Pet Grooming Shears Sharpening
Sharpening and maintaining your pet grooming shears’ overall health may seem straightforward to the untrained eye, but many factors go into it. First on the list, you should keep your shears clean to prevent any build-up of hair, dirt, or debris on the blades. You’ll also need to keep them adequately oiled and make sure their tension is correct. Last but not least, the way you hold your shears when cutting makes a significant difference in how long they’ll last.
Proper Care
It’s important to note here that attempting to sharpen your pet grooming shears without an expert’s consultation may lead to permanent damage. Pet Grooming shears come in many different materials and models, which means their sharpening specifications vary from one pair to another.
With that said, there are some tell-tale signs that your shears may need to be serviced:
- If the cut does not complete to the end of the blade
- If extra pressure is needed to complete the cut
- If you sense the shears pulling the hair instead of cutting
- If it’s challenging to turn the tension screw
- If the tension screw falls out completely
Test Your Shears
And if you’d like to test your grooming shears’ sharpness, you can go ahead and follow these simple steps. Just make sure you don’t use paper, or any other coarse materials, for your test as they can dull your shears’ blades even more.
Sharpness Test
- Take a tissue and wet it in your sink.
- Hold the tissue so the wet edge is facing down.
- Take your shears and cut into the wet tissue.
- Once you’ve completed the cut, gently pull the shear down.
- If your shears pull some of the tissue down with it, that’s a sign they need sharpening.
- If your shears come away cleanly, that shows that they’re making full cuts.