I can only tell you how I sharpen my scissors.

I remove the bolt which is the pivot, and put each blade into my soft faced
vise. I use either a small mill file to draw file, or a diamond coated sharpener
to sharpen the blade. It is pretty easy to see what angle you need.

I then place the flat of the blade on some fine sandpaper (400 or 600) and touch
up the leading edge. Only enough to see that it is sharp. Then back together
with a little oil.

It works for me.


On Jan 3, 2015, at 9:32 AM, Phil Schempf  wrote:

> Galoots-
> 
> I recently acquired a pair of shears - two pair actually.  One was a J.
> Wiss and Sons Model A pinking shears with replaceable blades.  Was
> interesting to learn that pinking shears are a relatively modern tool,
> first appearing in the early 20th century.  Apparently they only work well
> on natural fiber fabrics so their popularity waned after the appearance of
> synthetics.  The pair I got is still sharp, cutting t-shirt knit fabric
> with ease (something that seems to be a problem for many scissors), with
> only minor surface rust in a few spots - massive cast aluminum frame with
> steel blades held by screws.  Anyhow, lots of interesting stuff at:
> http://jwissandsons.com/ for those so
inclined.
> 
> The other pair were not in as good of condition.  Mechanically, the gently
> curving blades meet well and the pivot is tight, but corrosion or perhaps
> misuse has taken the edge off the blades so they won't cut.  I think they
> are salvageable if the edge can be touched up, but I'm clueless how to
> proceed.  No great loss if they are wrecked in the attempt, but I thought
> someone here may be able to guide me and up the possibility that I may end
> up with a useful tool. Any one with a knowledge of proper techniques,
> angles, etc?
> 
> Phil
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