - What scissors do y’all use to cut fabric (glass, kevlar, peel ply etc)?

? #2 - Is there a decently cost-effective scissor sharpening tool? Even if they still sucked for cutting FRP materials I’d relegate them to general shop use, cutting paper and adhesive-backed tapes.

Yes, I clean the adhesive residue off general shop use relegated tape scissors; after I have gummed up the works on several pair and can’t find scissors that work worth a dang. Cutting good quality duct tape gums up a pair of scissors fast. So does cutting heat sealable fabric.

And, observationally, cutting papergoods seems to dull scissors really fast. The thick brown wrapping paper I often use is a scissor killer.

? #3 – Is there some other (simple) FRP cutting device that isn’t stupid expensive for occasional fiberglass and etc fabric cutting?

 

[Odyssey]

The other day my wife went on a scissors rant. I thought I was the only one in this household allowed a rant? Somebody (not me) took her "good scissors", the kind she prefers for fabrics (shears). To appease her and cool her down I dug another pair out of one of the 2 junk baskets in the hall closet. Hmm. Identical to the crappy pair she was already using. I remember now I'd gone scissor shopping and came home with poor quality scissors to keep the family in scissors and their hands off my good ones. It seems as the kids have moved out so too have the good scissors. Resigning myself to giving up one of my several pairs of paper hanging shears (part of my trade once upon a time) I went out to the shed. Hmm. Only 1 pr left? I used to have 4. I decided to leave them be along with the excellent scissor sharpener I always kept in my work pouch whilst on the ladder on the job. Likewise I've always kept different utility/exacto blade knives for different jobs. (4)Wallpaper, (4)drywall, (2)shingles, (several)whatever. Never The Twain Shall Meet. Just like scissors, don't mix and match. Because when you reach for the perfect blade it either won't be sharp or won't be there at all, at all.
All this blab to say, don't go cheap. Buy the best and forget the rest. Heavy fabric shears for that fabric purpose. Good quality paper shears for paper. And if need be or at least as long as the kids are around, keep them all locked up. The shears I mean. Let them use the cheap scissors.

 

[Guest]

Odyssey, a couple or five years ago I went on a scissor cleaning and sharpening frenzy around the shop and house. Turned out we have a lot of scissors; cheap scissors, good scissors, excellent German-made surgical scissors, some with blades only a half inch long. Scissors in almost every room in the house; bathrooms, kitchen, office, shop. 22 pairs of scissors, and I may have missed a few.

http://www.canoetripping.net/forums...neral-discussion/15394-shop-project-run-amuck

I remember now I'd gone scissor shopping and came home with poor quality scissors to keep the family in scissors and their hands off my good ones.

There are (lemme go count) 5 pair of scissors hanging in the shop for everyday anybody use, mostly old Fiskars. And another dozen pair in various rooms around the house.

Hidden from general use, three pair of small German surgical scissors in a small wood box with the Exacto knives and blades, and three pair of (once new and sharp) Fiskars hidden in the FRP box. The latter three are Sharpie marked “Glass”, “Kevlar” and “Peel Ply”; I don’t know if that material labeling helped; it didn’t hurt.

I decided to leave them be along with the excellent scissor sharpener I always kept in my work pouch whilst on the ladder on the job.

That is what I need to find, an “excellent scissor sharpener”. I have a winky little yellow plastic “scissor sharpener” that drags along the edge of the blades. Near useless in my hands, the “sharpening” slot on the back of an old electric can opener worked better (could be my lack of technique) at least on junky old scisssors.

I’d like to buy another pair of high quality scissors to keep in the FRP box for cutting glass and Dynel (???), but don’t really know what scissors are “best” for cutting glass, Dynel, etc.

And after 5 years it’s time to have another day of sharpening all of the other scissors, so an excellent scissor sharpener and new scissors would make another good Christmas gift suggestion. I’d hard to buy for.

 

[scoutergriz]

we've got a dozen pairs of scissors kicking around, but most are plastic handled junk, BUT I've got three good pairs in my shop- all old style forged steel ones, they're heavy, precise, will cut anything (even light guage steel), and can be sharpened with a few licks of a stone. they'll slice through CF or burlap like paper, then you can turn around and cut tissue or gauze and still get a clean cut.
I've given all my plastic- handled junk ones to my wife!

 

[Boatman53]

Glad I’m not alone. I’m always giving heck for misuse of my good scissors.
To sharpen I hold the blade in a Jorgensen clamp and get after it with a stone. Depending on the use depends how fine a stone I end with.

Jim

 

[Sven]

I have more than a few pairs of scissors in my shop as well.

My favorite ones are similar to these:

Big handles and long cutting edges which are great for cutting the straightest of lines

I do recall Alan posting a tip for cutting kevlar a while back, where he said he would give the blades of cheap scissors a quick run across the bench grinder and it creates micro serrations on the blades which is really all that my "kevlar shears" have to aid in cutting Kevlar.

 

[sweeper]

Here are some of mine.
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[pblanc]

I buy the cheapest scissors I can find for cutting fabric. Harbor Freight for a few bucks a pair. They work fine for a while. When they get dull, I throw them out.

 

[dogbrain]

Mike, i just use the cheap fabric store fiskars scissors. I have the little finger held sharpener that seems to keep them just sharp enough for me to avoid a search for something better and more expensive. I was wondering Mike if you've ever tried one of the rotary cutters. I have a couple different ones and the cheaper white plastic cutting mat, but the Green self healing ones are better but also more expensive. The rotary cutter and mat works well with almost any fabric, good with fiberglass, not at all with xynole (the mat may be the issue), and i doubt it would work with kevlar.

mark

 

[sweeper]

I buy the cheapest scissors I can find for cutting fabric. Harbor Freight for a few bucks a pair. They work fine for a while. When they get dull, I throw them out.

I find the nicest ones I can in the dump and sharpen them.

 

[mwaalen]

Hey Mike, what about using tin snips? The red ones are a must-have in my traveling tool kit as they get used often and make short work of leather, rubber hose, nylon strap, plastic sheet, etc. Easy to sharpen and their heft makes it so one doesn't need to squeeze so hard.

 

[muddyfeet]

These ones have gone through any material I use for composites: glass/carbon/Kevlar/innegra/peel ply/vac bag, etc. They have hardened blades and very small serrations on one side. At $30 it is the most I have ever spent on scissors, but they have performed well and I can recommend as a ‘universal composites scissor’.
https://compositeenvisions.com/carbon-fiber-fiberglass-kevlar-shears-410.html

 

[Alan Gage]

I buy a cheap but decent pair of scissors and use it just for cutting cloth until I goober it with epoxy and then it turns into one of my sacrificial pairs of scissors and I get another cheap but decent set for cloth.

For sharpening I usually hit them with a sharpening stone.

I also started using the bench grinder on the cloth cutting scissors. The rougher edge from the grinder grips the cloth better when cutting. Hold a pair of scissors nearly 90 degrees to a bench grinder and then use it for cutting kevlar. You won't believe how good it works. When it quits working so good just hit it quick with the grinder again.

Alan