Crafty Tip: Keeping Scissors Sharp
I have a sharp little tip for you today. It is one that I learned when I first started to DIY and decorate my home on how to keep my scissors sharp.
How many of you have a pair or two of scissors around your house that you use for cutting paper, cardboard, fabric, string, plastic packaging? …the list goes on. Those scissors in your office or kitchen drawer might be the most reliable everyday tool in your house, but with use will dull over time. Many years ago I found the way to keeping scissors sharp for a long period of time, even with daily use.
I may not have posted much the past few weeks, but I have been very busy behind the scenes doing projects that required lots of cutting of many different materials from foam to fabric to stone. I created my studioffice in my house so I would have every tool I needed to do my DIY projects at an arm’s reach.
I have quite a few pairs of scissors in my studioffice...all are super sharp. I keep them sharp with this simple tip.
How to Keep Your Scissors Sharp
- The first step to keeping your scissors sharp when you do a lot of crafting and DIY’ing is to have more than one pair, but not for the reason you may be thinking.
- The reason to have more than one pair of scissors is to label each pair to do only one job. For instance, one pair for cutting fabric, one pair for paper, one pair for cutting thick material like foam, another pair for small cuts.
Have you ever tried cutting a piece of ribbon with the scissors in your kitchen drawer? You get a ragged edge. If you only use the scissors labeled “fabric” to cut ribbon, you will get a clean cut every time and the blades will stay sharper longer. When cutting wired ribbon, have one pair labeled “wire ribbon” since the wire can dull the blades faster.
I label my scissors: Fabric, Paper, Thick, Heavy Duty, and Micro. I use Washi tape to make my labels and a label maker, but you can use any type of tape and a pen to label each pair.
They hang from the “Creative Wall” I designed in my Studioffice.
Fabric: fabric and ribbon
Paper: All types of paper, except glitter cardstock, then I use my pair labeled “Thick”.
Thick: Foam, heavy cardstock, cardboard, string, twine, yarn.
Heavy Duty: Sandpaper, plastic packaging.
Micro: Fine and detailed cuts. One pair to use to cut notches when sewing corners of fabric together and a pair for doing detailed cuts in paper.
When you label each pair, even your family will know which pair to use so your scissors and you will be happy.
If and when your scissors do get dull, it is not too costly to replace them, but you can sharpen them the same way you would a knife, using a sharpening stone. You can even sharpen a dull pair of scissors by cutting through a folded piece of aluminum foil.
Another tip to keep them sharp and working perfectly every time you use them is to make sure you clean off any goop, glue or paint from them before putting them away. This will ensure they will be in sharp form the next time you need to cut something.
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